Page 110 of Say it Ain’t So

While I would have been content staring at Joss all night, I was swept up in the sea of dancers. Somehow, despite all odds, Joss and Pops had convinced Ma to show up. I got a quick spin around the dance floor with her before she was off to chat with Joss’s mom—or likely to take a peek at the spider monkey who’d been wrapped up in a baby sling around Mrs. Ward’s neck since the moment she arrived. All of our guests had been curious about the little thing—something we were trying to keep quiet, so she didn’t get kicked out of the hotel.

It meant everything to Joss to be able to have her parents and siblings here. Since Peter’s arrest, she’d been trying to heal the break in her family that her ex had caused.

That was one more reason I was grateful that Van had offered us the use of his house. Though their towns weren’t neighboring, they were close enough that we could see her family and still have some time to ourselves.

I turned away from Ma and Joss’s family and found my wife dancing with Pops. Though the beat of the song was fast, Joss kept her swaying at a slow pace that Pops could keep up with. He shuffled back and forth, his suit making him look so different than I’d ever seen him before.

My heart swelled. My two favorite people in the world got along better than I ever could have hoped. Joss, with her heart of pure gold, had connected instantly with Pops. She reached out to him every week, ensuring my stepdad was doing okay and had everything he and Ma needed. And because of her, the two of us had grown closer as well.

As the song came to a close, I stepped toward the two of them, extending my hand. “Can I cut in?”

Pops stepped back, smiling wide as he offered Joss’s hand my way. But I surprised him, giving Joss a quick peck on the cheek before I held on to Pops’ shoulders the way she’d just been.

“Can’t tell you how much it means to have you here.”

His eyes, which had already been on the watery side after his dance with Joss, now threatened to spill some tears. “Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, kid.”

The two of us peered over at my wife, who was dancing with her arms around both Cheyenne and Dakota, the three of them looking thick as thieves and—knowing what I knew about my wife’s best friend—likely to get into some trouble. Pops nudged my chin with his knuckle.

“You sure know how to pick ’em.”

A beaming smile threatened to tear my face in two. “Sure do.”

“Smart. Kind. And, if you don’t mind me saying⁠—”

“Gorgeous,” the two of us said together. We both let out a laugh.

I turned back to my stepdad, sobering as I looked at his weary face. “You going to be alright while we’re gone.”

“Psh.” He shook his head. “You’ve nothin’ to worry about, kid. Been taking care of myself and your Ma for years. One month without you calling to check in on me won’t be too much of a hardship. Although…”

“What?” I asked, panic making my heart thump harder in my chest.

“Don’t s’pose you’d convince your wife to call and check in while you’re gone?”

My jaw dropped to the floor. “Pops! You dirty old man!”

His laughter made me feel lighter than air. “Like I said: You sure know how to pick ’em. You’ve got a special one there. Don’t you mess this up.”

“Promise,” I told him, my throat squeezing tight at the mere thought of it. “I’m done messing things up with us. From now on, I’ll just stay on my knees and worship her for the rest of her life.”

“Probably for the best.”

“Damn right.” I glanced back at where Joss was, and that panic gripped me once again. Joss wasn’t with Cheyenne and Dakota. The three of them were missing, and when I scanned the room and found Dakota by the table that had food spread across it, I twisted away from Pops, ready to run over to him and ask him where the hell my wife had gone.

Only, I didn’t have to. Because before I could take my first step his way, Joss led Chey and a handful of event staff out of the back room, and my mouth began to water.

Not seeing Joss for all of a couple minutes was enough to make me want to melt at the sight of her now. In her beautiful wedding dress—the same one she’d worn for our wedding in Vegas—she took my breath away.

But it wasn’t just Joss that had my mouth watering. It was the trays of food in the event staff’s hands.

Some might call our wedding cakes a bit extravagant. Trying to pick just one proved an impossible feat, so we settled on five. Almond, chocolate, strawberry, German chocolate, and a chocolate strawberry cheesecake.

The tables set up for them had plenty of space for slices of each to be cut and laid out. But as I watched the staff place their trays in those empty places, I began to realize Joss had tricked me once again.

And once again, I couldn’t have been happier.

On the trays were dozens of chocolate covered strawberries, multiple kinds of mouthwatering donuts, and massive tubs of ice cream, complete with all the toppings and fancy glass bowls.