Page 84 of Fake It For Him

We hadn’t spoken about it and neither of us had been acting like our relationship was coming to an end with it. I was afraid to let myself hope, but damn it, I really wanted it to be true.

After spinning his mother around the dance floor again, Calan came up to me at our table, love and laughter shining in those dark eyes. He dipped at the waist and held out his hand. “Will you dance with me?”

“Of course.” My heart squeezed as I planted my palm in his. He led me back onto the dance floor and spun me into his arms. I dipped my head back and looked into his eyes, and I slid my arm around his neck and toyed with the short hairs there. “It’s been a beautiful wedding so far. Freya must be ecstatic.”

“I think so,” he replied quietly, those eyes boring into mine. “I’m going to kiss you now, baby. Right here in front of everyone. Is that okay with you?”

“Please.” I smiled. His head descended and he sealed his lips over mine. I swore I could feel him fusing himself to my soul.

Camera flashes went off, pulling me out of the moment a little bit, and I broke the kiss, resting my head against his chest instead. We swayed together on the dance floor. I listened to his heart beating against my ear and held him tight, wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me or if what I thought was happening between us really was true this time.

When the song was over, he excused himself to go grab us some more drinks, his gaze lingering on mine for a moment as he backed away. I smiled and headed over to wait for him at our table. Davina came to sit next to me, settling in on his chair as she watched him go.

She smiled and reached out to let her hand rest on my forearm, all kinds of soft, warm emotion in her eyes as she stared at me. “You and I never seem to have a moment to ourselves. Calan is always glued to your side, so while we’ve got a minute, I wanted to tell you how happy I am that my oldest son has found someone who makes him better. You make him better, Ella. Thank you.”

Tears filled my eyes and hers, and I nodded before returning her smile. “You raised a good man, Davina. Truly. All of your children are amazing.”

She chuckled. “They have their moments, that’s for sure.”

Calan came back with our drinks and she excused herself, giving him a quick hug before she went off to talk to some of their other friends. He cocked his head at me as he handed over a glass of champagne. “What was that all about? It looked like I was interrupting something.”

“You weren’t interrupting. She just wanted to speak to me for a minute. It was nothing bad.” I took his hand and cradled it in my lap.

His free hand snaked around my shoulders and he pulled me into him as he sat down, scooting his chair closer to mine so I could lean against him. “Nothing bad, huh? Want to tell me what it was, then?”

“She just wanted to tell me again how happy she is that we’re together.”

His lips brushed against my temple. “So am I.”

“Yeah, me three.” I cuddled into him, breathing in that expensive, spicy scent and praying that I wasn’t imagining things after all.

We sipped our drinks, not moving out of each other’s grasp as we watched the festivities happening all around us. Eventually, Finn came over, smiling as he looked between Calan and me. “Do you mind if I borrow him for a minute? Some of the guys want to do shots and Jim wants the photographer to get pictures of it for the party part of their album.”

Calan sighed but brushed a soft kiss to my lips before he got up. “Excuse me for a minute?”

I nodded. “Of course. Go have fun.”

“Thanks, Ella,” Finn said. “I’m glad you’re around. I’ll have him back to you real soon, okay?”

“There’s no rush,” I replied to him before I looked back at Calan.

Those dark eyes lingered on mine for a moment. He dragged in a deep breath, nodded, and then walked away. I had the distinct feeling that he’d wanted to say something else but had decided against it.

I watched him and Finn walking toward their friends, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his head. Whether he felt this connection between us as acutely as I did.

Freya broke me out of my thoughts when she appeared in my line of sight, deliriously happy with a huge smile on her face. She beckoned for me to join her, Polly, and some others on the dance floor. I returned her smile and stood, glad that the night was going so well for her.

I knew she’d been nervous about Finn and Calan, her anxiety about their fragile truce unexpectedly coming to an end consuming her these last few days.

As I joined them, she took my arm and shot a pointed look in the direction of her brothers at the bar. “Are they okay?”

I nodded reassuringly. “They’re fine. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

She kept watching them for another long moment before she smiled at me again. “You’re a true friend, do you know that? Really. Thank you. I’m not sure they would’ve ever made peace if it wasn’t for you.”

My heart gave a dull pang. “I’m pretty sure you and the wedding deserve more credit than I do. I’m just happy they got this far by tonight. I’m sure they’ll keep getting closer from now on.”

Polly flung her arms around our shoulders, sticking her head between us with a wide smile on her lips. “This is a beautiful moment, ladies, but let’s get back to having fun, okay? You’ll have plenty of time for deep, meaningful conversations when you’re not supposed to be shaking your asses.”