you. It’s during work hours, so I shouldn’t be in your way.”
“You have every right to be here. It’s your house,” she pointed out.
He opened his mouth and she could see that he wanted to correct her: our house. She wanted that, too, not just a house, but a loving home for them and their child. Something of that magnitude was worth working for, even if it took a little time and renewed efforts.
Once they were in the car, she asked, “So, with the Wonderland dance being a town tradition, did you take dates there back in school?”
“Sort of.”
Intrigued by the hint of laughter in his tone, she waited for more. “Explanation?”
“Well, you know how crowded it always is. I’d go with a girl, we’d make sure to casually bump into her parents and my parents exactly once, then we’d fade into the crush. And spend the rest of the night necking at Mistletoe Cove.”
“I’m shocked at you. A boy with your sterling reputation exploiting a charity event for the chance to make out with girls?”
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. In fact …” He slanted a tempting sidelong glance in her direction.
“I don’t think so.” She wasn’t sure she could stop with necking. “Slowly, remember? No turbo boosters.”
“You sure?” His voice dropped to a cajoling octave. “I’d let you be in the driver’s seat.”
“I’ll bet. As I recall, you quite liked that last time.”
His grin flashed in the darkness. “So did you.”
Heat zinged through her. David Waide was flirting with her! The sensation was just as heady now as when they’d first met. More so. Then, she’d simply been a woman in her twenties pondering where to go next with her life, and he’d been a very cute guy who’d seemed empathetic. Now, she knew them both better, had seen the promise of how good they could be together and had looked into the abyss of how it could all go wrong.
“Rach?”
Her voice came out huskier than usual. “I think we’d better stick to well-populated areas tonight.”
“You’re undoubtedly right.”
But he sounded every bit as depressed about the decision as she was, which cheered her considerably.
FOLLOWING a wonderful date Friday evening—ending in steamy kisses on the doorstep because Rachel hadn’t trusted their combined willpower if she invited David in—came a night out with the girls.
Since both Lilah and Tanner had agreed they didn’t want to be out partying the night before their wedding, they were holding their bachelor and bachelorette parties the weekend prior to the ceremony. Much to Lilah’s relief, Arianne’s talk of a wild and crazy bash had been slightly exaggerated. Still, they did drive toward Atlanta to an upscale club that featured male dancers and really, really cute waiters. One of Lilah and Quinn’s colleagues at the school had a minivan that seated eight, so the entire bridal party and three teachers piled in to ride together. Vonda suggested before they left Mistletoe that the women draw straws to pick a designated driver—Rachel drew admiring praise and friends for life when she volunteered.
Once at the nightclub, Vonda suggested they hit the dance floor. “Ever since the hip replacement of ‘05, I’ve been a new woman!”
“Okay, but first Lilah has to put on her veil,” Arianne insisted. It was a joyfully tacky affair with blinking neon lights and a cellophane-wrapped green condom that looked like an oversize circular jewel in the center of the headband.
A good sport, Lilah slid it on her head to the sounds of her friends laughing and clapping.
Rachel leaned in, keeping her voice to a whisper. “Make sure that thing accidentally falls off on the dance floor, and I’ll accidentally trample the heck out of it. Sadly, I’ll have to throw it away. Inevitable party casualty.”
“Don’t tell Ari,” Lilah whispered back, “but you are definitely going to be my favorite sister-in-law.”
The club was having a retro-themed night, and Rachel had a great time joking with her friends and belting out the lyrics to songs from Abba, Blondie and Barry White, but it didn’t quite compare to the night before, dancing to more staid holiday selections in David’s arms. Lilah unknowingly echoed that sentiment later while they stood at the bar and waited for a couple of glasses of cold water.
“Having fun?” Rachel asked.
“A blast. Although having that one dancer come to our table …”
Rachel grinned. “Vonda certainly seemed to like him.”
“I think everyone’s having fun, and Arianne did a good job planning something naughty without completely destroying my comfort zone. I mean, the dancer was hot, I admit.” Lilah fanned herself with one of the small square napkins. “Seriously hot. Still, the only guy I want getting that close to me is Tanner.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Rachel assured her. All I want for Christmas is David.
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