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“Marcus is screwed,” Jett answered with humor in his voice.
“Both of you stop,” Harper insisted from across the table with Blake at her side.
Strangely, both of the guys went quiet, and I saw Blake smirking as he looked over at Mason and Jett.
It was amusing to see two super-rich guys stop talking the minute their sister scolded them.
Carter was noticeably absent, but I’d told Jett the whole story that his older brother had shared with me, hopeful that he’d eventually forgive and forget. Even though Jett was angry that Carter had tried to control his life, I thought that I’d heard a note of relief as Jett was grumbling about Carter stepping too far over the line.
As I looked around the table, I told myself I’d do everything I could for the man I loved to get his broken family back together.
They needed each other, even though some of them still probably didn’t want to admit it.
“The cake is fantastic, Ruby,” Harper said as she set her fork down on her empty plate.
I opened my mouth to tell her that it wasn’t bad for a non-professional, but I shut it again. I was done critiquing everything I did. So I just said, “Thank you.”
“You’re learning,” Jett said in a low voice next to my ear.
I smiled at him. “Yes, I think that I am.”
“And the cake was fantastic,” he said with a grin.
“Have you ever met a cake you didn’t like?” I asked with a delighted laugh.
“Not that I can remember,” he answered. “But I happened to love yours.”
My heart did a happy dance as I realized that we were talking about more than cake. “I love you,” I whispered quietly.
“I love you, too, baby,” he said, not bothering to lower his voice. “And I don’t give a damn who knows it.”
“I don’t care, either,” I confessed. “I’ll get on the table and announce to everybody here that I love you, but I guess I just kind of want to keep it all to myself for tonight.”
“No getting on tables,” he warned. “Every guy here could see up your dress.”
“You’re impossible,” I told him.
“You’re beautiful,” he replied.
My body infused with a warmth that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with the fact that Jett Lawson loved me. Sometimes he said outrageous things, but I knew he meant every one that he uttered.
“My Cinderella story isn’t over,” I said softly as I watched the bride and groom take the floor again for a slow song. “When I’m here with you, and I look at this ballroom, it feels kind of surreal. Not long ago I was homeless, and now I’m all dressed up like a person just going about a regular life. Okay, maybe not regular. More like extraordinary.”
“It’s finally how it was supposed to be,” Jett concluded.
“I’d do it all over again if I’d still end up with you,” I told him.
“Not happening,” he argued as he wrapped a possessive arm around my waist. “You don’t need to do it all over again. I already have an ulcer from thinking about something happening to you.”
I sighed. I had no idea how I’d gotten from one place to another so fast, but I wasn’t going to question fate.
I slowly rose to my feet. “Will you dance with me, Jett?” I asked as I put a hand on his broad shoulder.
I held my breath as he gave me a startled look. “Ruby, you know that I can’t—
“We’ll take it slow,” I said, feeling several pairs of eyes on us as I encouraged him to do the very thing that his ex-fiancée said he’d never be able to do again.
Both of us had grown so much, and I was pretty sure I knew what Jett was capable of doing.
He just wasn’t so sure he knew what he could do.
“I was a lousy dancer before I had the accident,” he warned, his voice slightly uncomfortable.
“He’s lying,” Harper said. “He’s a fantastic dancer.”
I looked at Jett’s sister, giving her a look to let her know I was grateful for backup.
“But it will give you a good excuse to feel me up,” I bent down and said in a whisper.
My heart lurched as I straightened up and saw genuine fear in his eyes.