The Wedding Dance Read online

  He regretted his words when he saw the hurt in Ben’s eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. He smiled. “Yeah, Joe knows how to have a good time anywhere. He and Gramps plan to live the hell out of this weekend.”

  “Good for them,” said Eddie. “If I ever get to be their age I hope I’m just like them.”

  Smoke nodded. He hoped he might be like the old guys, except in one major way—they were both widowers. He couldn’t imagine his life without Laura in it. He certainly couldn’t imagine being happy and having fun with his buddy in Vegas.

  As they watched, a third old guy joined Gramps and Joe. “Who is that?” asked Chase “I’ve seen him with the wedding party, but I can’t place him.”

  Ben smiled. “That’s Herb. He’s a friend of Dan’s. Actually, he’s the doorman in the building where Dan lived in San Jose.”

  Ryan nodded. “Only our Danny, huh, guys? Who else invites his old doorman to his wedding and flies him out to Vegas for the weekend, all expenses paid?”

  “Dan seems like an amazing guy,” said Eddie. “I don’t know him that well, but everything I hear about the guy makes me like him more.”

  “He’s the best!” said Ryan. “You’ll never meet a smarter, kinder, more genuine guy in your life.” He stopped and then laughed. “Jesus, it sounds like I’m back to checking out other guys’ stuff again, doesn’t it?”

  They all laughed at that.

  “How do you know him?” asked Chase.

  “We went to Berkeley together. Just for a semester, but you know how some people you just click with?”

  “I do,” said Chase.

  Smoke nodded. Ryan and Leanne must have quite a history then. He knew Dan had met her at Berkeley as well. The three of them must have all been friends. He was intrigued by what their history might be, but he wasn’t the sort to go nosing into other people’s lives. He liked Ryan, the fact that he’d seen something in Leanne—something he’d liked enough to get engaged to—made Smoke wonder if maybe Laura was right, and Leanne wasn’t that bad after all. He smirked to himself, then again maybe not—Ryan hadn’t gone as far as marrying her!

  He looked around. It seemed that all the guys were enjoying themselves in their own ways. The old guys were still ogling the dancers. Jack and Pete were deep in conversation with Gabe. They were no doubt talking business. Jack wasn’t so bad, but the other two just didn’t know how to leave work alone. It seemed any social event was also a potential business opportunity in their eyes.

  He realized Nate was missing from their number. Where the hell was he? Smoke couldn’t help but smile when he spotted him. He was out on the dance floor. Three chicks were practically cat-fighting over him as they danced. If only they knew, they didn’t need to fight; Nate would happily take care of all of them, if they’d let him.

  He realized the conversation had moved on without him. They were back to talking about music. Smoke’s brain zoned out when it came to that. He wondered where Dan had gotten to. He spotted him out on the balcony talking to Michael. Ah. The two grooms together. That made sense. He wondered if he should go join them, but decided against it. He wondered again about how long it would be before he joined them in being a groom. As was always the way for him and Laura, their schedules made things difficult. In addition to that, they hadn’t figured out what they wanted to do. Neither of them wanted a big wedding or a traditional one for that matter. The idea of a Vegas wedding didn’t hold any appeal for them either. Smoke had suggested they sky dive and get married midair. Laura hadn’t gone for that one. They’d figure something out. He looked at Pete’s dad standing at the bar. He’d love to think that his own dad would come out on his stag night. It would really mean all the old wounds were healed if his dad and brother came. That made him think about Missy. He felt bad for her. She’d have her brother there, but not her dad. Smoke had offered to fly back and get him whenever she wanted, but apparently it wasn’t an option. He watched Dan come back in, leaving Michael out on the balcony.

  He made his excuses and followed Dan back to their table. “Is he okay?”

  “Who, Michael?” asked Dan.

  “Yeah. He doesn’t seem right.”

  Dan shook his head sadly. “He’s worried. Megan’s upset about some things and he doesn’t know what he can do to make her feel better.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  Dan sighed and nodded. “It is. But there’s nothing we can do, I’m afraid.”

  “How about you? How are you holding up?”

  “I’m great.”

  Smoke was surprised to see a tinge of sadness in Dan’s eyes even as he smiled.

  “But what? Come on, this is me you’re talking to.”

  Dan rubbed his hand over the stubble on his cheek. “Nothing I can do anything about. And that bothers me.”

  Smoke raised an eyebrow.

  “I wanted all this to be perfect for Miss, but it’s not. Not without her dad.”

  Smoke nodded. “I was just thinking about that. It’s sad. It makes me sad for her. She’s such a little trooper.”

  “I know. I just wish for once that she didn’t have to be. That she could have everything she wants.”

  Smoke knew exactly what he meant. “And there’s no way at all he can come?”

  Dan shook his head. “Doc Morgan said four hours in the car wouldn’t be good for him. I can see that.”

  “And thirty minutes in the air?”

  Dan met his gaze. “That’s all it would take? I told Doc Morgan I thought it would be about an hour.”

  Smoke nodded. “Nope. I can get him here in thirty minutes. Why don’t you run it by Doc Morgan again?”

  “I will. Thanks, Smoke.” The smile on Dan’s face made Smoke hope hard that the Doc would give the go-ahead. It’d mean so much to Missy, to Dan, hell to him! Even after his troubled past with his own family, he couldn’t imagine getting married without his dad there.

  Ben appeared at Dan’s side. “What are you two grinning about?”

  Dan turned to him. “We’re hoping we might get Missy’s dad here after all. It’s less flying than I thought it would be. I’m going to ask Doc Morgan.”

  Ben grinned. “Damn! I hope he says yes. That’d be awesome!”

  Michael came in to join them. “I think I’m going to call it a night guys.”

  Smoke’s smile faded. “You can’t do that! It’s your stag night.”

  Michael shook his head. “I’m not even sure I should be getting married.”

  Smoke couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  Dan put a hand on Michael’s shoulder. “You should. You know it, Megan knows it. If there’s any doubt at all it’s only about when you should, not whether you should.”

  Michael looked as though he’d had a weight lifted from his shoulders. “You’re right, Dan! They don’t call you a genius for nothing, do they? You’re absolutely right, mate! If she doesn’t feel right about getting married now, then we call it off and just wait until she does.”

  Smoke looked from Michael to Dan to Ben; they were all smiling. Apparently they were all happy. Smoke had no clue what was going on, but as long as they were happy, so was he.

  “I need to go find her.” Michael seemed excited now. And though Smoke didn’t understand why the thought of calling off his wedding might make him feel that way, he knew there was more going on than he was privy to.

  Dan rubbed a hand over his cheek. “Well, we all went and crashed Emma’s bachelorette party. Maybe we should make it a Summer Lake tradition. We can go crash Missy and Megan’s too!”

  Ben grinned. “I’ll round everyone up or at least tell them what’s happening. I don’t think Joe and Gramps will want to come. The girls are at The Bank, right?”

  “Yeah,” said Smoke. “I’ll come help you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Megan stared out at the dance floor. Missy was dancing with the girls. She looked so happy, laughing and goofing around. Megan wished she felt the same way. She should be happy
. She should get over it, she knew that, but she couldn’t. Everything was so right; Michael and a baby—everything she wanted. But it felt so wrong.

  She frowned as she watched a group of guys move in on the girls as they danced. A tall, dark-haired guy made straight for Emma and took her in his arms as they swayed to the music. Another guy moved in behind Laura, wrapping his arms around her waist as he moved with her. It looked almost indecent as he kissed her neck. Megan’s anxiety subsided as she realized it was Smoke! The guy with Emma was Jack. But what were they doing here?

  She didn’t have time to ponder it as someone leaned on the back of her chair. Goosebumps ran down her spine as she remembered the first time she’d met him. She knew the feel of him so well, even before she heard his voice.

  “I think you’re in my seat, darl’,” said Michael.

  She smiled. He, too, remembered their first meeting.

  “Didn’t you say I could sit on yours anytime I like?”

  He chuckled and came around to stand in front of her. “I did. And you can.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He squatted down in front of her and put his hands on her knees. “I had to come see you, little one. We need to talk.”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m sorry. I know I’m just being stupid.”

  He sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you that you are not stupid, Meggie?”

  “I came to tell you that we don’t have to get married. I want our wedding to be happy, not stressful. I want you to be excited about it, not miserable.”

  She stared at him. “You’re saying you don’t want to marry me?”

  He shook his head rapidly. “I want to marry you so much, but I want it to be right when we do. It’s not going to be right if we do it now, so what do you think if we wait?”

  “I…I…I…” She took a deep breath. “Wait until the baby’s here?”

  He nodded. “Is that what you want?”

  She thought about it. The feeling of dread that had permeated her whole being since she’d first thought she might be pregnant started to dissolve. She knew it wasn’t logical, but she would rather get married after the baby came. She nodded. She didn’t know what to say. They couldn’t call it all off just because she was being so silly.

  Michael grinned. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

  “But Michael! It’s all wrong. All the arrangements are made. Everyone’s expecting us to get married. What will they think? What will they say?”

  Michael laughed. “Who cares? What matters is that you’re happy. I can tell by the look on your face that you are. You’re relieved, aren’t you?”

  She couldn’t deny it. “I do want us to get married.”

  “I know. Just not now, not like this.”

  “What about you? How do you feel?”

  “All I want is for my little Meggie to be happy. Course I want us to get married. But I know you’ll marry me when you’re ready.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I mean, how could you resist? I’m adorable.”

  She laughed. “You are! You’re adorable, you’re wonderful, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you so very much. Thank you, Michael.”

  He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “No worries, little one, no worries at all. Let’s get out of here, why don’t we?”

  She followed him happily. She’d be more than happy to get out of here!

  As they skirted the dance floor Michael put arm around her shoulders. She loved it when he did that; she felt so safe. He grinned down at her and pointed to where Missy and Dan were dancing. They seemed oblivious to the world around them as if they were the only two people there.

  “Let’s go say good night. We’ll tell them, and they can let the others know.”

  Megan followed him a little reluctantly; she didn’t like to intrude when they were so wrapped up in each other. And she really wasn’t looking forward to breaking the news that they were calling off their wedding.

  When they reached them, Michael tapped Dan on the shoulder. He looked up and grinned.

  “I’m not sure you two should be doing that out in public,” said Michael with a laugh. “What will people think?”

  “You’ve got to dance like nobody’s watching,” said Dan. “Isn’t that right, Miss?”

  Missy laughed. “It is.” She looked at Megan. “Are you two okay?”

  Megan nodded and looked up at Michael. She wanted him to say the words. She knew she wouldn’t be able to.

  Missy’s smile faded. “What’s going on?”

  Michael grinned. “We’re going back up to our room. We just wanted to share some happy news with you guys first.”

  Dan smiled, almost as though he knew what was coming.

  “What?” asked Missy. She obviously didn’t.

  “We’re calling off our wedding,” said Michael. “We’re going to wait until after the baby’s here.”

  Missy looked at Megan. Megan nodded. “I’m so relieved, Miss.”

  Missy grinned. “Well in that case, congratulations!” She laughed. “That must sound odd, but I mean it. I mean congratulations on figuring out what’s going to make you happy and having the balls to do it.”

  Megan smiled. She didn’t know if she would have had the balls by herself. But Michael did, and he was making it right for her. She loved him more than she ever had.

  “Would you guys mind letting the others know?” asked Michael. “We’ll tell everyone officially tomorrow, but it’d be nice if the gang already knew.”

  “Of course,” said Missy. “And don’t worry, they’ll understand.”

  “I’m not worried, darl’.”

  Missy laughed. “I know you’re not! I’m trying to reassure Megan.”

  Megan nodded gratefully. Missy understood her. “Thank you. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Good night, guys,” said Dan.

  ~ ~ ~

  Emma watched Michael and Megan talking with Missy and Dan. She wasn’t too surprised when she saw them leave. She held Jack a little tighter as they danced and started to steer him toward Missy.

  He grinned down at her. “Where are you taking me, Mousey?”

  She smiled. “To your brother and his almost wife. I need to know what’s going on with Michael and Megan.”

  Jack shook his head. “And here I was thinking you were lost in my arms.”

  She laughed. “I will be later, but right now I’m being nosey.”

  Jack laughed with her as they moved closer to Missy and Dan.

  “What’s up with Megan and Michael?” asked Emma.

  Missy grinned. “They just called off their wedding.”

  Emma didn’t know what to think.

  “They postponed it,” said Dan. “They didn’t call it off. You know how Megan didn’t want to get married because she was pregnant? Well, Michael figured she didn’t have to. They’re going to wait until after the baby arrives.”

  “And they’re both happy about that?” asked Jack.

  “Couldn’t be happier, by the looks of them,” said Missy. “They’ve got to do what’s right for them. They shouldn’t go ahead if the circumstances aren’t right for both of them.”

  Emma shot a glance at Dan. He looked wistful, perhaps even sad. Her heart hammered in her chest. She hoped to goodness that he wasn’t thinking things weren’t right for him and Missy!

  He met her gaze and gave her that shy smile of his that she loved. It couldn’t be anything like that, but something was bothering him, she could tell. She needed to know what it was. She looked at Missy. “Do you mind if I steal a dance with your fiancé? He’s such a good mover, he beats my old man, hands down.”

  Missy laughed, “Of course you can. But don’t keep him too long, I want to make the most of him, since he’s not going to be my fiancé for much longer.”

  They traded partners and Emma moved Dan out into the crowd away from Missy and Jack. He smiled at her. “What’s on your mind,
Emma?”

  She laughed. “Am I that obvious?”

  Dan’s eyes twinkled as he shrugged. He was too much of a gentleman to say yes.

  “I just wondered if there’s anything on your mind. It seemed there might be when you said Michael and Megan shouldn’t get married if the circumstances aren’t right for them both. It seemed as though you were talking about you and Miss, not Michael and Megan.”

  Dan nodded. “You got me.”

  Oh no! Emma’s heart was hammering again. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing bad, nothing like that!” Dan sensed her concern and reassured her. “What’s bothering me is that it’s not going to be perfect for Miss, not without her dad there.”

  Emma’s heart melted for him. He was such a sweet guy, and he loved Missy so much. “I know, it is sad, but she’s accepted it. You know what she’s like. She makes the most of what is.”

  “But I don’t want her to have to. Not with something as important as this. Don’t say anything, but I’m going to try to get him here.”

  Emma frowned. “But I thought the road trip would be too much for him.”

  “It would, but it only took us half an hour to fly here. Doc Morgan said the flight would be too much, but that was when I told him it would take an hour. Maybe half an hour would be okay. We spoke to Chance earlier, he said their dad’s doing great. Improving every day.” He shrugged. “All I can do is ask Doc. Don’t say anything to Miss though, will you?”

  “Of course not, and if we can help in any way just tell us. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed. Let us know as soon as you know, won’t you?”

  Dan nodded. “I will, and if he can come, I might want your help to keep it secret. What do you think? Do you think it would it be a good surprise, or do you think she’d rather know?”

  Emma grinned. “She does love surprises.” She thought about it. “Yeah. I think it would be a great surprise.”

  “You don’t think she might enjoy the whole time more if she knows he’s coming?”

  “Of course she would, but I really think that the surprise of him being there would outweigh that. Can you imagine? She turns up thinking he’s at least watching from home and then he’s right there?” Emma blinked away the tears that threatened to fall at the thought of it. “I think it’d be awesome, Dan. I really do.”