Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek #1)(113)

“It’s the one spring beer I’ve always refused to make because of my mom.” She took his hand in hers. “I want to do this, Luke. Or I’ll never know if I can get past what she did.” Her eyes took on a suspicious little light then as she added, “And that’s the last thing I want to be wondering about come next spring when we get married.”

His entire body went completely still.

Smiling like a devilish angel, she walked right past him to the brew tanks.

She was three steps away before he picked up his unhinged jaw and spun around to pull her back to him. “Wait a minute. You can’t just drop a bomb like that and walk away.”

Amusement dancing all over her face, she tilted her head and waited for him to continue.

“You want to get married?” he demanded roughly. Smooth, Luke. Real smooth.

Apparently, she thought so too. Because she laughed. Her eyes slid down and saw that his hands were shaking big time. “Have I ever told you how much I love making your hands shake?” She leaned over and kissed him, long and deep.

He shuddered. “Stop distracting me. Answer the question. Do you want to marry me?”

She sniffed like a diva and glanced at her nails. “Not if you ask me like that.”

Great, now her acting improves. The woman didn’t paint her nails.

Hanging on to his sanity by a very thin thread, he rephrased his question. “Are you saying you want me to ask you to marry me?”

She thought about it for a torturous second before popping a kiss on his mouth and giving him a saucy wink. “Maybe,” she teased as she turned and did her signature Danica walkout.

Goofy lovesick smile in place, Luke put a hand over his chest to stop his heart from busting out of it. Never had a single word sounded so sweet coming from the woman he loved.





CHAPTER TWENTY


March 14th, the following year



“NO DEAL, HONEY.” Luke nuzzled her neck. “That’s not going to convince me to subject all these people to your twisted sense of fun.” He was lying. Dani knew she could make him shake and shimmy on stage in a loincloth today if she asked him to. Power of the bridal gown. If she wasn’t having such a good time negotiating with Luke, she’d actually take more advantage of said gown. But the direction of the negotiations thus far had infinite promise.

“Okay, okay,” she countered with a theatric sigh, “this is my best and final offer. You agree to an Electric Slide/Cha Cha Slide mash-up dance and we’ll start off our private festivities tonight with that thing that could’ve gotten us arrested in San Diego with a bottle of whipped cream and your Chocolate Foreplay kit, after the thing that makes us both crazy, along with...” Dani leaned in to whisper one more sinfully racy wedding night promise in his ear.

“Sold!” Luke threw off his tux jacket and started to head to the sound booth to make the request…only to stop when he saw her give a thumbs-up to the amused and unsurprised DJ.

He turned back and raised an eyebrow at her.

She threw him an angelic smile. “You gave in too easily. I had two more best and finals in me.” Pulling off his tie, she tucked it in his pocket with a wink. “As you’ll find out tonight.”

“You are just the best wife ever,” he said almost reverently.

Her mouth pulled up at the corners over that amazing reminder. Their wedding ceremony today had been beautiful. Amongst friends, family, and hundreds of well-wishers online, he and Dani had sealed the joining of their lives with one simple vow: to always keep loving and dreaming like ridiculous, hopeless romantics. From this day forth.

As husband and wife.

Now here they were on the new garden rooftop of Desert Confections at an unequivocally Dani and Luke reception. Fun, random, romantic, and decked out with a smorgasbord of Ocotillos beer and food paired impeccably with Desert Confections chocolate and wine.

The perfect marriage all around.

Standing at the center of the dance floor as the setting sun swathed the landscape in a desert color show, Dani took a deep breath as Rylan began singing one of his achingly poignant ballads up on stage. Emotions gripping her, she set her gaze on her brother and held out her hand. The guests fell silent. Derek, looking so much like the late great Vince Dobson, walked up to join her on the dance floor in what would’ve been her father-daughter dance.

A tiny burst of pain arrowed through her heart, not unlike the pain she’d felt earlier today when the minister had asked during the ceremony, “Who gives this bride to be married?” But just as he was doing now, Derek had swooped in to patch her heart right up by answering the minister, “Her father and I do,” and making good on that declaration by reading Dani a letter she never knew existed, written years ago by their dad for her wedding day.

There hadn’t been a dry eye in the house.

Dani looked up at her big brother as they danced. “I can’t believe you kept that letter a secret.” The memory of her father’s words to her had tears glittering her eyes all over again.

Derek squeezed her tight. “He wrote it after his first heart attack and made me promise to read it for you if he couldn’t be here.”

Her tears spilled out almost angrily. “It’s not fair. You should’ve gotten a letter at your wedding, too.” The painful injustice tore at her heart.