I grinned. “Exciting.”
She nodded. “It is. So are you going to answer me?”
Leaning my head in a bit closer, I asked, “Answer what?”
“Who are you dancing with? I noticed you didn’t come in with anyone. Rumor was you were dating that woman who owns the little shop on Main. Mallory, I believe her name is.”
Jesus H. Christ. The people in this town. Even when they don’t live here they are in on all the gossip.
“Now how in the world would you know all that, Claire? You don’t even live here anymore.”
She laughed. “The gossip mill is high tech now. Text messaging and email make it easy for us out-of-town folks to keep up, my sweet Tripp.”
It was my turn to toss my head back and let out a round of laughter.
“Well, considering both my sisters are married and their husbands are here this evening, it looks like I’ll be sitting that dance out with Trevor and Cord.”
Everyone in town knew how that dance worked. It was special to my mother, and the fact that Claire was asking pissed me off. “If you’ll excuse me, Claire, I need to get to my seat.”
“Of course. Have a good evening!” she called out to me as I walked away.
By the time I’d made it into the tent where all of the tables were set up, I was in a foul mood. The idea of sitting on the sidelines had never bothered me before, so I had no clue why tonight it was grating on my nerves.
As I walked toward the family table, I saw her.
Harley.
She was walking with Paxton, and they were both laughing. Harley was glancing down at the name plates as she walked around one table. My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest when I didn’t see Toby next to her.
Steed walked by, and I grabbed him by the arm. “Steed, wait.”
He looked at me and then over to Paxton and Harley.
“Shit, how fucking lucky am I?” he stated as he gazed at his wife with a look that screamed he was head over heels in love.
I smiled. “Paxton looks beautiful.”
“So does Harley.”
He slapped me on the back. “I bet you’re glad she’s here alone.”
My head jerked to the side. “What do you mean she’s here alone?”
The corners of his mouth pulled into a smirk. “You don’t know?”
I balled my fists to keep from grabbing him and shaking the fuck out of him. “No, Steed, please enlighten me.”
“Dude, Paxton said Harley told Toby things wouldn’t work out between the two of them.”
There was no way I could hide the stupid ass smile on my face. “Did she say why?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask her. But don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of chances, especially since Mom moved her seat next to yours.”
With a wink, he bumped me with his shoulder and made his way to Paxton. I quickly followed.
“Hey beautiful. Let me escort you to your seat,” Steed said to his wife. When Paxton looked at me, she gave me a knowing look. She knew where Harley was sitting but was playing along.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” Paxton said, giving Harley a quick hug. When they both walked away, I let my eyes finally get a good look at the woman I loved.
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the room, Harley Carbajal.”
Her cheeks flushed and all the blood ran straight to my dick.
“And look at you, Mr. Parker. You look quite handsome this evening.” Her eyes roamed my body before her eyes met mine. When her tongue licked across her lips, I nearly pulled her into me for a kiss.
“May I show you to your seat?” I asked, extending my arm.
She looked confused, and then glanced over my shoulder and around the room. “Um…sure. That would be great since I can’t seem to find it.”
When her hand slid across my arm, my body shook with anticipation. Just having her this close had my cock pressing against my zipper, begging to come out and play.
I guided her to the family table.
“Tripp, that’s your table.”
Ignoring her, I stopped and leaned down to kiss Amelia on the cheek. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you how beautiful you look this evening, Meli.”
Her eyes swung from me to a very confused Harley. “Thank you, but I dare say, Harley seems to have captured every eye in the room.”
Harley’s hand gripped my arm tighter, and I saw her looking around.
We started walking, but only long enough to stop and kiss Aunt Vi. “Aunt Vi, as usual, you’re the hottest woman in the room.”
“Damn straight I am,” she replied with a wink.
I spied the two empty chairs. I knew they were for me and Harley.
“Tripp,” Harley said, pulling my arm back to get me to stop walking. “Tripp, those seats belong to you and…”
I cut her off before she said Mallory’s name.
“Waylynn, you’re breathtaking.” Leaning down, I kissed my sister who was attempting not to laugh. I could see Harley looking around the room for what I could only guess was Mallory.
“Why, thank you, little brother. I would say you’re the most dashing man in the room, but my husband holds that honor.”
Jonathon chuckled.
I gave her a wink. “I’ll let that slide this one time.”
Harley was still pulling on me as I practically dragged her to the two seats. I found my mother staring at us as I came to a stop in front of the name tags. One read Tripp Parker. The other, Harley Carbajal. I narrowed my eyes at my mother. She flashed me a dimpled grin and then blew me a kiss. God, I loved that woman as much as the woman who was on my arm right now.
“I’m going to go ahead and find my seat while you take yours,” Harley said, her voice cracking.
“Harley, sit down.”
She looked at me, confusion not only on her face, but in her eyes. When tears started to build in them, I wanted to pull her into my arms.
“It’s…not my…seat.” Her chin trembled.
I reached down and picked up the tag that read her beautiful name.
“Baby, this is your seat. It’s always been your seat.”
Her breath hitched. She didn’t even bother to look down at the name tag. She searched my face as the words settled in. When a tear slipped from her beautiful eyes, I reached up and wiped it away.
“You’re not here with Mallory?”
“No,” I whispered.
Before I had a chance to explain everything, they were announcing for everyone to take a seat. I held out Harley’s chair as she sat. Waylynn leaned over and gave Harley a quick hug.
My mother stood next to my father as everyone else took their seats.
“I’ll be brief, as I’m sure everyone smells that delicious food,” she said with a huge grin.
Chuckles echoed across the room.
“Thank you to everyone here this evening. Many of you have been attending this benefit dinner and dance since the very first one almost thirty years ago. I lost my mother and father to cancer, so this is a cause very near and dear to my heart. For those of you here this evening for the first time, let me tell you how the rest of the evening will go. We’ll eat…”
Cheers erupted and my mother tossed her head back to laugh.
“Then, my husband, John, and I will make our way to the dance floor where we will be joined by our children. It’s the first dance, and I only have one rule for my kids as they take the dance floor. If they dance with anyone other than one of their siblings, it must be with someone they intend to dance with for the rest of their lives. You see…”
Her voice cracked a bit and my father wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. When he kissed her head, she took in a breath and went on.
“You see, this dance will be to the very same song my father danced with and made a promise to my mother to love her for always. They died within days of one another. I choose to believe that they did everything together after tha
t dance. Even when they died.”
My mother wiped a tear from her cheek. “Now some of my boys—” She turned and looked at Trevor and Cord. “Will be sitting this one out.”
The crowd laughed, and I couldn’t help but notice Trevor give a tight smile. Cord made no attempt to hide that he was happy with sitting out the dance.
Continuing, she said, “The rule doesn’t apply past the first song, so men, don’t panic out there!”
Another round of laughter lifted the somber mood that had settled in.
“Now that you know what to expect, let’s eat!”
Dinner flew by in the blink of an eye. I was starving, but the moment I realized I was sitting next to Tripp, and Mallory was nowhere in sight, my stomach decided to go haywire. I forced myself to eat, though. I needed it with the damn booze I’d been drinking all evening. The slight buzz I had felt from the bubbly and the pain pill combo couldn’t compare to the way my chest was fluttering while I sat next to Tripp. I wasn’t even sure he realized he had reached for my hand twice and held it for a few brief moments. It was exactly like the last dinner I attended. Like I had fallen through a time machine and traveled back to when I was his and he was mine. The slight touches on my leg, the way he would take his hand in mine and give it a light squeeze.
Was I dreaming? Was this really happening right now?
“Are you okay?” Waylynn whispered.
I nodded and took a sip of water.
“I see we moved to water.”
“Yep.” Facing her, I quietly asked, “What happened with Mallory?” The question had been burning at me since I sat down.
She gasped, bringing her fingers to her lips. “Has no one told you? Tripp broke up with her.”
My mouth fell slightly open. “Wait, what?”
“I’ll let Tripp tell you.”
“Waylynn!”
She giggled and reached for her glass of water.
“I thought you were my friend,” I added.
“I am. But it’s not my story to tell. It’s Tripp’s. Just like I’m sure he would like to know why you’re not here with Toby. Well, Toby’s here, but you’re clearly not with Toby in that sort of way because if you were then you would be sitting next to him and not next to Tripp which you are for sure sitting next to Tripp and…”
“Oh, for the love of God!” I whispered as I hit her on the leg. “You’re rambling! How much have you had to drink?”
She lifted her champagne glass. “A lot.”
“I can tell,” I stated with a roll of my eyes.
Heat rushed through my body as I felt Tripp’s arm on the back of my chair. When his thumb moved over my exposed neck, my entire body erupted in goosebumps.
This man is going to cause me to explode with a stroke of his thumb across my neck.
I swallowed and tried to focus on other things besides the heat pooling in my lower stomach.
My eyes landed on Trevor and Scarlett. I studied them carefully. They were both in conversations with other people at the table. Trevor was talking to Wade who sat next to him, and Scarlett spoke with Corina. I moved my eyes past Corina to find Mitchell talking to Cord. I didn’t recognize the young lady sitting next to Cord. When I had seen him earlier I was bummed he wasn’t with Maebh. I’d spotted Maebh and her father just after they arrived. She looked stunning in a dark green gown with her brown hair pulled up. I knew it was a long shot, but they would look cute together. My eyes darted over to Melanie—and I remembered the waiter coming over earlier and saying he had taken care of the request she had made at the table.
That little sneak.
She had moved my seat next to Tripp’s. Taking another sip of water, I shook my head. Melanie must have sensed me staring because our eyes met. I could see her happiness as she lifted her water glass to me. I couldn’t help but return her smile.
I wondered if she knew about Maebh. I was going to have to talk to Paxton and Waylynn about it. Those two seemed to be on the same wavelength as Melanie. They were all trying to play Cupid in one way or another.
“Are you feeling okay?” Tripp asked.
I buzzed from his hot breath against my ear.
“Y-yes. I’m fine.”
“You’re only drinking water.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “I’ve reached my limit on alcohol this evening.”
Our eyes met and our mouths were inches from one another. There was no denying the heat between us. This man sitting next to me, looking at me with nothing but pure love and desire was the king of my heart. He’d been able to take me to places no other man had been able to since. Not just between the sheets, but by a simple taste of his lips. A brush of his thumb across my skin, a smile that made my knees tremble when I wasn’t even standing.
If I was lucky enough to get a second chance with Tripp, I was never letting him go.
A bell rang to notify that dinner was over and the first dance was about to start. Tripp was still staring into my eyes. There were so many things I wanted to say. To do. My hands were shaking as I fought to keep them tucked together in my lap.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please allow the Parker family to take the dance floor before joining them,” an announcer said, pulling my gaze from Tripp’s.
Melanie and John stood. He kissed her, then whispered something to his wife before escorting her out to the dance floor. The rest of the family stood except for Cord and Trevor. I gasped when I realized Tripp wasn’t sitting but standing next to me, holding out his hand.
My mouth dropped open but nothing came out.
“Now that you’re back. I don’t have to dance with one of my sisters or sit this one out.”
“Tripp…” I whispered as I stood.
He guided me around the table before placing his hand on the small of my back and leading me out to the dance floor.
When Tripp gently drew me into his body, I took the chance to look around: smiles on every single face. Some whispered, some had tears in their eyes, and some looked like they were falling in love with the idea of love as the familiar jazz tune of Bobby Darin’s “More” filled the air. This song meant so much, not only to Melanie’s parents, but to the entire Parker family.
I shook my head to clear my confusion. If Tripp had asked me to dance to this song, then he had forgiven me. He was giving us another chance. Squeezing my eyes shut, I prayed this wasn’t a dream. The moment hit me so strongly, my legs went weak and Tripp held me tighter.
His fingers lifted my chin so our eyes met.
“Your mind is racing when it doesn’t have to, Lee.”
“What about Mallory? Why is she not here with you? We’re dancing to this song. Tripp, I know what this song means to your family. To your mother. What about earlier in my room? I’m so confused…”
His smile was gentle and sweet. His eyes were filled with the same love I’d seen the last time we made love so many years ago.
“I met Mallory for lunch today and told her things would never work between us, not when I was in love with another woman. Not just another woman…the woman. The woman I have been in love with since the first moment I laid eyes on her.”
A small sob slipped out. “Tripp,” I whispered.
“It’s always been you, Harley. Always. And it will be for the rest of my life.”
Attempting to swallow the lump in my throat, I forced the words out. “But I thought y’all were…”
He placed his finger on my lips. “I was never in love with her. I never saw a future with her.”
When my tears fell, he brushed them away with his thumbs and then his lips. The warmth caused an explosion of tingles to race over my body.
“Now what?” I asked, my voice shaking in anticipation of his answer.
A beautiful smile spread across his handsome face and my body trembled. Tripp leaned down, his lips inches from mine. His breath made my heart race faster than it had in years. It hadn’t pounded like this since the last time he had leaned in to kiss me.
“Now? Now I ge
t to kiss you, Harley. Finally.”
My smile dawned before his lips slid against mine. His fingers laced in my hair, drawing me closer, making me moan into his mouth. Tripp’s hand moved to the small of my back, pulling me to him. The feel of his hard length on my stomach nearly had my legs buckling.
Tripp’s mouth withdrew. His eyes pierced mine with such intensity I was almost frozen still. “Let’s show them how to dance to this song before it ends.”
I giggled. Soon we were gliding across the dance floor. As I danced in the arms of the man I loved, I realized I’d never been this happy in my entire life.
When the song ended, and Tripp drew me to him for another kiss, I knew everything was finally going to be okay. No matter what happened with the clinic or how things went with Tripp running for mayor…we were together at last.
The sounds of “It Had To Be You” brought everyone out of their seats. With a spin, Tripp and I danced like two silly teenagers staring at one another while gliding across the makeshift wooden dance floor.
My eyes caught Melanie’s, and I could see her tears as she lifted her hand off John’s back to give me a wave.
I returned the gesture before Tripp spun me again.
“You know, your mother is pretty sneaky.”
He laughed. “Tell me about it. I’m positive the moment she saw us both walk in alone she went to work.”
I buried my face into his chest as I smiled. Drawing back, I looked up into his beautiful eyes.
“I’m sorry we lost so much time together.”
Tripp cradled the side of my face. Leaning into it, I closed my eyes as I felt his lips brush over mine. “It just means we have a lot to catch up on.”
My lower stomach clenched. When I opened my eyes, we were lost in each other. A few more songs and I was in need of water and a rest. I couldn’t ignore the throbbing at my side.
Tripp guided us back to the table where we both sat down. I scanned the dance floor to find Cord and his date.
“Who is that with Cord?”
“That is Tammy. The manager of Cord’s Place. Or I should say, his go-to girl when he needs a date for an event like this.”
“Anything going on between them?”