Page 90 of The Backup Groom

My mom smiled. “I love when people can freely express how they feel. Love is a beautiful thing, and Amber fits perfectly in our family.” She kissed my dad.

The evening with my parents flew by, almost three hours, exceeding my expectations with the great food and lively conversation. Nothing seemed forced or out of place. And I couldn’t have been happier with the way Amber and my parents clicked from the very start.

“Thanks for this, Pop.” I gestured to my empty plate. “It was delicious, as usual.”

My dad was a gifted cook, so it was no surprise that his pasta and garlic bread were amazing. Amber clearly enjoyed it as well, finishing her second plate.

“I agree,” Amber said. “Hands down, it’s the best pasta carbonara I’ve ever had.”

“That makes me happy,” my dad said.

The song changed to “Crazy” by Van Morrison, which prompted my parents to jump to their feet again. My dad grabbed my mom’s hand and led her to the living room to dance.

“What did I tell you?” I said, grinning, loving how spontaneous my parents were.

They truly did live as if nothing else mattered but the present moment.

“I thought you were a chip off the old block?” Amber said, glaring at me. “I already asked you to marry me. Do I have to do everything in this relationship?” She was trying to act annoyed, but her bottom lip curved up.

I chuckled, after getting her very subtle hint. “Would you like to dance, my dear?” Standing, I extended my hand and waited.

Amber breathlessly answered, “Darling, I thought you’d never ask.”

We danced next to my parents, although they would have never known it since they were in the middle of a make-out session that rivaled Stella and Dean’s on the beach.

It probably would bother a lot of kids, but I was used to it. And why would I ever complain about them being passionately in love? It motivated me to find that special love for myself. I was quite certain that that person was dancing with me.

I pulled Amber closer, gently kissing her on the lips.

“I could easily fall for a man like you,” she whispered against my chest.

The words just about did me in.

Please do. Because I fell a long time ago.

How many times was I going to be in heaven this week?

Amber slid one hand down to my abs, her fingers slowly traveling across them.

I swallowed hard, trying to pretend that her touch wasn’t doing certain things to my body. “What are you up to?”

“I told you I wanted to inspect your abs.” Amber’s fingers continued to explore my stomach. “I approve.”

“You’re torturing me, you know that, right?” I asked.

She gave me a flirty smile. “I know. That’s half the fun.”

When the song ended, Amber thanked me and pointed to the giant bookshelf that took up an entire wall in the living room. “That’s a pretty impressive book collection.”

“My mom has been reading and writing her entire life,” I said. “She’s a published author. Seventeen books, working on number eighteen. That’s how my parents met. My dad was the editor for my mom’s very first book thirty-seven years ago.”

“Thirty-eight,” my mom corrected me. “Best editor in the world.”

My dad grinned. “You are so talented it made my job easy.”

Amber smiled. “I love your story. It’s beautiful.”

I pulledLight Your Soul on Firefrom the bookshelf and handed it to Amber. “This is the first book. Without this book right here, I would not be around, andwewouldn’t be together.”