“A beer is fine, thanks.”
Alex grumbled to himself as his brother and cousin walked away, but I was beyond caring. As much as I was against drinking since my last experience, I really needed something to take the edge off my headache. When I was little, my mother would always let me take a sip of her wine at dinner, and surprisingly I found it was a bitter taste that I didn’t mind.
Everyone waited for Cole and Isaac to return with the drinks, and we munched on our dessert in silence. The wedding cupcakes had turned out beautifully, thanks to Cole’s help, and Haley loved them.
“Here you go, my lovely lady,” Cole said, setting my drink in front of me. Alex shot him a glare, but before he could say anything, Isaac set a drink down for him as well.
“For me?” Alex asked in surprise. His cousin nodded. “Thanks, dude. What is it?”
“Iced tea, with a little something extra,” Isaac answered. “Just be careful with those. They’ll creep up on you fast.”
I watched Alex as he lifted the drink to his lips and took a swig. “This is great,” he said, perking up in his seat. “You can’t even taste the alcohol!”
The drink seemed to make Alex less hostile toward Cole, so Isaac kept them coming. But Alex didn’t heed his warning and two hours later, he was in the bathroom puking his guts out. After bringing him another glass of water, I collapsed onto one of the kitchen chairs to wait for him to finish. When his stomach was empty, I was going to tuck him in bed so he could get some rest.
Sitting down, I realized just how tired I was, and how much today had sucked. I had been looking forward to the wedding for so long, and although it turned out beautifully for Will and Haley, it hadn’t been fun for me. Between the cupcake crisis in the morning, the boys fighting through dinner, and Alex getting sick, the day was pretty much ruined.
“And this will be our last song of the evening,” I heard the lead singer of the band announce.
“Dang it,” I said, thinking I was alone. “I didn’t even get to dance to one song.”
“We could fix that.” Cole pushed open the screen door and stepped inside. “Jackie, come dance with me,” he said, extending his hand to me.
I looked at it reluctantly. Dancing with him would probably only cause more drama by the end of the night, but I had really been looking forward to the wedding reception. “You need a break,” he added.
“I don’t know,” I said, wringing my hands. “I really should look after him,” I said, nodding my head in Alex’s direction.
“He’s a big boy, and you’re not his mother,” Cole said, heaving me to my feet. “It’s just one dance. He won’t even notice you’re gone.”
“I don’t—” I started to say, but Cole was already pulling me out the back door and I let him.
He led me out onto the dance floor, where a slow song was starting to play. Couples stood all around us, swaying back and forth to the music. I didn’t know what to do—if I should actually dance with him—but Cole made the decision for me by wrapping his arms around my waist.
“You know, you’re supposed to put your hands on my shoulders,” Cole pointed out. “Otherwise, this is going to get really awkward, really fast.”
“I shouldn’t be doing this,” I said, but I hooked my hands around his neck anyway.
“Probably not,” he said softly. “But you want to.”
“Cole, don’t start this again,” I begged. His nearly white bangs were longer than when we first met—now they brushed at the top of his eyes, and his lips were partially open, begging to be kissed. He was perfectly beautiful and I had to glance away. I could feel the blood rushing through my veins.
“Why not, Jackie? Was what I said wrong?”
“Please,” I said, avoiding his question. “I just want one dance.”
“And I just want one answer.”
“Why does it even matter, Cole?” I asked, looking back up at him sharply.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment in concentration. “Because,” he said, opening them again. They were a dazzling blue. “Loving you just crept up on me, and before I knew it, I was head over heels for you.”
I stopped dancing. “Love?” I repeated in shock.
“Tell me you feel the same way, or that you feel something.” Here, his voice cracked, but he kept going. “I just—I need to know that I’m not alone.”
“God, Cole, don’t put me in this situation. I can’t!”
“The hell you can’t!” he exclaimed, ripping his arms away from me. “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I won’t notice. But the thing is, I’m always paying attention to you, Jackie. It’s like—you’re gravity and I’m just a little blip on your radar.”
“A blip on my radar?” I asked. The idea was ridiculous. “Cole, you’re impossible to miss.”
“So does that mean—”