I couldn’t explain the butterflies I felt racing around in my stomach. We were already married for Christ’s sake. I’d seen her in her dress, I knew how beautiful she’d look, but the nerves didn’t fade as I nodded and followed Q to the bottom of the staircase.
“I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder as she raced upstairs.
I felt the guys crowd around me.
“I’m not sure you three need to greet my wife with me,” I joked.
“Are you kidding?” Rome shoved me with his shoulder. “She might see me first and realize she’s made the wrong choice.”
I glanced at Rome who was wearing a massive, smartass grin.
“You are such a moron,” Josh muttered. “They’re already married.” He shook his head, unable to believe the stupidity of our friend.
“You’re a moron too, if you think that’s the only problem with his scenario.” Logan chuckled. “That girl won’t even see us standing here.”
I barely registered their jibes backwards and forwards. I heard the click of the photographer’s camera, and I knew El was on her way down.
The girls descended one by one, Jemma first, followed by Stacey, then Brooke and finally Quinn. They were all wearing navy blue to match Quinn, but they each had chosen a different style of dress.
They all looked beautiful, which of course Rome told them, in his usual tactless manner.
Guy has always got his mouth open...
He fell silent the moment El appeared at the top of the platform. Her long blonde curls were smooth and silky, tamed and pinned to the side with the lengths over her shoulder. She had on more makeup than I was used to seeing, and her skin was almost glowing.
I tried to swallow, my throat suddenly feeling dry.
Logan was right. She only saw me.
It gave me chills.
I looked into her eyes and she froze, both of us staring at one another, drinking each other in. We stayed like that, unmoving, for what felt like forever.
I looked at the distance between us and knew there was no fucking way I could wait that long to feel the warmth of her body against mine.
I looked at her again and stepped forward. Her mouth curled up into a smile. She knew I was coming for her.
I held her gaze as I climbed the stairs, stopping only when I was one step below her, our faces level.
“You look so handsome,” she whispered, running her fingers gently through my hair, pushing it back from my face. “So handsome,” she murmured again as her finger lightly traced the planes of my face.
I could hear the photographer clicking away like crazy, but there wasn’t anything that could make me turn away from her in this moment.
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. She literally had me speechless. I shook my head and tried again... nothing.
She giggled at my reaction and leaned into my body. “Thank you,” she whispered in my ear.
“I didn’t even say anything,” I finally choked out.
“I know,” she replied quietly. “You couldn’t... so thank you, for the compliment.”
***
Quinn and El had done an amazing job in here. The restaurant was almost unrecognizable, and the night was flowing without a hitch.
We’d had the speeches, I’d kept mine what I thought was reasonably simple, but when I’d looked up, there wasn’t a female in the house with dry eyes. Logan had given a heartfelt speech, wishing El and I all the love in the world, and Rome and Logan had taken the piss out of me and attempted to hit on my wife. So, all in all, it went well.
Quinn had spoken beautifully on behalf of the girls and had El in tears before she even finished speaking. Those two were more like sisters than friends and it warmed my heart to witness the bond they shared.
El’s father had even spoken, welcoming me warmly to their family – a sentiment that was both unexpected and incredibly humbling.
I reached for El’s hand under the table. “It’s nearly time, pretty girl.”
I was nervous as shit. El thought I was worried about dancing in front of everyone. She’d managed to twist my arm, and we’d taken a few lessons since we were officially married. I knew how to move, but ballroom had never been my style. It turned out to actually be pretty easy, but I’d let El think that I wasn’t feeling confident about it.
“I know.” Her eyes sparkled.
I knew she was excited. We’d chosen to dedicate a song to one another. El’s choice was up first.
“What have you got for me, Els?” I stood and held a hand out for her.
“Let’s find out, shall we?” She smiled shyly.
Quinn, seeing us heading to the makeshift dance floor we’d set up at the restaurant, grabbed the microphone. “Excuse me everyone, it’s time for the first dance. If I could introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce.”
The crowd cheered around us and El blushed, still not thrilled about being the center of attention.
I took her in my arms and held her close as the music began to fill the room.
I listened carefully, not wanting to miss a word of the gift she was giving me. I smiled as I recognized the song. ‘The Book of Love’ by Gavin James.
“I love you, Lawson.”
I kissed her softly and held her tight against my chest, swaying and moving only slightly – the dance lessons forgotten. Thankfully El didn’t seem to mind.
I almost laughed at the irony of the words. El was in for a surprise.
“It was perfect, pretty girl,” I whispered as the song came to an end.
“Did you like it?” she asked nervously.
“I loved it.”
I looked away from El and caught Q’s eye. I gave her a nod and she jiggled with excitement.
I loosened myself from El’s arms. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Quinn and the girls appeared behind El and pulled her gently backwards. I could see the confusion on her face, and I just chuckled. I ran my hand through my hair, my nerves suddenly front and center again.
The minute I saw that El’s eyes were covered by the blindfold, I turned, looking for Logan. He emerged through the crowd of our family and friends, passing me a chair and my guitar – the one and only secret I’d ever intentionally kept from Ellerslie.
Quinn pushed down gently on El’s shoulders until she was sitting on a seat in the middle of the dance floor. I quietly placed my chair in front of her as the boys joined El’s friends. I gave them a nod – I’d asked for their help on this one and I was hoping like hell they’d been practicing.
Q loosened El’s blindfold and it fell into her lap. She blinked twice, and her mouth fell open in shock as she realized what was happening.
I lightly strummed the guitar.
Show time.
16. Ellerslie
No way... no fucking way.
He couldn’t play the guitar... could he?
He strummed once and behind me I heard a group clap in unison.
The girls? The guys?
I couldn’t take my eyes off Lawson to check. I had no choice, I was completely fixated on him. He hummed lightly to the tune.
The strums of his guitar and their timed claps created a chilling melody that I recognized instantly. ‘Work Song’ by Hozier. I loved this song.
The whole room was silent as Lawson opened his mouth.
His voice was deep, but somehow soft as he sang into the microphone in front of him. His eyes were focused on mine, and I had goosebumps covering my skin from his intensity. His voice moved through my entire body, his foot tapping to the beat he created.
I’d heard him sing before. He was always singing softly to me and Stella, which was part of the reason I’d chosen the song I had. But I’d never heard him sing like this. If I was honest, I didn’t know he had it in him. I found myself wondering if there was a single thing in the world that this man couldn’t do.
His eyes left mine only momentarily to close when he found himself particularly caught up in a verse, his head lifting slightly
to the ceiling. The moment he opened them again, they were focused on me.
I’d never experienced something so chilling, so intense, yet so romantic. The strums of his guitar and the claps behind me were all that filled the room until they slowed and stopped altogether.
The room remained silent for a fraction of a second, and it was only then that I realized I was crying. Cheers erupted from every angle, and I laughed, a snotty, mess of a laugh. It was all so surreal.
Lawson had barely looked away from me, and he didn’t now either, he slid his guitar to the side, crouched on the floor in front of me and took my hands in his.
“I love you, Ellerslie.”
I could do nothing other than cry and laugh.
***
My feet ached from all the dancing. I’d ditched my shoes two songs in, as had most of the girls. I’d danced with Lawson the entire time. I knew it was our wedding reception and we were supposed to be mingling with our guests, but I just didn’t give a shit. The feel of his hard, strong body moving in sync with mine had always been one of my favorite things, and it was my wedding, so I was doing what I wanted.
Quinn had eventually come over and dragged me away to get a drink with her.
“Did you know he could do that?” she asked, her green eyes wide and excited.
I shook my head. I couldn’t hide the goofy grin on my face. “I’ve heard him sing before, not really sing like that, but enough to know he had an amazing voice. But the guitar was a complete shock. I really had no idea he played.”
Quinn smiled triumphantly. “I told him to keep it a secret, right back after you first met.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “I don’t get it? Why hide it?”
“Because,” she said, inclining her head in the direction of the dance floor. “When I saw how he felt about you, I knew he’d need a trump card sooner or later. And when you sat there in that chair, he finally got to throw down.”
“You had us married off before we’d even kissed.” I remembered fondly.
“Well, I was right, wasn’t I?” she teased.
“Yeah.” I nodded and squeezed her hand. “I’ve never been so happy to prove you right.”
17. Lawson
“Well shit, Pierce, credit where credit’s due.” Josh pulled me in for a hug and a smack on the back. “I’ve never heard you sing like that.”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Oh hey, don’t go getting all modest now.” Rome chuckled, his voice louder than usual.
I shook my head and laughed. “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”
He gave me a shit-eating grin and held his fist out to me. I bumped mine against his and waited for the questions that were sure to come.
“So, where’d you learn to do that?”
I took a swig of my beer and smirked at him, not wanting to answer.
Rome raised an eyebrow at Logan in question. Logan was my oldest friend, and probably the only person outside of my family to hear me sing, until today anyway. If anyone was going to have the answers it was Logan, and Rome knew it.
“He’s played and sang like that since he was sixteen years old,” Logan told him, sounding almost proud.
“So that’s how you always got the girls?” Rome taunted me.
Bastard can’t even give me a break at my own wedding.
I pushed up off my stool and looked around for El. I stopped and rested a hand on Rome’s shoulder. “I didn’t even need that, man, my charms and rugged good looks were enough to seal the deal.”
I dodged the punch he threw at my shoulder and laughed loudly.
Now... where is my wife...
I found El at the bar and smiled to myself. I leaned in and asked Jackie, my bar manager, to get me two tequila shots.
I prowled towards her. “Here you go, pretty girl.”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “What is it with you and tequila shots?”
I chuckled and set it down on the bar in front of her, the lemon slices and salt next to them.
“I think you’ll find that you started this particular tradition.”
“I didn’t realize it was going to become a regular occurrence,” she protested.
I raised my eyebrows and waited.
She pouted.
“Marriage has made you tame. What was it you told him? ‘Live a little’, if I remember correctly?” Quinn teased before heading back to the dance floor, leaving us alone in a room filled with people.
El frowned after her and picked up the shot glass, holding it up to me.
“To amazing memories,” I told her, repeating our toast from an earlier time.
She smiled in recognition and crinkled her nose. She clinked her glass against mine. “And to making more,” she replied.
***
The fact that it was New Years Eve wasn’t lost on our guests, and we counted down to the beginning of a new year in traditional fashion. I hadn’t been so eager to share a new year’s kiss since I was a hormone-driven teenager.
I released Ells only to dance with my mom.
“You know how proud I am of you?” she said as we swayed slowly from side to side.
She had to strain her neck to look up at me; both Quinn and I had got our height from Michael, and I had to say I was grateful to the man for it; my mom was tiny.
“I know, Mom,” I smirked.
She swatted at my shoulder. “No really, you two are so beautiful together. That girl is probably the sweetest thing I’ve ever met.”
“She is.” I smiled as I glanced over to where Ellerslie was dancing with Kyle.
“She’s changed you, you know that?” she said quietly.
I looked back at my mom, her hazel eyes shining with unshed tears.
“She’s made me a better man,” I agreed.
“No.” She shook her head. “She’s made you whole again.” She patted my chest as the song slowed and stopped. She reached up to touch my cheek, like she did when I was a little boy. “You were always a good man.”
“Ever since we met I’ve known that we’re special. That the way we talk and laugh around each other is different than everybody else. That I will never meet anyone I can trust as much as I trust you. And I think most people search their whole lives to find what we’ve already found.”
- Author unknown
18. Ellerslie
My phone rang from where it sat on the seat of the limo next to me.
Lawson had surprised me with a night away from home tonight, it was sweet and thoughtful, and I should have known he would do something like this.
An even bigger surprise had come from Reeve. He, together with my parents had organized us a honeymoon. Quinn and Logan were in on it too, they’d offered to cover for us at work, and my parents would stay at our house to care for Stella and the dogs.
The day after tomorrow, we were heading to Greece for seven days, and I was excited beyond measure. Lawson was shocked; he never expected anything like this from them.
The only problem, in an otherwise flawless evening, had come when Reeve had rushed over to us and explained in hushed tones that he, Lisa, Colt and probably Quinn would be leaving right away. There had been some type of accident, and his business partner, Harrison, Colt’s brother, was involved.
That was all I knew. They’d run out an hour or so before midnight, and we hadn’t heard from them since.
I picked up the phone.
“Quinn.” The relief in my voice was obvious. “What’s happening? Is everything okay?”
Quinn must have been in a cab, I could hear the sounds of the vehicle in the background.
“He’s okay,” she replied quietly. “He’ll be okay, but he’s pretty hurt right now.”
I shot Lawson a glance; he was listening into the conversation. “What happened?”
“We don’t know yet.”
Quinn didn’t sound right, she was quiet. Quinn was never quiet.
“What’s wrong, Q?”
“What was it
like?” she asked me suddenly, slightly more volume in her voice. “When you first saw him?”
“Saw who?” I asked in confusion.
“Lawson,” she answered. “What was it like when you first saw him?”
I huffed out a laugh and squeezed Lawson’s leg. “I’m sure you remember. I was so angry, he drove me crazy.”
Lawson laughed in the seat next to me and intertwined his fingers with my free hand.
“Yeah, but what was it really like? Did you just... know?”
I thought long and hard before answering her. I didn’t have a clue why she wanted to know – but I got the sense it was important.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I think I knew that I’d never come across someone like him before, and I guess I had a feeling it was never going to end there. I knew there was more to come. He was the most magnetizing person I’d ever met.”
I could tell Quinn’s silence was a thoughtful one.
“Are you okay?” I asked when it finally got too much for me.
“I’m not sure,” she confessed. “Can I sleep on it tonight and talk to you about it tomorrow?”
“Of course,” I told her sincerely.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” I replied before the line went dead.
“Well... that was... odd.” I placed my phone back on the seat and swung my legs to rest over Lawson’s. “Did you hear all of that?”
He frowned and ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah I heard it. No idea what to make of it.”
“Me either,” I agreed, biting down on my lip in thought.
We both sat in silence for a few moments, trying to decipher Quinn’s phone call. It was unlike her to be so vague, she was usually upfront to the point of being borderline rude.
“You know Reeve has been worried about Harrison for a while now.” Lawson’s hand ran gently up and down my arm as he spoke.
“What? Why?” This was news to me.
“Apparently he’s always hurt. Bruises, cuts, broken bones... trips to the hospital. It sounds like this time is the worst yet, but still, there must be a link there.”
“Maybe he owes someone money?”
“Could be. But I doubt it. He and Reeve would be earning some pretty good cash and I think he owns a nice place.”
Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4) Page 45
