Chapter 22

Saturday

I cringed. All morning long, the baby had been kicking me. It was like he was eager to start dancing at the reception. Calm down.

"Are you nervous?" Matt asked.

"What?"

He smiled down at me. "You look really nervous."

"Ask me that again before I give my speech," I said. "Right now, my baby is just kicking me nonstop."

"May I?"

I nodded. I didn't care what my friends said. Matt wasn't in love with the idea of me. And he certainly wasn't in love with me.

Matt placed his hand on my stomach. "Maybe he's going to be a soccer star."

I laughed. "Definitely a striker."

"Does it hurt? When he kicks?"

"A little."

"Sorry, Penny." His eyes met mine again.

There was something so warm in them. He wasn't an unemotional brick wall. He was kind and sweet. Jen was just wrong about him. Maybe she made her whole story up.

"You really are going to be a great father one day," I said.

"Why do you keep saying that to me?"

"Because I think it's true."

"Penny, I'm not even dating anyone. That seems like a long way off."

"You should go on one of those dating sites."

He laughed. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm happy the way things are."

"Can I steal my wife for a second?" James asked and pulled me away from Matt.

I hadn't even heard him approach us. "James, we're walking down the aisle in a minute. Justin is going to be pissed that we're out of formation."

He pulled me across the corridor. "He was touching you."

I laughed. "He wanted to feel the baby kick. Our baby." I gestured back and forth between us. "You're being ridiculous."

"Well, I also caught the end of your conversation. He said he was happy the way things were. With his hands on you."

"Seriously, James? You're jealous of Matt? There's nothing to be upset about. He's one of your best friends."

"Exactly. He's one of my best friends. So what the fuck is he doing hitting on you?"

I shook my head. "James?"

He didn't acknowledge me. Instead he was staring daggers at Matt.

"James. Hey." I grabbed his face and turned it back to me. "If you want to assume the worst about him, fine. I can't change your mind. But that doesn't mean there's anything to worry about. You know that my heart is yours."

"Don't hang out with him while I'm gone."

I laughed. "He's going to be at the brunch tomorrow. Do you seriously want me to ignore him?"

"Yes."

"You're impossible."

"And stop letting him feel the baby kick. If he touches your stomach one more time I'm going to punch him in the face." He put his hand on my belly. "This is mine."

"Of course it's yours. Every piece of me is yours."

"Then don't let anyone else touch what's mine."

It had been a long time since James had been jealous of anyone. Really, the last person he was jealous of was probably Tyler. Or maybe it was of one of my fellow interns when I had my brief stint at Hunter Tech.

"Okay. I'll try to be better about people being excited about our child's birth."

James smiled. "You're making fun of me?"

"Just a little. You're walking down the aisle with Marie. She's married. Should I be worried about you hitting on her?"

He put his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. And not just a peck. His tongue parted my lips. His free hand dipped slightly below my lower back. He was kissing me like he was about to fuck me against the wall behind us. I knew it was a show. A show for Matt and anyone else watching. A reminder that I was his. But I loved it despite the message. I was swept up in him.

"Places, people!" Justin yelled. "Please go stand where you belong, love birds." He snapped his fingers at us.

"You're mine, Penny," James whispered as our lips parted.

I nodded because that was all I seemed capable of doing.

He walked me back over to Matt, kissed my cheek, and joined Marie behind me.

Matt was quiet as we stood there. It was like he could tell that James was mad at him. The atmosphere was tense. It didn't fit the mood of the wedding.

"Matron of honor and best man are up!" Justin said. "Remember, walk slow. And smile," he said to Matt. "It's a wedding." He grabbed my arm, draped it over Matt's, and gently pushed us forward.

Matt glanced behind him and then turned back to me. "Is James mad at me?"

I laughed awkwardly. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Last night he kept punching me in the arm really hard whenever he made a joke. There's a bruise on my bicep. And now he's staring at me like he wants to aim those punches at my face."

"What? That's ridiculous."

He put his hand on top of mine. "Penny. You're the worst liar in the history of liars. Just tell me."

"Honestly?" We stepped out onto the roof and slowly began walking down the aisle.

"Yes, honestly."

I shrugged my shoulders. I was hoping he'd drop it when we started walking down the aisle. "Jen was talking last night about how I'm the girl that people fall for before they find the one. Or, they fall in love with the idea of me or something. Mason, Tyler, Rob..." I let my voice trail off. "It's silly really. Forget I said anything."

"James thinks that I'm in love with you?"

We were nearing the end of the aisle. "I told you it was silly."

He didn't say anything.

"Right?"

He squeezed my hand before dropping his arm. "Right."

I awkwardly stood there for a moment before walking over to Bee's side of the arch. I glanced at him standing on the opposite side. He smiled and I immediately looked away. His answer hadn't really seemed sincere. But I had a feeling he was messing with me. He probably thought it would be fun to tease me forever now. I had certainly given him ammo. Why had I told him I thought he had a crush on me?

James was walking down the aisle now, Marie's hand on his arm. I didn't question the two of them together. Why did everyone have to put weird ideas in my head about Matt? Now I was starting to feel uncomfortable around him.

Ow. I put my hand on my stomach. We'll be dancing soon enough, sweet boy.

James lowered his eyebrows slightly as they drew closer.

I gave him an encouraging smile. There was no need for him to worry. I watched as he parted from Marie. My eyes automatically gravitated to his butt. God, I loved his ass in a tuxedo. The sight practically made me drool.

He winked at me when he turned to stand alongside Matt. As if he knew that I had been inappropriately staring. I blushed and looked away.

Axel confidently walked down the aisle after Hailey and Tyler, who were lucky enough to be paired together. Maybe he wasn't nervous because his parents were in eyesight. Everyone smiled at him and he smiled back. He even stopped and waved at people with the pillow he was holding. Luckily the rings were tied down to it. Scarlett and Sophie both skipped down the aisle behind him, throwing petals mostly at the guests instead of on the ground. But everyone seemed to enjoy it. She really was adorable. Of course, I was biased, but it wasn't just her cute little face that made her so wonderful. She had the carefree attitude I never had as a child.

The music changed and everyone stood as Bee appeared. Her parents were divorced and her father and mother had both opted to walk her down the aisle. Bee's eyes were already filled with tears. This wedding had been a long time coming. Damn it, she was going to make me cry too. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She had gone for a ball gown dress that accentuated her small waist. Her long, loose curls blew in the wind. And the backdrop of the city sunset made her blonde hair almost glow like a halo. I glanced at Mason. It looked like he might even cry. They truly were perfect together.

I let my eyes wander back to James. He was staring at me so intently. I swallowed hard. Suddenly, it felt like it was us. Like we were back at our wedding. His eyes didn't stray from mine for even a second. In a lot of ways we had been robbed of our fairytale wedding. At least, the wedding night and honeymoon. But I wasn't bitter at all. I was just grateful that he was here with me.

I dropped his gaze as Bee handed me her bouquet. When I looked back up at him, his expression had changed. It wasn't one of love anymore. He was looking at me in that way. The way that made my knees weak. The way he looked at me right before he fucked me hard.

It was difficult to pay attention to Bee and Mason's vows. It was hard to pay attention to anything when he looked at me like that. Before I even realized it, the ceremony was over, and James was grabbing my hand, pulling me away from the rest of the bridal party.

"I love you, Penny. I love you with everything that I am." His lips crashed against mine.

I love you. I loved that carnal need of his. I loved that it matched my own.

"Ow, ow!" Rob said from behind us. "You'd think you two were the ones that just got hitched."

James laughed and released me from his grip. "Don't you have a wife you can go bother?"

Rob waved his hand through the air. "Nothing I do bothers Daphne."

"Is that so?" Daphne said and caught his hand. "You guys, they want to take a few pictures back up at the altar."

James looped his arm behind my back. "Once the dancing starts, do you think we could sneak away for a few minutes?"

I smiled up at him. "Did you think I'd let you fly across the Atlantic without a proper sendoff?"

"I hoped that would be your answer."

"Daddy!" Scarlett called and ran over to us.

He leaned down and picked her up.

She giggled as he peppered her face with kisses.

"You were perfect, pumpkin," he said.

"I know."

She was also way more confident than I was at her age. Hell, maybe she was more confident than I was now.