“You felt like our Toby might’ve sent him to you,” Mary Beth said.

“Yes,” Erin said, relieved that her mom got it. “I’d like to think such things are possible.”

“So would we,” Tom said, smiling at her. “Your brother would be pleased to see Jenny so happy, and he’d like your Slim.”

“I’m glad you think Toby would’ve liked him, but he’s not my Slim,” Erin said. “We’re friends. That’s all.”

“I guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?” Tom asked with a wink for his daughter.

Slim returned with drinks for her parents, which they accepted graciously.

“You two ought to go dance,” Mary Beth said. “I love this song.”

The DJ was playing “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

“May I?” Slim asked with a gallant bow as he extended his arm to her.

“She’d love to,” Mary Beth said.

“Honestly, Mother.” Erin sent her parents a teasingly withering look and let Slim lead her to the dance floor. “Sorry about that.”

“About what?” he asked as his arms came around her for the first time since he carried her into the lighthouse.

Erin had danced with plenty of men, but never before had she been so unsure of where to put her hands or why it seemed so difficult to get air to her lungs. God, he smelled good.

“You okay?”

“Um, sure. Why?

“You’re kind of stiff.”

She blew out a breath and tried to force herself to relax.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m used to it. I have that effect on women.”

Erin poked his rock-hard abdomen, which made him laugh and helped her to relax. A little. Why did this moment feel so damned monumental? It was just a dance, for crying out loud.

“By the way, in case I forget to tell you later, that’s the sexiest bridesmaid gown I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of them.”

“Most of them are hideous. That one is H-O-T.”

“Thank you,” she said, pleased and ridiculously aroused by his compliment. “My parents liked you.”

“That’s great to hear. They’re nice people, and it’s good of them to be here.”

“They love Jenny like a daughter. They wouldn’t have missed it.”

Off to the side of the dance floor, her parents were having an animated conversation with Jenny’s parents.

“Hard to think about how differently that relationship should’ve played out,” Erin said, and then caught herself when she realized she’d said it out loud. In for a penny… “They should be sharing grandchildren by now.”

He tightened his hold on her and touched his lips to her forehead, the simple gesture of comfort doing far more to soothe her than words ever could.

When she opened her eyes, she caught Jenny watching her with an astonished expression on her face.