The Total Package (18 page)

By the time Holly was finished, Logan had lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the ground and his shoes. Seconds dragged on and silence lingered. Dani held her breath. She looked quickly to Tyson for direction on what to do, but he was still watching the ceremony, his face tranquil.

Then Logan raised his beautiful head, and Dani felt her own eyes tearing up.

Logan Montgomery wasn’t abandoning his bride at the altar. He was completely overcome with emotion. His expressive chocolate eyes were glassy. His perfect lips were drawn tightly together and his chiseled chin was all scrunched up in the attempt to hold it back to no avail. He blinked hard and shook his head slightly in the effort to get a grip and compose himself.

Then Holly took her hand out of his and cupped his face, her thumb stroking over a cheekbone most women would sell their souls for. For them, in that moment, they were alone in the room. He took her hand and kissed her palm before settling it back into his. He took a deep, centering breath and squeezed her hands tight in his. With a shaky but deep voice that was in keeping with his overall excellence, he spoke.

“Holly, you came into my world and completely rocked it. Since I met you, I’ve become a better man, a more worthy human. You are the bravest, most beautiful woman I have ever known. All the best parts of me can be traced back to you. There isn’t one single part of my day, or life for that matter, that isn’t better just by having you in it. Today I have the privilege of giving you my name. But I also give you my heart, knowing that it’s safe, because of the way you have already enriched my soul. If I live forever, I will never love another the way I do you.”

By the time he was finished, there wasn’t a dry female eye in the house. Even some of the men’s eyes were shiny, including those of the best man and Dani’s own date.

Except for Holly’s. Hers were dry but bright as the candles that flickered all around them, shining with love and affection.

There was the exchange of rings, the final announcement, and Logan leaned over to thoroughly kiss the new Mrs. Montgomery.

Tyson introduced Dani to the wedding party at the back of the church. Logan was just as superb up close, and Holly was positively tickled that Tyson had brought along a date. Chase Walker gave her a wink this time. His wife gave Dani’s hand an extra squeeze.

By the time they walked back to the car, Dani’s right foot had started feeling that uncomfortable little twinge of tightness. Right on the back of her heel, nothing that sitting for a while wouldn’t cure, she hoped.

By the time they got back to the hotel and she took those first few steps out of the car, Dani could feel the rub becoming more intense, the worst of all possible signs. She didn’t dare try to take the shoe off, afraid that her foot would refuse to fit back into it. She had done too much walking and not nearly enough sitting. She could tell with one look that her foot had started to swell. It was beginning to look like bread dough, puffing up over the top of her shoe. But this was not the sort of crowd where Dani felt comfortable ditching the shoes and dancing around barefoot. It was time for drastic measures, and that meant walking as little as possible and sitting as much as she could. She bit back a wince as they headed toward the banquet-hall entrance and tried to walk normally. They caught sight of the sign indicating the Montgomery wedding and she headed right for the bar. A drink would ease the pain. Just one shot, maybe a quick chaser.

“I’m going to go drop my coat off in my room,” Tyson said.

Her swollen foot pulsated at the thought of walking to the elevator, much less the hallway of their floor. Just as Dani tried to think of a good excuse to keep from accompanying him, Holly appeared to save her. The bride rushed over to them, giving Tyson a big hug.

“Happy New Year, handsome!” she exclaimed while he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. “I can’t tell you how great it is to see you.”

“Like I would miss this?” Tyson said before setting her down and stepping back while still holding on to her hands to get a better view. “You clean up nice.”

“Take a good look. I can’t wait to get out of this thing! I don’t think I’m the fairy princess type.”

Dani liked Holly already, even after sneaking a look at Holly’s shoes and seeing the bride was smart enough to have worn ballet flats.

Tyson reintroduced Dani and then offered to take her coat up to his room as well. What a relief. It would give her a few minutes to get her cocktails in, not wanting to toss them back in front of a date who didn’t drink.

“I’ll keep her company,” Holly told him, anxious to get a few moments alone with Dani.

Saints be praised.

As soon as Tyson left, Dani motioned over to the bartender.

“I’ll take a shot. What do you recommend?” Dani asked.

“All the cool kids are drinking Fireball these days,” was the bartender’s enthusiastic response as he put two shot glasses on the bar and grabbed the bottle.

“I’m okay for right now,” Holly began to stop him from pouring.

“That’s okay,” Dani interjected after downing hers and pointing to Holly’s glass. It tasted like a syrupy Red Hots candy. Good choice. “I’ll do them both. I’m not a lush or anything. My feet are just killing me.”

“I get it.” Holly laughed. “Now I’m not quite so jealous. I can’t even count all the bones I would break in shoes like that. I tried a pair of high heels once and face-planted right in the shoe department at Macy’s.”

“I also wanted to get them out of the way before Tyson got back,” Dani said after the second shot of cinnamon burned its way down. “I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable.”

Holly gave Dani a genuine smile. “I get that too. I’m so glad you take his lifestyle into consideration. But with shoes like that, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. You look gorgeous, let’s keep it going.”

Amanda floated up behind them. She took a quick look around to make sure that Logan and Chase were still on the opposite side of the room. “Holly, I need you to do me a huge favor tonight.”

“Amanda, this is Dani Carr. She’s here with Tyson.” Holly bobbed her head in Dani’s direction and cleared her throat, to remind her that they weren’t alone.

“Hi again, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I don’t have much time,” Amanda said in a rush while picking up Dani’s empty glass and calling out to the bartender. “Give me three shots of whatever was in this glass.”

The bartender quickly lined up three more glasses and poured more Fireball.

“What in heaven’s name is wrong?” Holly asked.

“I need you to drink yours. And then mine,” Amanda insisted while smiling brightly and holding her shot up in a salute, checking to make sure Chase was watching. She blew him a little kiss and pretended to put the glass to her lips.

“Slow down,” Holly said. “What are you up to?”

Amanda turned her back on her husband and put her still full glass back on the bar. Holly and Dani followed suit.

“As soon as he finds out I’m not drinking anything, the whole night will be ruined!” Amanda said in desperation.

“What are you talking about?” Holly said with a slight shake of her head.

“I’m pregnant,” Amanda whispered. As soon as Holly’s face registered joy at the news, Amanda quickly grabbed hold of Holly’s hand to keep her from saying anything or moving away from the bar where now two shots remained untouched. Dani had tipped hers right after the fake toast. The pain in her foot had been reduced considerably. She felt warm and wonderful. She had just found out the juiciest bit of gossip, not that she was going to do anything about it. Fireball must really be what the cool kids were drinking, because she was feeling pretty cool.

“Amanda, that’s wonderful! Congratulations!” Holly said, then her brow furrowed. “You shouldn’t be drinking.”

“I know that.” Amanda gave an exasperated sigh, pointing at the drinks. “That’s why I need you to drink this. Chase doesn’t know yet.”

“What?” Holly admonished her. “Why not?”

Amanda’s forehead began to wrinkle with the face she made. “I’m going to tell him tomorrow. I have a wonderful New Year’s surprise all lined up for him. Do I really need to remind you about the false alarm last year? He practically followed me around with a pillow and built a shrine.”

“Yeah,” Holly acquiesced. “He did go a little overboard with that.”

“I didn’t want to ruin your wedding with his foolishness. And I really wanted one more night to get some action. Damn him, every time he puts on a tux, my libido soars off the scale. Once he finds out about this baby, he’ll be treating me like one of those Fabergé eggs! If he thinks I’ve been doing a few shots with you, he won’t keep asking me to do any with him.”

Holly worried her lower lip. “What is going to happen when he thinks you’ve been doing shots while pregnant?”

Amanda gave her a mischievous grin and placed her lips near Holly’s ear. “If I’m lucky, I’ll get one more trip over his knee before the drought.” Then Amanda stood back up and resumed her normal voice. “I’m going to come clean. Eventually. Now drink up.”

“Amanda, you know what a lightweight I am. I hadn’t planned on spending my wedding night passed out,” Holly said slowly, wanting to help her friend but aware of the repercussions in doing so.

As Holly and Amanda deliberated, Dani reached over and quickly did both the remaining shots. If her presence was going to force Amanda Walker to make her privy to a very private conversation, she might as well make herself useful.

“There you go,” Dani said cheerfully. “Problem solved.”

Both Holly and Amanda looked at Dani with wide eyes.

“You’re my hero,” Amanda said, unaware of Dani’s previous consumption. “Bless you.”

“Dani, are you going to be all right?” Holly asked with a touch of alarm. “You just pounded enough Fireball to take down a frat boy.”

“Of course,” Dani reassured them as her heart suddenly began to swell with all the love she had for just about everyone in the world. “I feel fine. I’m Italian. I’ve been sipping wine since I was five.”

“I really owe you one,” Amanda said and added, “can you keep this to yourself until tomorrow? Please? He’d be devastated to think he was the last to know.”

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s keeping baby secrets,
Dani thought before nodding her head half a dozen times. “You can count on me.”

Then she saw Tyson step back into the room, and all she could think of was the crisp white tailored shirt clinging to broad shoulders and bulging biceps. If he turned around and walked backward toward her, she was sure she would faint.

Tyson could tell from one overanimated wave across the room upon his return that she was tipsy, if not on the fast track to inebriation. Keeping one eye on her, he met up with Logan and Chase on the dance floor.

“Congrats again, my friend.” Tyson shook Logan’s hand a second time and they pulled each other close for a quick chest-bumping bro hug. “You looked a little shaky there for a minute. Good job.”

“I spent the night memorizing my vows.” Logan shook his head and tsked. “I think she made hers up on the spot. She really knows how to gut punch a guy.”

The trio made their way over to their ladies at the bar.

“Can you imagine what a wreck he’d have been if they had taken the time to really think about this thing?” Chase commented as he reached his wife and kissed her before wrapping a protective arm around her. “Hi, ladies.”

“I’d been asking Holly once a month for the last three years. When she actually said yes, I knew I had to act quickly. I didn’t want to run the risk of her changing her mind, right, Mrs. Montgomery?” Logan smiled at Holly.

“Worried I might turn fickle on you?” Holly remarked, slipping her hand into Logan’s.

“Not anymore,” Logan stated proudly. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have guests to mingle with before the DJ makes us do all the corny stuff and my mother cries all over your dress. It’s bad enough she thinks we’ve ruined it for her by not taking five thousand pictures and doing a receiving line.”

Holly took one more apprehensive look at Dani and let her new husband lead her away. “Make sure you eat.”

Chase took Amanda’s hand to lead her to the dance floor as soon as the music started playing. Amanda turned her head and mouthed “Thank you” to Dani over her shoulder.

“Want to tell me what that was all about?” Tyson asked, then ordered a club soda, taking note of all the empty shot glasses as the bartender removed them from the bar.

“I was telling them how beautiful they looked and what a wonderful wedding it was. We just did a shot in celebration,” Dani told him.

“Dani, you don’t have to hide it from me. In case you didn’t know, I’m the perfect designated driver.” Tyson stopped the server who was carrying trays of tiny quiches and took a plate, then loaded it up. He held one out to her and when she opened her mouth, he popped it in.

“We’re staying here,” Dani said after taking a swig of his club soda to wash down the mouthful of delicious flaky crust filled with egg, cheese, and broccoli. The more delicate, not to mention sexy, move would’ve been to bite the quiche in half, but to hell with that, she was starving.

“That lobby gets pretty congested,” he commented while ordering himself another club soda and one for her as well.

The Montgomery wedding turned out to be both classy and casual. There were no place cards or a sit-down dinner, just enough appetizer stations and tray-carrying servers to end the hunger problem in the third world. All the tables had been elegantly set for whoever chose to sit at one, complete with glasses of expensive champagne. There were about fifty guests in attendance, due to the short notice and the holiday, most of whom were Logan’s family. Dani found it curious that nobody was there representing Holly’s side. She had already started to become bolder and pointedly asked.

“She’s estranged from her family,” Tyson explained tersely. “And most of her friends live across the country or in Canada.”

I guess when you get a Logan, you pretty much have all you need,
Dani thought. She was starting to feel the effects of the shots. Before she could delve deeper into what was an interesting topic, the DJ announced the bride and groom’s official first dance. Logan led Holly to the dance floor and took her into his arms.