His eyes smoldered as he slid his hands down her back to cup her bottom. “That sounds like a good plan to me.”
Her body was starting to tingle from his entitled hands and his possessive expression and the lean strength of his body beneath hers. She leaned toward him and gave his bottom lip a little tug before releasing it and deepening the kiss.
It was a good kiss. Slow and leisurely and deliciously sensual. She was definitely ready for more when Robert pulled back and cleared his throat.
She’d been about to go for him again, but she paused at his expression. “What is it?”
“I wanted to say something. Before we go any further.”
He sounded so serious her heartbeat sped up. She sat very still as she nodded.
“I love you, Amanda. And I know some people throw the words around easily, but I don’t. I’ve never said them before. To any woman except my mother. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. So I know we haven’t been together for very long, but this doesn’t feel like the beginning to me. And I know I need to work on being more open about how I’m feeling, so I’m going to just say this flat out. I’m fully invested in this. I’m committed all the way. I’m not going to be seeing anyone else or even thinking about anyone else, and I’m really hoping you feel the same way.”
“Of course I do! You think I want to see someone else?”
“Well no. Not really. But I know people have different expectations about early stages of relationships, so I thought it was wiser to say something.”
She giggled and nuzzled his neck briefly. “Yes, it’s very wise. I’m definitely not going to be dating anyone else, and I’d be mad as hell if you did. I love you too, Robert. The same way. I’ve never felt like this about anyone else either.”
He nodded, his jaw relaxing slightly. “Good. And just one more thing. I’m expecting this to last a long time. Like forever. My feelings aren’t going to go away. And on that issue, it’s fine if you don’t—”
“I do! I feel the exact same way. This is the real thing for me too. It really is.”
“Okay. Good.” They gazed at each other for a sappy minute before he added, “So now that we’ve gotten that issue taken care of, you can go back to doing what you were doing before.”
“And what exactly was that?” She grinned.
“It was something like this.” He took her head in his hands and showed her exactly what he meant.
epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER, AMANDA was at another wedding—her zillionth wedding that year.
Not that she was complaining. If she hadn’t gone to so many weddings this year, she might never have gotten together with Robert. And the past months with him had been the happiest she’d ever known.
At least she wasn’t a bridesmaid this time. She’d been a bridesmaid enough this year to last her a lifetime. This evening was the wedding of an old school friend, but she was just a guest, so she could wear what she liked and do what she liked, which made for a much more enjoyable evening.
She smoothed down the skirt of her dark blue silk dress. Winter formal wear was always tricky, but she’d managed by pairing the sleeveless dress with a little gray cardigan with a few glittery threads woven in to make it sparkle.
She looked good, and she also wasn’t freezing her ass off.
“Hey, Amanda,” a voice said, coming out of the far bathroom stall. “I didn’t know you were in here.” Serena appeared, looking pretty but kind of tired in her green dress and sleek chignon. “That’s a great outfit.”
“Thanks. You look good too. Are you feeling all right?”
“Yeah. Just tired. Eva watched a scary movie with her dad last weekend, and she’s been having nightmares. So I was up with her a lot last night.
“On no. That sounds terrible. Poor little thing. And poor you.”
“I’m okay. She’s just eight, and I’ve told him that she’s not ready for movies like that. She’s really sensitive, and those things affect her. But he doesn’t listen.” Serena rolled her big blue eyes, making her feelings about her ex-husband more than clear.
“I’m sorry you’re having to deal with that.”
“Thanks. We’ll get through it. But never again am I going to do that to myself.” Serena made another face, this one less annoyed and more bitter.
“Do what?”
“Put my life in the hands of a man, especially now that I’d be putting my daughter there too.”
“So you don’t think you can trust any man again?” Amanda was genuinely asking since she didn’t want to sound skeptical or judgmental. People needed to do what was best for them, and marriage wasn’t best for everyone.
“Sure, I can trust some men. I trust my dad. And I trust my brother. And I trust Keith. But anyone else...” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, at least you have your family and Keith.”
Serena smiled, her face clearing. “Yes. I do. And I can always count on them not to change or let me down. But enough of my whining. How are things going with you?”
“Good. Really good.”
“Things with you and Robert still going like a sappy romance?”
“No! I mean, yes, things are going great, but it’s not like a sappy romance. I mean, we’re both real people, and so we have issues to deal with and everything. But we’ve been really happy together. I have no complaints.”
“Any chance of wedding bells for the two of you coming up?” Serena’s expression was teasing—she obviously knew what Amanda’s reaction would be.
Amanda gave her friend’s arm a light swat. “I have no idea what will be coming up, but we don’t have any plans right now.”
“It’s going to happen for you soon. I can feel it.”
Amanda gave her a quick, one-armed hug before she washed her hands.
Amanda didn’t know what to say to that. The truth was she was starting to hope her relationship with Robert might go in that direction, but she was trying to be patient and realistic. Robert had spent most of his life pushing away genuine intimacy and commitment. He wasn’t necessarily going to want to jump into marriage.
It had only been six months.
And things were going so well.
She had nothing in the world to complain about.
WHEN SHE RETURNED TO the room where the reception was still in high gear, she had to stand near the door for a full minute, scanning the crowd until she found Robert. She’d left him over by the bar, but he’d moved to the other side, near the doors that led out onto the terrace.
She had a moment of sweet nostalgia after she spotted him. Robert was looking particularly good in his black suit. This was the same venue as her sister’s wedding. It almost could have been that night again—the night she’d first started falling in love with him.
Robert gave her a little smile when she caught his eye, as if he might have been thinking the same thing. Then he made a deliberate turn toward the doors and pushed through one of them, walking out onto the terrace.
She smiled as she followed him, maneuvering through the gathered guests until she’d reached the doors and stepped outside.