didn’t make any move to cover herself or even to sit up straight. “Do you have your toast ready?”
He patted his jacket. “Color-coded index cards and all.”
“You really know how to get a girl’s motor going.” She purred and moved back to her seat. She straightened the top of her dress and winked at the elderly man sitting at the table in front of the head table. He blushed and turned away.
Penny and the town of Tawnee Valley hadn’t always been on the best terms. As one of the juvenile delinquents most likely to be pregnant at sixteen and most likely to have an arrest record by the age of twenty, she’d surprised them all with the success of her store. But that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy poking at the town’s notions of propriety now and then.
The wedding coordinator, Rebecca, directed Maggie and Brady over to the cake. Rebecca had performed miracles to turn this old men’s club into a ballroom worthy of Maggie. Given it was the woman’s first time coordinating an effort this big, she had done an amazing job. Penny was impressed with the transformation of the hall, and even the chapel had been given an overhaul.
Everyone watched Brady and Maggie cut the cake while the photographer took at least a dozen photos. When they gave each other bites, they were respectful of each other and didn’t goof around as Penny would have.
The couple returned to their seats as the waitstaff brought everyone a piece of cake and poured champagne into their flutes. Down the table, Luke picked up his spoon and clinked it against his glass as he rose to standing.
“I’d like to say a few words.” Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of index cards. He glanced her way slyly as he fanned through the colored cards.
Penny stifled a laugh. She’d thought he’d been joking.
“I could tell you lewd jokes or make fun of my brother for the way he used to run around the farm in his underwear and a cape when he was seven, but I won’t. I could talk about the fights we three used to get into and the trouble we helped each other out of, but I won’t. I could tell you about Brady’s adventures overseas or his high life in New York City, but I won’t.” Luke set the cards on the table and his gaze went over the crowded room.
Penny found herself leaning forward to listen to whatever he was going to say next. When Luke spoke, even back in grade school, he commanded his audience’s attention. He made sure to meet everyone’s eyes in the audience to make them feel included. His even tone and that deep voice kept her mesmerized. His raw emotion and honesty bonded him with the audience.
His gaze briefly met hers before settling on Brady and Maggie.
“Everyone in this room is aware of the struggles our family has had to endure. We didn’t always make the right decisions, but in the end, it looks like Brady found the one thing that matters most. Someone who loves him and wants to share a life with him. A hidden treasure waiting for him to come home.”
Penny could feel a thickening in her throat and blinked to hold the tears back.
“We brothers have lost so much, but Brady has finally found his family. Here’s to many years of shared joy and love. To Maggie and Brady.”
The crowd repeated, “To Maggie and Brady.”
A pause lingered while everyone took a drink. Penny met Luke’s eyes over the rim of her glass. As the crowd applauded the speech, Penny smiled at Luke before standing.
She waited for the noise to die down and then cleared her throat. “I may not be as eloquent as our doctor, but I’ll give it my best shot.”
She turned to Maggie. “When I was a little girl, there was one place I always knew I’d be welcome. Maggie has been my best friend, my confidante, my family for as long as I can remember. She’s always been there for me and I’ve always tried to be there for her.”
Maggie reached out, took Penny’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. They both had the battle scars on their hearts to prove their long-standing friendship.
“If anyone is capable of loving forever, it’s Maggie, and I know I’m not the only one in the room thinking that Brady is the luckiest man alive.” Still holding Maggie’s hand, Penny looked at Brady. “There aren’t many people I would trust with my best friend’s heart, but I trust you to keep it safe and to love her until you are old and gray and need to yell at each other to be heard. I love you both and wish you happiness.”
Clearing her throat, Penny blinked back the tears that had snuck up on her again. She turned to Amber. “Amber made me promise to wish you one more thing.” She held up her glass and gave a grin to the rest of the hall. “To a wonderful family, and may they be blessed with a little brother or sister for Amber.”
The crowd chuckled as they clinked glasses once more. Penny sank into her seat and took a drink. The DJ put on some background music and the low din of conversations grew again. Maggie and Brady were lost in their own little world. Amber had wandered off to the kids’ table to be with her friends.
Suddenly Penny felt isolated. Maggie had always been the person she talked to at these types of things. Not that she needed constant attention. Lord knew she spent more than her fair share of evenings at home with no one to talk to but the dog.
She used to see Maggie everyday. But now... Brady, Maggie and Amber would be leaving to go on their two-week vacation slash honeymoon at Disney World in a few days. It would be only a few weeks, but Maggie had been preoccupied with the wedding and Brady for months now, giving Penny a lot more alone time than usual. Penny was happy for her friend, but it didn’t make her miss Maggie any less.
“I think this empty chair is a better conversationalist than Sam.” Luke sat in Amber’s seat. His smile warmed her down to her toes.
Her heart pounded a little harder. The champagne must be going to her head because all she could do was smile at him.
“The chair has definitely improved since you arrived,” she said. She could spend hours just listening to the sound of his voice. Her whole body flushed with heat and tingled in anticipation of just the slightest touch.
It was crazy. For years, she’d avoided the emotional and clung to the physical. But with Luke, it had been different. Still, that was a long time ago. They were adults now. She was more than happy to bask in the warmth of his smile for the hours they had together.
“Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Ward for their first dance,” the DJ announced.
Luke stood next to the dance floor with his hands in his pockets as the strains of some slow song pounded out of the speaker behind him. This was how Penny and he had started. A school dance. It had been the social hour after a football game. The student DJ was set up in the cafeteria. No fancy lights had lit the floor then. In fact, most of the lights had been turned off, making the small space feel even tighter. He’d been standing on the side with the other football players, and Penny had appeared out of nowhere in a pair of cutoffs that would have gotten her sent home from school and a T-shirt that hugged her young body.
He knew Penny Montgomery. They’d shared classes since fifth grade. In high school, she’d transformed into the kind of girl who was hard for a teenage boy to ignore. From her red hair to her smoking body to her devil-may-care attitude, she was a high
