“Claims he can sing better than you,” I tease, still bent backward in his arms.
“Phssss. He fuckin’ wishes. Wait—do you think he can?”
I shrug. “I dunno, Mr. Saint John. Might have to refresh my memory.”
His eyes gleam with excitement. “Oh, challenge accepted, Darlin’.”
With lightning speed, he stands me up and spins me once more before holding my body tight to his. Unashamed of who’s watching, Beau two-steps me around the room to “Diamond In My Pocket” by Cody Johnson, all while belting out every single word. I laugh the entire time, and when he asks me if he sounds better than Jasper, I only wink before crashing my lips to his.
Lawson’s dance follows. It’s steadier and more protective, but I can feel every bit of his love as his heart beats beneath where he hasour two hands resting against his chest. As our song ends, he brushes a strand of hair behind my ear and whispers, “I love you, Honey.”
My cheeks are starting to hurt from how much I’m smiling. “I love you, Lawson.”
“May I have this dance?” Lincoln interjects just as the music changes to James Otto’s “Just Got Started Lovin’ You.” Lawson claps his little brother on the shoulder, kisses my cheek, and rejoins Jasper and Beau at the bar, who have stared at me through every dance. My skin feels flushed, and I’m desperate for a glass of water, but I don’t dare ask to leave the dance floor until Lincoln has had his turn. Our dance together isn’t anything extravagant; hell, we hardly even move from the spot we’re in, but he doesn’t leave any space between his body and mine as our hips sway in rhythm to the song.
“You’re doing incredible, Sweetheart,” he murmurs.
And I believe him.
I’m having fun.
Realfun.
I’m not pretending.
Not surviving.
I’mthriving.
Chapter twenty-five
Abigail
Asthenightprogresses,the music melts into something faster and brighter. Laughter grows louder. Glasses clink more often. And the dance floor fills to the brim.
Suddenly, a room filled with conservationists, businessmen and women, bankers, and lawyers alike, comes alive. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Someone swaps my champagne flute for a fresh one, and I smile when the bubbles hit my lips.
My body feels warm and buoyant. My nerves from earlier have dissolved entirely, and I’m practically giddy.
“Want to call it?” Lincoln murmurs, his mouth close to my ear as Beau slides his hand over the curve of my ass.
The question catches me off guard. Because when we first arrived, my pulse had been racing for an entirely different reason. I’d been bracing for stares. For judgment. For whispers sharp enough to cut.
But now I’m laughing. I’m flushed. I’m surrounded by four men who look at me like I’m the very treasure they’ve been searching their entire lives for.
“I don’t want to leave,” I admit, slightly breathless.
Beau grins wide, Lawson chuckles, and Jasper cups my face in his hand. Lincoln studies me carefully, like he’s making sure I’m not forcing it.
“You sure?” he asks.
“I’m having fun,” I admit. “Like actual fun.”
Jasper’s thumb brushes along my cheek. “Then we stay.”
And just like that, the night opens wider.
