“And music change. RB, then FG, both looking adorable.” She peered around to watch them start down the steps at Monica’s signal. “Seriously adorable.”

“Karen’s getting the shots, right?”

“Shh.You stop that. Okay. Emma.”

“Here we go.”

“Five, four, three, two. And Laurel.”

“Rolling.”

Parker gave Mac’s hand a final squeeze.“It’s your wedding day,” she said, and started down the stairs.

She stopped worrying when she saw the room full of guests, of flowers, of candle- and firelight. When she saw Carter looking like the happiest man ever born. She glanced at Malcolm, puzzled for a moment at the intense look in his eye, then took her place by her friends.

Music change, she thought, and everyone got to their feet.

There was Mac, radiant, on her father’s arm, all but floating as she came forward. And Parker’s mother’s diamonds caught the light and flashed.

Mac kissed her father’s cheek. Carter already held out both hands for her. She stepped up, took them. “Hi, cutie.” She pulled him in, kissed him lavishly.

“I couldn’t wait,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

And they got married in the echo of laughter.

HE COULDN’T GET HER ALONE, AT LEAST NOT ALONE ENOUGH. There were pictures, and dinner, and crowds of people. Everybody wanted to talk to everybody.

“What’s wrong with you?” His mother kicked him under the table. “You’re fidgety.”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just want to get out of this stupid suit.”

“Eat your dinner,” she ordered, then turned to talk to Emma’s father—thank God—and got off his back.

He tried to get to her when the meal was over, but the entire wedding party was herded in one direction, and the guests went in another.

In the Ballroom, Mac and Carter took the floor for their first dance.Watching them, he realized his timing was off.Way off.This day was about them, the rest could wait.

He got himself a beer, told himself to relax.

“Hell of a party, huh?” Jack dropped down beside him.

“They do it right, and apparently they do it righter than right when it’s one of their own.” He tapped his glass to Jack’s. “You’re next, partner.”

“Can’t wait.”

Malcolm angled his head, studied Jack’s face.“You mean that.”

“More every day.Who knew? The big party? That’ll be a kick, but it’s the rest, the rest of my life I’m waiting for. Emma’s... She’s Emma. That’s all she needs to be. Now I’m going to go find her and dance.You ought to grab Parker.”

“Yeah, I ought to.”

He sat another moment, then rose to start to wind his way through the tables and people. Music pumped out hot, drawing a crowd onto the dance floor.

He paused to watch a moment, and Del stopped on his way by. “Getting some champagne for my future bride. Did you catch Bob out there? He’s a wild man on the dance floor.”

“You can’t miss him.”

“It’s a damn good day.” He laid a hand on Mal’s shoulder as they both grinned at Bob. “I know they’ve already started a life together—Mac and Carter—but this changes it.”

“Changes it?”

“It makes it more solid, more real, more important. I’ve been to countless weddings, but I don’t think I really got that until Laurel, until I wanted to make it more solid and real and important. Anyway, if you’re looking for Parker, she’s that way.”

“Thanks.”

Screw timing, he decided, and went on the hunt for her.

He spotted her—and Laurel—dancing together. When the music changed, they walked toward him, arm-in-arm.

“How come women can dance together, but when guys do it they look stupid?”

“You don’t. You just think you do,” Laurel told him. “Seen Del?”

“He’s getting your—” He mimed drinking.

“I’ll go find him, cut down on the wait.You want?” she asked Parker.

“I do, thanks.”

When he had her alone, in a manner of speaking, he took her arm. “Listen, can we go out for a minute? I want—”

“Parker.” Linda, a flute in her hand, glided up. “You put on a lovely event.You must have worked day and night for weeks to pull this off. It’s no wonder you look tired.”

“Do I?” Parker said, icily sweet.“It must be the lighting in here. I was just thinking how that shade of red, in this light, makes you look shallow. I mean sallow. Malcolm, you’ve met Mac’s mother, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. How’s it going?”

Linda tossed her luxurious mane of blond hair, aimed her hot baby blues at him.“It’s going very well, thanks.We’ve met? I can’t believe that, as I never forget a gorgeous man.” She gave him her hand, angled her body in. “When did we meet?”

“When you offered me a blow job.”

Beside him, Parker made a choking sound. Linda reared back, shot Parker a vicious look. “You should take more care in who you invite into your home.”

“I’ve already done that.This is your one free pass. Enjoy it. Let’s dance, Malcolm. I really want to dance with you at my friend’s wedding.”

She drew him onto the floor, then just dropped her head on his shoulder, shaking with laughter. “Oh. Oh.You are going to be rewarded so very well at the first opportunity. That was—” She lifted her head, put her hands on the sides of his face and kissed him until his head swam.

“Come on.” He dragged her away from the music.

“But I want to—”

“Five minutes, damn it.”

People were every-fucking-where, he realized. He pulled her out of the Ballroom, down the stairs, ignoring her objections. He evaluated, then headed for her wing until he jerked her into the gym.

Nobody was going to come in there during a wedding reception.

“What in the world is this about?”

“Listen.You just listen to me.”

“I am listening to you.”

He took a breath. “Yeah, you listen to me, and that’s why I end up telling you things I’ve never told anybody, never intended to tell anybody.You get inside, that’s what you do, get inside and see what’s in there, and it’s okay with you.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Malcolm, how much have you had to drink?”

“Probably not enough for this. I was never going here, not with anyone. It just didn’t seem like I’d be any good at it—and, well, damn it, it’s important for me to be good at what I do.”

He turned away from her and walked away, looking for his breath and his balance.“I spent the first decade of my life moving around, and that was okay, it’s the way it was. I spent most of the second mad at the fucking world and raising hell.Then I tried to do better, in my own way.”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “I did better, then I got my ass kicked. Fate, bad luck, whatever. I took the second chance, and made some changes.Through all of that, there was one person who stuck with me.”

“Your mother is an amazing woman.”

“Damn right. I’ve got a good business. I know how to run it, how to build it. I like what I do. No, I love what I do.”

“That’s why you’re good at it. I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong.”

“I didn’t say anything was wrong. I’m just ...” He stood for a moment, just staring at her. “It was never supposed to be you, that’s for damn sure.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said you loved me.”

“So, you did hear me.” She turned away now, walked over to open the minifridge for water.

“Of course I heard you. There’s nothing wrong with my hearing.”

“You just chose to ignore me.”

“I didn’t. You blindsided me, Parker. You knocked me flat. I never figured you’d feel about me the way I feel about you.”

She lowered the water, and her gaze came back slowly to his. “How do you feel about me?”

“Like ... How the hell did Carter put it? He’s got the words.”

“I don’t want Carter’s words. I’m not in love with Carter.”

“I feel like you must be the reason I got through all the moving around, the raising hell.The reason I didn’t die.The reason I’m here. I feel—”

He broke off, cursed under his breath as she simply stood there, beautiful, perfect, glowing.

“Listen I’ve got to grab some of Carter’s words. It’s when you love somebody and they love you, even where you’re screwed up, everything clicks.

“Everything’s clicked, Parker. So there it is.”

She set the water down on a weight bench.“I always imagined, when this moment happened to me, it would be very different from this.”

Irritation moved over his face. “So there’s no poetry and moonbeams. I’m wearing a damn suit.”

She laughed. “I’m so glad that this moment happened exactly this way, with you, right here, right now.” She started toward him.

“I’m not finished.”

And stopped. “Oh. Sorry.”

“Okay.We need to do it.”

Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

Everything in him relaxed. He just loved how she said those two words. “Jesus, Legs, get your mind off sex. I mean we need to ...” He circled his finger toward the ceiling.

“I’m afraid I can’t crack your ingenious code.”

“We need to get married.”

“We ...” She stepped back, and joined the water on the weight bench. “Well. God.”

“Look, if you know me and love me anyway, you get that I’m not going to get down on one knee and recite something some dead guy wrote a couple centuries ago. Damn it.” He walked over, pulled her to her feet. “I could probably do better. I know how you work now. I know it’s not just the details, but what the details make. What’s going on up there—it’s a great party, but it’s what comes after that counts.You want what counts.”

“You’re right,” she said quietly.“That’s how I work. But it’s not just about what I want.”