Falling for the Groomsman (Wedding Dare, #1)(43)

“Thank you. But I came to steal my brother away,” she said, reaching out and holding Tyler’s arm close to her side. “Do you mind?”

“Of course not.” Brock bowed. “He’s all yours.”

Kady led him away, her hand on his arm loose yet firm. “You doing okay?”

“Of course I am.” He smiled at her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

She gave him a weird look, but smiled back at him. She looked so gorgeous in her soft pink gown, her hair piled on top of her head. He couldn’t believe his baby sister was getting married. Fucking married. Unbelievable. “You know how much I love you, right?”

“Of course,” he said, his voice coming out a little bit gruff. “Why? What did you do this time?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head and laughed. “Just because I say I love you doesn’t mean I have bad news.”

“It always has before,” he reminded her.

“Not this time.” She sighed, the smile slipping away. “I want you to be as happy as I am with Colt.”

“Colt’s nice and all, but I doubt I’ll ever feel the same way about him as you do,” he said lightly. “He’s not my type.”

“I’m serious,” Kady said, laughing and nudging him with her elbow. “I want you to be happy.”

He cocked his head. “I am happy. Why would you think otherwise?”

“You’re always so alone. You’ve never even brought a girl home to Mom and Dad.” She wrung her hands, mangling his suit jacket in the process. “I know you like being single, but I want to see you in love. With someone who I know will love you back.”

“I’m fine just the way I am.” His eyes found Christine again. She was watching him and Kady with a soft look on her face. When she noticed him looking, she turned away, her cheeks red. “Are we being assigned partners during this thing, or what?”

Her brow furrowed and she looked at Christine, too. “You’re supposed to be, yes. But with Christine out…it messes the numbers up. I don’t know what to do with you now. Maybe I could split my time with you and Colt…?”

“No way.”

“But—”

“No buts.” He rubbed his jaw. “How about this? Since she can’t dance, how about if I go over to Red and keep her company? Then you’ll be back to even numbers, and I don’t have to dance. It’s win-win.”

Kady blinked. “Red?”

Oops. “Christine.”

“No one calls her Red.”

“I do.” He gently pushed her toward Colt. “Now go. Have fun.”

She watched him. “If you’re sure…”

“Positive. You go to your man and show him all those moves I taught you.”

Kady leaned in, kissed him on the cheek, and headed toward Colt. As soon as she reached his side, the instructor clapped his hands and started lecturing everybody about the waltz. Tyler tuned him out and made his way toward Christine. The jerk who had been flirting with her earlier was gone, so she was alone again.

Good. He didn’t like that dick.

She had a pair of crutches up against the wall. Where had she gotten them? Julie, no doubt. She had a way of finding anything that was needed.

When she caught sight of him approaching, she curled her hands into fists. “Let me guess. You’re on gimp duty?”

“Yep.” He stood next to her, his hands clasped behind his back. “But I don’t mind.”

She lifted a shoulder. “I figured you wouldn’t. You’re that guy.”

“What guy?”

“The one who volunteers to be with someone who can’t dance. The one who always helps other people, even if he’d having a lousy day himself.” She tipped her head back so she could see him. “You know. That guy.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” He smoothed his shirt. “You know what? Don’t answer that. How’s your ankle feeling?”

“It’s better.” She looked down at her ankle, lifting it up slightly, and stared up at him. “It hurts a little bit, but I elevated and iced it all afternoon, just as the doctor ordered.”

He stared at it, resisting the urge to drop to her feet and examine her for himself. “Technically, you should still be in bed.”

“I didn’t want to miss the dancing.”

“You can’t even dance,” he said, gesturing out at the couples on the dance floor. “What’s the point in coming down?”

“I don’t know,” she said wistfully. “I like watching.”

He turned to her and examined her face. Big mistake. Huge.

The sight of her longing expression as she watched the dancers made him want to rip his own leg off and give it to her so she could dance. That’s how bad he had it. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Well, I for one hate dancing, so I’m much more content to stand here with you.”

“How could you hate dancing?”

“Easily.” He shrugged. “I just do.”

She tapped her fingers on her knee. “You can’t hate it that much. You taught Kady your moves all those years ago.”

“That’s different. She’s my sister.”