Lost Without You: Book 2 in the Chasing Olivia Series (16 page)

Amanda narrows her eyes, staring at Justin. Grinning, Justin shrugs his shoulders and continues. “Everything was great, we went out all the time—the three of us were like the ultimate chick magnets. Until, he met Amanda.” Justin pauses as he turns to her. “Yes,
she
broke up our bromance—no more partying for Nathan, he was done.” Amanda glares, her mouth parting as if she’s about to add in her two cents, when Justin continues. “But, he’s happy.” Justin turns to Chase. “Happier than we’ve ever seen him, right? It’s disgusting how he gets all goofy at the mention of her.” Chase nods his head in agreement. Amanda’s features soften as a small smile tips her lips up. “You have changed him for the better, and for that, we thank you.”

Justin holds his champagne flute high. “Here’s to the woman who made our bro fall madly in love, to the point that we’re jealous of what you two have. Justin, Amanda, here’s to many years of love and happiness. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” we all recite to the happy couple.

As we sit and eat our seafood salad, our waiter makes his way over to us. “Good afternoon. For your entrée, we have four choices. First, we have a petit filet with a demi-glaze served with smashed potatoes and asparagus. Next is Jerk chicken served with coconut rice and a fruit salad. Then we have grilled pork tenderloin with Romesco sauce served with roasted root vegetables, and finally, a he recites from his handheld menu.

“What’s a Romesco sauce?” I ask.

“It’s made from roasted almonds, roasted garlic, olive oil, and fire roasted red bell peppers.”

“What would you like?” Chase asks, his fingers strumming my back.

“I think I’ll try the fish,” I answer.

“I’ll have the filet, medium, and…” he turns to me, “do you want wine or champagne?”

“Wine is fine.”

“And a bottle of your finest New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc,” he tells the waiter.

The waiter nods and moves down the table.

Looking over at the other tables, everyone is immersed in conversation. Our table is isolated since it’s a long rectangle, with Chase and I on one end of the table, Justin and Miranda on the other, and Amanda and Nathan in the middle.

Nathan and Amanda are in their own little bubble, with wedding guests coming up to wish them well in life and congratulate their new nuptials. Chase excuses himself to go talk to Justin, so I sit here and people watch while sipping my wine.

You can definitely tell this is a wealthy wedding. Everyone has on designer dresses and shoes, even though it’s a beach wedding. Without this designer bridesmaid dress on, I would feel even more out of place. It’s amazing what people do with their money. Even if I had the money, I don’t think I could spend what I know Amanda’s parents did on this wedding.

“Where are you?” Chase asks from behind me, kissing the back of my neck.

“I’m here, just thinking.”

“Don’t. I know where your brain is taking you. Stop worrying and have a good time.” Chase turns my chin slightly, bringing my eyes to his.

“How did you know—”

“You get this little crease on your forehead right above your nose when you’re thinking too hard,” he says, answering before I can get my question out as he touches my forehead, “and it’s usually about money.”

“It’s just…I grew up so different from this.”

“I know. I want to give you things you never even knew existed, because you deserve it.” Chase brushes his lips against mine. “I love that look you get when you’re excited, when you see something new. I want to see that look every day, and I will if I have my way.”

As Chase sits back down, the waiter comes to clear our appetizer plates and places a purple heirloom tomato and mozzarella Caprese salad in front of us.

“I have had an amazing weekend,” I say to Chase, gazing over the water as I pick at my salad. The view is simply spectacular. Chase eyes me speculatively.

“I know how much you love the beach,” he declares. “I want to take you to every single one.”

“That’s a lot of beaches,” I say with a giggle.

“We have nothing but time,” he says softly.

“C’mon and dance with me!” Miranda says, grabbing my arm and yanking me out of my chair.

Looking up at me, Chase can’t do anything but laugh. “Bye,” he chuckles.

Miranda drags me to the middle of the dance floor so we can dance to the
Cupid Shuffle
. I kick off my shoes—there is no way I can shuffle with heels on—and Miranda follows suit. As the music gets going, a few more people join us on the dance floor, and Amanda comes running over, yelling, “Wait for me!”

Seeing how much fun we’re having, the DJ decides to go all nightclub on us and plays
Wobble
. The only people dancing are the three of us and a couple of Amanda’s friends from college. This is not the typical music you’d play at an elite wedding.

After a few songs, I get tired and decide to sit back down. Once the crowd disperses from the dance floor, the music changes to something a little classier. Chase and the guys had gathered together, watching us while we danced like fools. Seeing me walk off the dance floor, he pulls away from their huddle and saunters over to join me. Putting his hands on my neck, he murmurs near my ear, “Having a good time?”

I turn my head so I can see his face. “Actually, yes, I am.”

“I love watching you and seeing you happy. It makes me happy.”

“Just being here with you makes me happy,” I murmur, looking up at him. Smiling, he kisses the top of my head.

“Would you like another glass of wine?” I love how he asks what I want. It’s so refreshing, being able to answer yes or no.

“Yes, please.” He motions a waiter over and requests another bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

“What would you like to do tomorrow? Our flight isn’t until the evening.”

“I don’t know. Maybe just relax on the beach?”

“Whatever you want.”
Whatever I want. I like the sound of that.

With the salads long gone, our entrée’s are finally delivered. My fish looks and smells fantastic. Chase’s filet looks equally as mouthwatering. As everyone sits to eat, a lone person in the crowd starts tapping their water glass with their knife. Soon, everyone is making the clanking noise. Nathan, knowing full well what it means, grabs Amanda and kisses her like a good groom should. Everyone cheers and goes back to their meals. Chase turns and kisses me.

“That was meant for the bride and groom,” I scold.

“Wishful thinking,” he quickly answers with his panty-dropping smile. That dimple gets me every time.

After dinner, the DJ plays a few more slow songs and Chase leads me to the dance floor. Singing along to Edwin McCain’s
I Could Not Ask For More
, he takes the lead and I move with him. As he murmurs the lyrics in my ear, the sentiment behind them is apparent in his actions. The way he’s holding me, they’re not just words to a song, but a feeling he’s describing.

Dancing with Chase is so natural, I don’t want this feeling to end. Laying my head on his chest, I listen to his soothing breaths as we sway. As the song changes, he holds me close. I love the way he holds me tight, it’s comforting to feel so cherished.

The music stops abruptly as the DJ announces it’s time for the bride to throw her bouquet. Single women make a mad dash for the dance floor. I try to make an exit, but Miranda sees me and grabs my hand. “Oh, no you don’t.
You
are single, therefore
you
need to be here with me.” Since Miranda is constantly the center of attention, she places us front and center, directly behind where Amanda will be standing.

As Amanda makes her way onto the dance floor, Sheila hands her a fake throwaway bouquet. “Everyone ready?” she shrieks. The estrogen-fueled crowd responds with yells and waves. Amanda turns around, counts to two, and on three, heaves it over her shoulder. Right. At. Me. There is no stopping it—it hits me square in the chest and there’s no chance of me dropping it. Miranda appears upset, but then extremely happy it’s me.

“Yay, Olivia!” Amanda cheers, jumping up and down. I spy Chase across the crowd, smiling from ear to ear.

As the women leave the area, the men begin to gather. I’m escorted off to the side as Amanda is pulled to the middle of the dance floor and asked to sit on a chair. Stripper music sounds through the speakers and Nathan gets down on his knees, burying his hands under Amanda’s dress. She giggles and squirms as he reaches higher. Smiling, Nathan’s head disappears under her dress and reappears a moment later with the garter in his teeth. The men go crazy as Nathan maneuvers it from around her leg and off her foot, then stands and takes a bow.

I laugh hysterically as Amanda comes to stand next to me and Nathan takes her place. The men are all lined up, some more excited than others, but I know Chase won’t let anyone but him catch that garter.

Nathan peeks over his shoulder as he twirls the garter around his finger. “Ready?” he calls out behind him. “On three. One, two…” and he launches the garter in the air. Men take flight as they all reach up, trying to catch it. The garter flies over all their heads and the men dive for it, wrestling for a strip of lace. After a minute, Chase appears disheveled, but victorious.

Standing straight, Chase holds the garter in victory. “Thank God,” I mutter to myself.

“Sweetie, there was no way anyone else was coming out of that pile with that garter,” Amanda says.

Chase saunters over to the chair in the center of the dance floor. Smiling, he slowly beckons me with his index finger. Amanda gives me a gentle shove and I make my way over to Chase. “Sit,” he breathes, and I do.

The DJ comes over and asks our names. “Ladies and gentlemen, Chase will now place the garter on the beautiful Olivia’s leg. Give Chase a little help and chant ‘higher’ to give him some motivation.”

“That’s one thing I don’t need,” Chase whispers as he kneels on one knee.

I cross my legs, shaking with anticipation. Biting my lip, I wonder how far Chase is willing to go. We are in public, after all. “Okay, here we go,” the DJ announces as Chase takes off my right shoe.

“I don’t want this to get in the way,” he says with a wink. Moving my dress up to my knees, he runs his hands down my leg, caressing it as he goes. I tense and grip the edge of the chair with both hands. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s tried something naughty in public. Chase takes the garter, rests it around my ankle, and looks back at the group of men behind him.

“Higher!” they chant.

“They say higher,” he says as he brings it past my calf. As the guys keep chanting, Chase keeps raising the garter.

“Just do it already,” I whisper, embarrassed from all the attention.

“Patience. All good things come to those who wait,” he murmurs as it moves to just under my knee.

“Higher!”

The garter slips past my knee and Chase’s hands are no longer in view of the crowd. Slowly, he skims his fingers up my thigh. I start to flush, hoping this isn’t going where I think it will.

“Higher!”

“I don’t think you can get much higher,” I say.

“Just a little more,” he says, looking into my eyes, his dimple making an appearance in his left cheek. One more second of Chase looking at me that way with his hands under my dress and I might combust. He brings the garter up another inch and his fingers brush against my panties. I hold my breath, waiting, but nothing happens. He withdraws his hands and stands. The crowd claps and cheers as I struggle to put my shoe back on. Chase extends his hand and helps me out of the chair. Pulling me close, he murmurs, “You didn’t think I would do anything inappropriate in public, did you?”

“Um—”

“Dirty girl,” he teases, kissing my forehead.

The cake has been eaten, the last dance is long over, and all the guests have departed, so Chase and I make our way back to Amanda’s cottage for the relaxing after party. I take off my shoes, throw them on the floor, and plop down on the couch next to where Justin and Miranda are sitting. Chase goes into the kitchen and comes back with two glasses of white wine. Handing one to me, he places his on the table next to the couch. Sitting down, he reaches over, maneuvers my legs so my feet are resting on his thighs, picks up my left foot, and starts to massage it.