He shook his head. “One thing you have to know. Dex doesn’t share easily. He keeps things close to the vest. Especially when it comes to you.”
I frowned. “Really?”
“Really,” he whispered, “and you want it that way.”
I stared at him, mouth wide. “I do?”
“Pretty much. You mean something to him. He wouldn’t betray your confidence. I just happen to be very good at reading the room.” He picked up the two drinks and winked at the bartender, who nearly tripped over her own feet to pass him her business card. “You good?”
Nodding, I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
“Okay. Stop drinking at the bar and move around. People are watching you in that dress.” The corners of his mouth quirked up. “Show them something.”
I watched as Duke rejoined his huge family. Taking his advice, I left my spot near the bar and circled around the reception hall. Mom and Mama V were seated near the dance floor, heads together, talking. For the first time since she’d been in town, Mom looked happy, at peace. It warmed my heart to see her relaxed. I scanned the room for my father. When I didn’t see him, I figured he was in the restroom or had simply retired early.
I walked over to Elise, who was sitting alone, sipping on a glass of wine. “Where’s Jay?” My sister and her husband, James, had been glued at the hip from the moment she arrived at the wedding earlier. It was clear that my brother-in-law loved his wife’s company. And I loved the way he loved my sister. “I’m surprised he let you out of his sight.” I sat in the empty chair next to her.
Elise smiled wistfully. “He’s checking on Ellis,” she bumped my shoulder with hers, “and getting our suite ready for sexy time.”
I cracked up. “Did you just say ‘sexy time’ with a straight face?”
“Shoot, it’s been a while. I can’t wait to get some alone time with my man. I’m ordering up no less than three orgasms.” She kicked her leg up as she laughed at herself. “And it’ll be so nice to have breakfast in bed, morning sex, and mimosas… just us.”
I gave her a high five. “You do you. How long are you staying down here?”
She shrugged. “Not long. We’re going to slip out of here as soon as Justus is too drunk to notice.”
“I might be right behind you.”
Elise shot me a sad look. “Why? You’re too young to be going to bed early. And alone. Find someone to get under tonight. You deserve it.”
“Says the woman who married her college sweetheart?”
“Shit, Jay put that on lock the minute he showed me his dick. And I haven’t looked back.”
Giggling, I finished my drink. “You’re so stupid.”
“Call me what you want, but I’m happy. I just want you to be happy too.”
Happiness had always felt elusive, just out of reach. “That would be nice.”
“And since you dropped the loser, it’s your time. Did he try to call you?”
The hotel had acted swiftly and switched my room. It didn’t take long for the calls to start. He’d left text messages too. “Several times,” I replied dryly. Despite the voicemails proclaiming that he was confused, that he’d lost his phone, that he didn’t know what my problem was, I hadn’t answered. “I blocked him eventually.”
“I’m glad.”
“But you didn’t have to tell Justus.”
Elise shrugged. “I’m sorry. But I was still pissed when I talked to him.”
My brother wanted to kill Kelvin. It had taken an act of God and a strong-ass best man to keep him from charging back to the lobby to find Kelvin. “Dex had to block the door to stop him.”
“Yeah, I bet. He’s so overprotective.”
“Elise, what if he’d found him, beat his ass, then got arrested. How would we have explained that to Isis?”
“Good thing we didn’t have to.”
