“Oh, sure. Any random man in a tux that catches my eye will do. You know how easy I am.”
He tugged her close and whispered in her ear. “I should spank you for that.”
She laughed. “Promises, promises.”
After the dance, everyone sat and had dinner, which gave Liz pause, but since her dizziness and nausea seemed to have disappeared, she decided to go ahead and eat.
Gavin looked over at her plate, then back at her. “You sure you’re up for that?”
“Definitely. I really do think it was hot in the church, plus this dress is skintight. Add those two together, plus all the stress with the wedding and Christmas next week, and that’s what got to me. I’m feeling a lot better now.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Good. I hated the thought of you getting sick.”
She was happy about that, too. She began to eat her meal, taking each bite slowly, gauging her body’s reaction.
“You’re certainly savoring each bite,” Tara noticed after Gavin left to go get a beer.
Liz smiled. “It’s fantastic food.”
“I think so, too.”
“Okay, so what do you think so far?” Jenna pulled up one of the empty chairs.
Liz squeezed her hand. “First you made me cry during your ceremony today, you bitch. Second, you made a gorgeous bride. And third, this food is to die for.”
“Everything Liz just said,” Tara added with a nod.
Jenna grinned. “Thank you. Did you see my lip trembling when I was saying my vows to Ty? Oh, my God, I thought I was going to totally lose it and end up sobbing.”
“I might have noticed that,” Tara said.
“Why do you think I ended up crying? I don’t think I teared up as much during my own wedding.”
“Aww, Liz, you’re becoming so sappy and sentimental,” Jenna teased.
“Screw you. I am not. I’m a coldhearted bitch.”
Tara patted her back. “Sure you are.”
She glared at them. “I hate you both right now.”
“It’s no sin to be a marshmallow, you know. Especially around people you love.”
Liz shot a look at Tara. “Fine. But in my professional life, I’ll continue to be cold, calculating, and cutthroat.”
“Of course you will,” Jenna said with a firm nod. “We’d expect nothing less from you.”
“Now that the wedding is over, I know you and Ty are looking forward to the honeymoon. Too bad it has to wait until after hockey season is over,” Tara said.
Jenna shrugged. “We knew when we set the date that hockey season would be in full swing. We’re fine with waiting. And this way we can enjoy two weeks in Tahiti after the Ice season is over.”
“You’re going to love it there,” Liz said. “And it’s a honeymoon worth waiting for.”
Jenna smiled. “I think so.”
Tara grasped Liz’s arm. “Just look at that.”
Liz followed Tara’s gaze to the dance floor, where Nathan and Sonja were dancing. They looked gorgeous together, with Nathan looking much too grown-up in his suit and Sonja absolutely beautiful in a smoking-hot copper-colored cocktail dress.
And they only had eyes for each other.
“Awww, young love. It’s so adorable,” Jenna said.
Tara shot her a look. “Do you think they’re in love?”
“I think they’re hot for each other. One look at them and you can see that.”
Tara worried her bottom lip. “On the one hand, I’m happy for him. I like Sonja. She’s smart and levelheaded and I think she’ll keep him on his toes.”
“On the other hand, you don’t want him to get hurt. Or lose his focus,” Liz said.
Tara nodded.
“You do realize you can’t protect him against everything.” Jenna grasped Tara’s hand. “He’s going to grow up. He’ll get hurt.”
“I know. I’m not one of those clingy mothers who wants to hold on to her babies forever. He has to get out there and make his own way in the world.”
“That’s a good outlook,” Jenna said. “But still, you want what’s best for him.”
“They do look good together, don’t they?” Liz asked. “And maybe she’s what’s best for him right now. She seems to have all the right priorities.”
“I hope so.” Tara watched her son on the dance floor.
Liz turned to Tara. “I had a nice conversation with Sonja at your house. It seemed to me she had her head on straight. I think she really likes Nathan, but she’s putting school first.”
Tara took a deep breath. “That’s what Nathan’s told me. But you know how those hormones are.”
“They won’t screw it up, Tara. I know they won’t.”
Tara nodded at Liz. “I hope you’re right about that. And in the end, he’s an adult now. He has to make his choices—and live with them, right?”
Liz laughed. “So true. Just like we all did when we were that age.”
“Lord, don’t remind me,” Tara said. “Hopefully he’s listened to Mick and to me, and he won’t repeat our mistakes.”
“He’s fine, Tara. He’s awesome, in fact. Now let him get out there and become the amazing adult you know he’s going to become,” Jenna said with a big smile.
Tara’s eyes brimmed with tears. “What would I do without you two?”
“You’d be lost, woman,” Liz said. “Totally lost.”
Tara laughed, then hugged them both.
The night passed in a whirlwind of photos and dancing and a lot of crowds. At least Liz’s nausea had gone away, seemingly for good. She danced with her father-in-law and her brothers-in-law, as well as several of Ty’s teammates. Her feet were sore, she was tired and sweating, and oh, dear God, if she didn’t get out of this dress soon, she was certain it was going to compress some internal organs. She headed over to the table just to take a breather and sip from her glass of water.
This damn dress had fit only two weeks ago during the final fitting. She had to cut down on eating and maybe get a little more exercise.
Damn holidays. And dinners at her mother-in-law’s house. She was enjoying delving into the pasta a little too much lately, and now she was paying the price.
She wanted to sit down and ease her shoes off under the table, and maybe just close her eyes for a second.
She wondered where Gavin was, but she couldn’t find him through the sea of bodies on the dance floor. He was probably somewhere with the guys, no doubt talking sports.
They hadn’t had sex today. They needed to have sex. If they had any chance at all of making a baby, it was important they keep up the daily sex routine. And yes, she was well aware she didn’t ovulate thirty days out of the month, but her cycle was screwed up lately, and the best time to have sex was . . . all the time.
She smiled at the thought. Nothing wrong with practicing, was there? They’d certainly done plenty of that, and she had no complaints. She knew Gavin didn’t.
Just the thought of touching him, kissing him, had her breasts swelling against her oh-my-God-this-dress-is-too-tight bodice.
Now all she had to do was find Gavin, and make a subtle suggestion . . .
Gavin was gathered with the guys at the bar, knocking back another beer and listening to Cole and Mick talk about the games tomorrow. He was stuck in the middle of them grousing about linemen not covering plays and upcoming contract negotiations. But his gaze was on his wife, who leaned against the table and sipped water while she watched the dance floor.
Liz looked tired. He should take her upstairs. He knew she’d object, that she was determined to stay until every guest had left the ballroom. Though he didn’t know why. This party could go on for a while.
He pushed off the bar and headed toward her, circumventing the dance floor and coming around the back of the tables. She hadn’t seen him, though she was looking for him, her neck stretching as she lifted up on her toes to scan the room, which gave him a great view of her fantastic legs. She caught sight of him as he came up on her left and gave him a half smile.