“Thank God. I didn’t want to kick my new brother’s ass.” I winked at him.
“Fuck you,” Billy whispered.
I started laughing and punched him on the arm. “What did you do that you regret?”
“I bought Dad tickets to a Johnny Cash concert,” Billy said as he glanced at our father.
I looked at him with a confused expression on my face. “Why would you regret that?”
Billy looked at me. “Because that’s his wedding gift.”
It took a few seconds for it to sink in before I started laughing. “Holy shit! I just moved into the top position as favorite son, and they haven’t even been married for two hours!”
Billy rolled his eyes and gave me a push. I couldn’t stop laughing.
“You want the tickets, don’t you?” I said in between bits of laughter.
“Do you really want a knuckle sandwich, Mathews?”
I held up my hands and tried to stop laughing.
“Garrett Mathews, are you rattling your brother’s cage?” Emma asked as she walked up and wrapped her arms around my waist.
Billy smiled and shook his head. “You are so lucky you’re my best friend, you jerk.”
I watched as he turned to Margie and asked her to dance.
The moment I heard Elvis singing “Don’t,” I grabbed Emma and led her to the dance floor. “Have I ever told you how much I love Elvis?” I whispered in her ear.
She giggled. “Maybe once or twice.”
I held her closer to me and took in how she felt in my arms. As we glided across the dance floor, I memorized her smell, her laugh, and her touch on my body. I began singing the words to her as she held on to me tightly.
“Garrett,” she whispered as the song ended, “I love you.” She pulled back and smiled.
I smiled back. “I love you more.”
Right when I thought I wanted to take her right there, “All Shook Up” started playing.
“Ah, hell yeah,” I said.
We took off, doing the jitterbug. Emma started laughing as I spun her around the dance floor.
This was my song to Emma, and she loved it when Elvis sang buttercup. When Emma and I danced, we commanded the floor. We fit together perfectly in more than one way, and I was totally lost in her. When the song changed to Nat King Cole’s “Send for Me,” Emma smiled as she raised her eyebrows. As we moved across the dance floor, I closed my eyes and thought about this afternoon.
“I love you, Em,” I whispered in her ear.
I looked over at her father. He nodded his head and winked at me. I got a sick feeling in my stomach as my heart started pounding, and I swore the room was spinning.
I’m going to throw up.
“Garrett, I love you so much,” Emma whispered back.
My nerves were immediately settled.
When I looked at Billy and Margie, they had huge smiles on their faces. Margie gave me a thumbs-up, and I smiled at her. They had both helped to set up my surprise for Emma. I was surprised Margie had been able to keep it a secret, but I’d made her swear on Billy’s life that she wouldn’t even tell Peggy.
Emma pulled back and looked into my eyes as she smiled. That crazy feeling I got in my stomach took off, and I wondered if my body would always have such a reaction to her.