Page 57 of The Friendship Pact

Nick grinned. It was time to make his move.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

After the surprise of catching the bouquet, Kate inhaled deeply the aroma of the red roses and greenery and placed it on her table. She watched her new friends talk, laugh, and dance. The light from the chandeliers twinkled, and the music kicked up a notch in volume. Pleased with herself for making the move to the small town, she accepted a slice of wedding cake from one of the servers and took a bite.

The deep, masculine voice she knew well interrupted her thoughts. “May I have this dance?” Nick held his hand out to her.

Casting away her insecurities and annoyance, Kate took the leap and flirted with the handsome sheriff. She licked the frosting from her lips and placed her hand on his. “What took you so long?” She might have enjoyed dancing with the famed baseball pitcher, but he had nothing on Nick.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your interlude with Duncan,” Nick said.

She laughed. “I’d rather dance with my handsome friend.”

He drew her to the dance floor and pulled her in a little closer than a friend should. She liked this flirty side of him. Playing with fire, she rested one hand on his chest and the other on his shoulder.

Even with her four-inch heels, Nick still had to look down to capture her gaze.

“You’re stunning,” he said.

Those two words sent tingles through her body to her toes. His eyes spoke volumes about his intent. An intent she might not be ready for, but her body ignored the memo. “You clean up well yourself, Sheriff. I’d say the uniform isn’t your only sexy look.”

“You think I’m sexy in my uniform?”

“Ahh—yeah. I’m pretty sure half the women in this town would agree with me.”

“Funny thing. I only care about what you think,” he said, his eyes smoldering.

“Is that right?”

He moved her around the dance floor, and she stopped in her tracks. No way.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

He looked over her shoulder. “Do you know the couple who just walked in?”

“My parents,” she said. “Apparently, they think it’s okay to crash a wedding.”

Nick laughed. “I’m sure Ethan and Paige won’t mind. We should go say hi.”

Kate pulled him in closer when he tried to pull away.

“You’re not happy to see them?” he said.

She scrunched her brow and whispered in his ear, “Here’s the thing . . .” She bit down on her lip. “I kind of told them we were dating.” She tucked her head into his chest.

“You don’t say,” Nick said, teasing her.

“Have they spotted me yet?”

Nick tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. “Coming toward us.” He laid a gentle kiss on her lips.

Kate’s breath caught, wanting more until she heard her mom say, “Surprise!”

With a quick glance at Nick, she stepped away from him. “Mom. Dad. I can’t believe you’re here,” she said, her voice quivering.

She hugged her parents. It had been too long since she’d seen them in person, but they had lousy timing.

“It looks like we got here just in time,” her dad said, eyeing Nick.