She glanced over her dad’s shoulder at Lucas. He stood with Ethan, hands resting in his vest pockets, his jacket long since discarded. His white shirt was crisp and fitted, tapering from broad shoulders down to narrow hips. Maybe “harmless” was overstating it.

“I’m not leaving until morning, so if you need anything tonight, call me.”

Kate laughed. “Not the words most fathers say to their daughters on their wedding night.”

“This isn’t most wedding nights.”

Kate sobered. No, it wasn’t. She didn’t know how she was going to survive the honeymoon at the White Elephant, much less the next year.

“If anyone can do this, you can.” Her father squeezed her hand in a rare gesture of affection. Behind him, the vocalists belted out the chorus, the lead singer’s face reddened from the strain.

“Thanks, Dad.”

They danced quietly for a few moments before her dad broke the silence. “I know your mom and I had our disagreements, but I wish she could be here tonight.”

Kate didn’t want to think about her mom, tonight of all nights. “You’re here. That’s all that matters.” They took one last turn as the band wound down the song and the crowd applauded.

Lucas approached as her dad stepped away. “May I cut in, sir?”

Kate knew he’d scored brownie points for the honorific title. Her dad smiled cordially, but the look in his eyes warned that the points wouldn’t carry far.

The band struck up the song she’d selected for the bride and groom’s “first dance,” and her heart stuttered. “When a Man Loves a Woman” had been their song. It had played on the radio the first time Bryan kissed her. A constricting knot lodged in her throat as Lucas’s hands came to her waist. She felt his eyes on her, and she worked to steady her smile. There were people watching. Always people watching. She had to hold it together.

As if sensing her need to hide, he pulled her close. She laid her cheek against his chest, away from all the faces. Above the swelling music and chatter, she could hear the waves swooshing the shoreline with rhythmic certainty. The consistency of the sound soothed her.

“It’s gonna be okay, Kate,” Lucas’s voice rumbled next to her ear. “You’ll see.”

Her eyes burned, threatening to spill, and she blinked. Breathe, just breathe. She needed to think about something else, anything else, but the thoughts wouldn’t budge: “I’m in love with someone else.” Were harsher words ever spoken?

“I’m glad we have a minute alone,” Lucas said. “Because I have a question for you.”

She swallowed. “What’s that?”

“Are we going on a honeymoon?”