Page 67 of I Want to Know What Love Is

After we eat, which comes after we peel her sister Brook off the floor, figuratively speaking, when she sees me, I manage to get to the dance floor. Starting with Brook because she’s clearly my ally, I ask her to dance with her husband’s permission and she’s thrilled.

It only takes a few beats of music before Mandy drags her brother-in-law to the dance floor to make sure I don’t get in trouble, but I don’t mind. Gary and his Bride join the crowd when the band switches songs and the unmistakable strains of Foreigner’s I Want To Know What Love Is fill the air making my chest tighten because I wish to hell it was Mandy in my arms right now. The dancing turns slow and I sweep Brook in the direction of the newlyweds.

“Can I have this dance?” I ask the bride, ignoring Gary. She looks unsure and turns to him.

With the people around us watching, because I stand out in this crowd, taller, slightly younger and dressed like I should be on a movie set, Gary has no choice but to stand back and allow me to dance with the bride or look like an ass. I take his bride in my arms, keeping a distance and watch him.

He looks at Brook and she scowls at him then turns away, heading back to our table. Mandy and her brother-in-law swing around and Gary does exactly what I want him to do. He cuts in on Mandy’s brother-in-law and takes Mandy in his arms without waiting for her response. My chest constricts and I chide myself because I knew they would dance. I set the stage for it. But no matter how much I expected it, the automatic visceral response is out of my control and as he pulls her tight. My heart pounds and I have to concentrate on not fisting my hands. I turn to my dance partner and she’s looking dismayed at her new husband.

“Congratulations on making it through the ceremony, Mrs. Ludwick,” I say to cheer her up. Poor unsuspecting girl. She laughs. Then I add, “Looks like Gary still has a thing for his almost-bride.” Her smile falters at that and I remind myself she’s not the bad guy. “Sorry, I—”

“You don’t like Gary and I can see why you’d feel that way. He... he didn’t handle things with Amanda very well. But…”

“But what?”

“But I thought he made it up to her, that she’s here because… they’re friends now.” I school my expression and dance in the direction of Mandy and Gary because I see they’re having a discussion, possibly an argument based on the expressions on their faces and Mandy’s struggle to maintain space between them.

“You’re right. It’s me. I’m a jealous guy,” I say to the bride because I’m not a bastard. At least not to her. Then I keep quiet and look over her shoulder because I want to listen to what Mandy and Gary are saying.

“I thought you said you weren’t bringing anyone,” Gary hisses. “Since when are you dating this… guy?”

“It’s none of your god damn business, Gary.”

“Where did you meet him? Who is he?”

“You heard what he said. He’s my lover.”

“Right.” He pauses, leveling a snarly smile, then adds, “I bet he a male escort.” Shit.

Putting my dance partner aside, I dart my hand out and grab Mandy’s wrist just in time to stop her from slapping Gary’s smug face.

“Babe,” I say, holding her wrist in a firm grip and putting my other arm around her shoulders, pulling her away from Gary. I nod at Dooley who sees all from the periphery and pushes through the crowd around us, all of whom decided to stop dancing to watch the show. Gary’s bride goes to his side to hang on his arm and protect him. Amanda’s chest heaves up and down adding to the enticement of the scene, while I whisper to her attempting to calm her, telling her she’s too good for him. She glares at Gary, her eyes wielding a chilling glitter as if she could freeze the bastard with her stare.

“You go with Dooley. Let me take care of this.” She looks at me while Dooley throws an arm around her insisting he needs her attention. Her eyes beseech me, then they close, extinguishing the golden sparks of defiance and that breaks my heart because I know shame when I see it. She let Gary get to her and that wasn’t supposed to happen.

Her slapping Gary was never meant to happen. I was supposed to be the one to step in and punch him for his inevitable disrespect. But she was too vulnerable to take the crap from him, her bravery too strained by the reminder of her failure, of getting jilted. She thought she was strong enough to handle this, wanted to be strong enough—and though it has nothing to do with Gary, I suspect, he’s the stand in for her general failure at love.

As far as I’m concerned, Gary’s more than a stand-in. He’s a perfect bastard and he needs to leave her alone. Because he sounded too much like a guy who wasn’t done tormenting his ex. I feel the mother of all volcanoes seething inside me needing an escape.

“Your date’s out of control,” Gary says.

I turn to him, towering him by three inches, just enough to intimidate, and lean close to his ear and talk in a low voice, my anger barely braced. “Come outside with me now or I’ll tell your bride every little black secret you have.” He flinches and after a few beats of me staring him down, he nods.

“Excuse me, dear,” he says to the bride and I let him lead me through the crowd where he makes excuses along the way. We walk through the kitchen and I watch to make sure he doesn’t steal any knives along the way, tempted to grab a large pan myself, as we end up out back in a small delivery area, currently vacated of any people.

He wheels around as if he has the beef. “How dare you—” I smile and raise my hands as if in surrender.

“The real question is, how dare you?” My voice is calm, belying the rage climbing my nerve endings and heating me up until I feel like I’ll spontaneously combust if I don’t do something. He sneers.

“You don’t belong here whoever you are.”

“That’s for Mandy to decide, isn’t it?”

“No. This is my wedding and—”

“You invited her and her guest. That’s me. You have a problem with that, don’t harass her about it. Talk to me.”

“You’re nothing. Her latest lay, right?” His words don’t bother me, funnily enough, so I smile, waiting for him to say the wrong thing, because I can feel it in my bones that it’s coming.