Page 136 of My Destiny

“She does,” I reply, and my smile grows as I drink her in.

“It was a really nice thing for you to do,” my father adds, and his comment takes me off guard.

“Thanks, Dad. She’s had a tough life, so I was glad to be in a position to do this.”

The song the DJ is playing comes to an end, and the girls stop moving, but as soon as the next tune starts to play, they all cheer. Brooke turns to look in our direction, and my heart sinks.

“Oh shit,” I mumble under my breath, as she makes her way towards us. I promised to dance with her tonight, but I was aiming for a slow song so I could hold her in my arms. Definitely not ‘YMCA.’

As she nears the table, I have an overwhelming compulsion to flee, but to my relief—or pure joy—she actually grabs my father’s hand and coaxes him to stand. “I think I’ll sit this one out,” he says, and the look of panic on his face amuses me more than it should.

“Please,” Brooke begs. “It’s my birthday. Look, your wife is out there. Come join us.”

I hold my breath as I wait for him to lose his cool, but to my surprise he doesn’t. “Okay, just one song,” he mumbles, and I’m pretty sure my mouth is gaping open.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” John says from beside me. “How much has your father had to drink?”

“Nothing, he’s driving.”

My eyes seek out my sister. “What the hell?” she mouths, and I can tell she’s just as perplexed as I am.

This is a side of my father we’ve never seen. I watch as Brooke shows him the moves to the chorus, and I half expect him to either walk away or just stand there for the entire song, but when he actually starts to copy her, I scramble in my pocket for my phone. I need to capture this on video.

As soon as the song is over, he thanks Brooke before making a beeline for the table. His hasty retreat makes me laugh. I’m so glad he’s being a good sport, and that I have footage I can look back on when I need a laugh.

Deciding to head back to my original seat, I stand. Michelle grabs me as I walk away. “Please tell me you got pictures of that.”

“Even better, I got the whole thing on video.” She raises her hand to high five me.

“I need a copy.”

“Definitely. I might even upload it to YouTube.” She throws back her head and laughs, but she knows I’m only kidding.

She turns her head to look out onto the dance floor. “She’s having the best night.”

“She is,” I say, smiling.

“I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thanks, sis.” I drape my arm around her shoulder. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone.”

“Brooke is perfect for you, and I couldn’t ask for a better sister-in-law.”

“Slow down, there,” I say, laughing. “You sound like Mum.”

“You’re going to marry this one. You know it as much as I do.”

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

Brooke

I slide my arms around Logan’s waist. “Are you enjoying your birthday?” he asks.

“Are you kidding me? It’s the best night of my life. And don’t forget, you promised me a dance.”

He chuckles at my comment, and I narrow my eyes. “Come get me when the slow songs come on. That way I get to hold you close.”

“Okay. I almost grabbed you for ‘YMCA,’ but I saw the look on your face as I approached.” I let him have that one, but only because I know how much he hates dancing.