Page 90 of Man Candy (After We Fall 1)
“I’ll take it.” I planted a kiss on her nose. “Love bug.”
She gave me a horrified look and scooted her chair away from me, making me grin from ear to ear.
She might believe in love, but she was still my Jaime—fire and ice all at once.
I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
Later in the night, after dinner was over and the cake had been cut and Alex and Nolan had danced for the first time as a married couple, I was wondering how much longer Jaime wanted to stay when I heard the opening bars to a familiar tune.
She was sitting on my lap—her idea, not mine—and she grinned at me over one shoulder. “Is this your song?”
Chills swept down my arms as I heard the vocalist start to sing. “Who knows how long I’ve loved you? You know I love you still…”
“You remembered.”
“Of course I did. I remember everything about you.”
A rush of affection for her made my heart beat quicker. “Did you ask the band to play it?”
She nodded. “I’m not much of a singer, unfortunately, but if you’d like to dance, I’m game.”
I stood, carefully setting her on her feet and taking her hand. On the dance floor, she melted into my arms, and I held her close, breathing in the sweet scent of her perfume. I listened to the words my mother used to sing and wished she were here, hoped she would be proud of me, missed her presence in my life. “She’d have loved this, you know. You and I together.”
“Your mom?”
“Yes.”
“That makes me happy.”
“Me too.”
She laid her head on my shoulder. “This is the longest I’ve ever stayed at a wedding. I usually bail by now.”
“Does that mean you’re having fun?”
“Yes. But being this close to you makes me want to go have fun somewhere else.”
“How about my place? Would you like to see it?”
“Yes,” she said emphatically. “I’ve been dying to see it.”
The song ended and we applauded before heading over to Alex and Nolan to say goodbye. They scolded us for leaving so early but looked happy to see us leaving together.
“Thanks again for the toast, sweet pea.” Alex grabbed her in a quick hug. “It meant a lot to us.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “I know it was a little icky sweet, but I did mean what I said.”
“Of course you did.” I put my arm around her. “I think this is the start of a whole new icky sweet you.”
I got the dagger eyes in return. “Don’t start.”
Thirty-One
JAIME
“Quinn, it’s beautiful.” I turned around inside his cavernous living room, taking in the high ceilings, shiny wood floors, brick walls, and huge windows. His furniture was modern and masculine with a touch of traditional—brown leather couches, an Eames chair, an antique bookcase. “And look at that view.” I walked over to the window and looked out.
“Incredible, right?” He switched off the lights. “It’s even better in the dark.”
