Page 114 of Code Violation

Butterflies swirl in my stomach when I look up to find Silas smiling at me. He hasn’t taken his eyes from me the entire time we’ve been standing here.

I take back my bouquet from June and rest a palm over my stomach. I’ve never felt like a sexy person, but there’s something about pregnancy or maybe the way my boyfriend appreciates everything about me that just makes me want to drag him into the nearest tree house bedroom and have my way with him.

“You know when they talk about that feeling of knowing someone your whole life?” Will’s voice breaks me from my thoughts, and I watch him push a platinum wedding band onto his wife’s finger. “Well, I guess in our case, we really have known each other forever.”

A few muted chuckles fill the surrounding air as Will palms the back of Drew’s head. She’s wearing her hair down and in loose waves, and she looks absolutely priceless.

From beside Marley, Mia wipes under her eyes for the hundredth time.

“The thing is though, Baby”—Will’s hand moves from Drew’s head to her hip as he pulls her into his body—“I only got to know the real you when you started bossing me around, wearing hot-as-fuck pencil skirts.”

“William, language!” From beside Jensen, Kate clears her throat.

I think she’s the only woman who can pull off black at a wedding and scold the groom during his nuptials.

Will rolls his eyes and carries on speaking. “And now that I’m your husband, I get my whole life to discover every nuance you have. I want to memorize every line on your face as we grow older and every stretch mark on your body when we hopefully have babies.”

My eyes dart back to Silas, and sure enough, he’s watching me.

I love you, he mouths.

Years of working in packed bars have trained me to be very good at lip-reading, and every extremity tingles in anticipation of tonight and, hell, the rest of our lives.

There is no other man I want to grow old with.

“You’ve got some moves on you, Knockout,” Silas whispers softly as we turn in a slow circle in the middle of the dance floor to Etta James’s “At Last.”

Will and Drew just finished up their first dance to “All of Me” by John Legend, and now I’m trying not to laugh at June and Tristan as they ignore each other and pretend like they aren’t the only two guests not dancing.

“Thanks,” I say as Silas spins me once, my hand nestled in his.

I focus my attention back on Tristan, and Silas follows my line of vision.

“I don’t think those two would acknowledge each other if they were neighbors.”

“Well, they definitely wouldn’t accept packages for each other—that’s for sure.”

Silas chuckles, resting his hand on my lower back and then his forehead against mine. He sighs heavily as the song finishes, and another starts playing.

I have to hand it to Will; he picked the most beautiful venue. I didn’t even think there were this many string lights in existence, and they’re all sparkling in the trees surrounding the huge transparent dome where the after-party is being held.

“What’s going through your mind?” I ask, transfixed by the deep hues of blue in my boyfriend’s eyes.

He looks at peace tonight, and I feel the same. We finally have the opportunity to build a life together.

Silas presses a gentle kiss to my lips. “So many thoughts, Ves.”

“Good ones?”

“Mainly, yeah.”

I loop my arms around his neck, rising onto my tiptoes. “Break them down for me.”

He rests a flat palm over my stomach. “You and our baby always dominate my mind, but my teammate is ranking pretty high in my thoughts.”

“Will?”

Silas shakes his head. “Mason. I spoke to him before the ceremony. He signed the divorce paperwork.”