Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Everyone raised their glasses in appreciation, and Mila took a happy sip of champagne. Her mom took her seat, and her dad gently wiped her tears from her cheeks before standing himself. He smiled at his guests. “First, Tessa, as my beautiful wife just said, we all adore you. I’m so glad you’re part of the family now. And Arch.” His voice broke with emotion, and he took a moment to calm himself. “Arch, welcome to the married life. And well done falling for someone as lovely and perfect for you as Tessa. To see your child find their perfect fit is one of the greatest joys a parent can know. Here’s to forever love!”
They all raised their glasses in a toast.
Nick, as the oldest brother, was next to stand. Mila could see that he was a bit embarrassed that his eyes had already filled with tears. He swallowed hard and said, “Arch, Nick, Damien, Finn, and I have always been such a tight-knit unit that I’ll admit I thought when Arch got married, something might change. But now I see that we’re all going to be closer than ever. Being witness to your love makes me realize that every time we bring a new person into the family circle, the love only gets bigger. It’s a thrill to gain another sister.” He grinned at Tessa. “Welcome to the madhouse… I mean, welcome to our family.”
Everyone laughed and raised their glasses in another toast.
Arch rose and replied to the toasts, thanked the bridesmaids, joked about his brothers, and then thanked Tessa’s parents, who he was sure were smiling down on this day. He finally turned to thank Betsy and Howie. “You two showed us all what a real marriage and real love look like. It took me a long time to find that kind of forever love, but when I met Tessa, I knew I was done for.” To the assembled guests, he said, “Thank you all for coming and helping us celebrate this special day. Now, let’s party!”
And then the dancing started. Arch led Tessa across the makeshift dance floor, and everyone watched in a happy hush as they moved in perfect harmony. After the song ended, Howie and Betsy stepped onto the dance floor, Howie partnering with Tessa and Betsy her son.
Mila was a little worried that Erin might feel like the only singleton, since Mila had brought a date at the last minute, and Erin hadn’t. But to her surprise and secret delight, Jay Malone had also come alone. He’d been smart enough to realize that none of those underwear models he dated could be trusted not to blab the secret of this wedding to the paparazzi.
The minute the dance floor opened up, he went over to Erin and offered his hand. Mila watched her sister hesitate for just a second, then nod and get up. She didn’t know what Jay said, but he made Erin laugh, and then she relaxed in his arms. And just for a moment, Mila wondered if…
Then she shook her head. She was getting overly romantic because she was at a wedding. Pushy Jay Malone and quiet, intellectual Erin? No. That could never work.
Herschel asked her to dance, and as she settled in his arms for their own first-ever dance, she discovered that they fit perfectly, and the astronaut had some real moves.
Damien danced with a couple of his aunts and Tessa, and then she saw him go over to Crystal. He obviously asked her to dance, and Crystal, still wearing her headset, made a gesture toward the cake. He shook his head and, reaching up, removed the headset. Good for him, Mila thought.
He led the still protesting Crystal out to the dance floor, where Mila was able to watch how much the two old friends enjoyed each other. It must be such a relief to Damien to be able to let go with someone he trusted, since they’d known each other long before he’d become famous. The more she watched them dancing, she more she noticed that there was real chemistry between the two of them. But Crystal didn’t stay on the dance floor long, abandoning him to head back to her duties.
Damien danced the next one with Margaret, who had been waltzed around by each of the Davenport men in turn. Second to Tessa, Mila thought that Margaret was the belle of the ball. She only hoped she was as gorgeous and feisty and vibrant when she was that age.
Then it was time to cut the cake. When the big chocolate fudge cake came out, Herschel leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to need a very large piece of that cake to go.”
Immediately, her thoughts turned to the night they’d spread chocolate cake all over each other and licked it off their bodies. She was never going to look at chocolate cake the same way again.