Page 64 of Love… It's Messy
I look up to see my daughter wearing a superhero cape, running into the room straight toward me. I catch her with the iPad in hand and lift her in the air.
“We saved the day. Luke has the cards,” she explains.
By the entrance is Luke, wearing his jeans and a button-down with leather shoes. I love that he dresses up to spend his days with Ainsley. He hasn’t worn a T-shirt once to see her, and it’s quite charming.
He’s looking around the room, taking in the tall flower arrangements, uplighting on the walls, and the intensive setup of the twelve-piece band. He stands tall, breathtaking in stature.
His hair is wild, different from the combed-back look he had when he arrived at my house this morning. He must have been playing outside with Ainsley because it’s finger-combed and ruffled. Magnetic navy eyes lock with mine, and I smile. With his long gait, he walks toward me, and I take a quick inhale.
Yes, of all the men I could have procreated with, I chose a beautiful one.
“Thank you for rushing those over.” I motion toward the cards in his hands.
“You caught us at a good time. We were on the carousel, and after five times, I was getting a little motion sick.”
“You could have told her.”
“Have you met me?” he asks sarcastically, to which I nod and laugh.
“I thought I heard my favorite assistant!” Melissa calls from the room’s entrance. Ainsley rushes over to her and Melissa notes me standing here with Luke. She kneels down to Ainsley. “Do you want to see how pretty the altar looks?”
“Yes!” Ainsley says as she grabs Melissa’s hand. The two leave with Melissa casting a sly blue eye my way.
Luke takes a step closer to me. “Guess it’s just the two of us now. Put me to work.”
I show him where on each place setting the cards belong, and we walk around the room together to get them placed quickly. He makes it a game to get each card on the plate before the beat from the music the band is practicing hits the next tempo. He’s even dancing as he walks around, and I follow suit.
“Weddings are fun. Do you get to party at all?” he asks.
“No. Starting in about thirty minutes, I’ll be on call for the next five hours and loving every minute.”
“All work and no play makes Jillian a dull girl.”
“I know how to party.”
“Three glasses of wine at dinner sounds like a rager.”
I twist my lips and think about the last time I let my hair down. “I got drunk at a promotion party last year. It was at Lone Tavern, and I had a few too many tequila cocktails. Melissa’s dad had to drive me and Ainsley home.”
“Did you ride the mechanical bull?”
I grimace as we move to tables twelve and thirteen. “Actually, no. Although I did get a QVC delivery a week later. Apparently, tequila makes me think ordering three blow-dryers, a year’s supply of steaks, and a shake weight was a good idea.”
He whistles through his teeth. “That is definitely a wild night.”
“I should also add that I got a full set of Baby Shark costumes—for adults and children. They’re still in a box under my bed because I have no idea what to do with them.”
“Note: keep Jillian away from tequila. I get it. I’ve made some bad decisions while drinking. Tequila once had me running from the cops in New Orleans. Not my doing. It was all my buddy, who had run his mouth at the wrong time.”
We keep our pace and move to the next group of tables on the other side of the room.
“You ever been handcuffed?” I ask, adjusting a napkin that was slightly crooked.
“Sexually or by law enforcement?” he asks easily, which makes me stop what I’m doing. When he looks up from his task, he must see my brows are up with piqued interest, which makes him laugh. “I’m kidding. Not really. I knew you meant arrested. Surprised you haven’t vetted me yet.”
The idea intrigues me. “I could ask Will to run a background check. He’s a cop.”
“I’ll save you the trouble. I have never been arrested.”