As we walked onto the wood platform, everyone made way for us to get to the middle, and all eyes were on us. Being the center of attention in this town no longer made me twitchy. In fact, every single set of eyes I spotted belonged to someone I felt comfortable with. Faye and Simon were there as well as all of the North guys and their wives. My parents were swaying together near the DJ’s stand. Presley was dancing yet another song—she’d had no shortage of dance partners tonight—this time with Levi Dawson. A half-dozen other couples swayed to the slow beat, most of them grinning at us as if we were going to bust out in some awesome moves, but they’d be waiting multiple decades for that to happen.

Holden pulled me flush up against him, and like always, my whole body reacted. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his wound around my waist, and our lips met in a kiss. I kept it short, because I actually didn’t want to draw attention to us at the moment. A private moment would’ve been better, but the party for our marriage just seemed like the appropriate place...

“I have the hottest dance partner here,” he said so only I could hear.

I smiled. “No, I do.”

He glanced around. “I’d cop to hottest of the males.”

I laughed, even though I agreed with him completely. “If I told you a secret right now, could you avoid reacting to it, so no one else would notice?”

“A secret, huh? I might be able to.”

I looked at the couples nearby. Loretta was dancing with Marty Grimstead not far away.

Shrugging, acting nonchalant, I said, “It’s okay. It can wait if you’re not up for it.”

“I can avoid reacting,” he said quickly, as I’d known he would. He was little-boy impatient about surprises, so naturally I loved to drag them out.

I let several lines of the song pass before I said anything.

“Chlo, you’re being cruel. Don’t make me tickle it out of you.”

That was one threat I’d respond to every time, because I hated being tickled.

“Okay, okay.” I made a show of glancing at the people around us again, then stood on my toes and said directly in his ear, “I told Presley she could move in with us.”

I watched him closely for an obvious reaction. His steps slowed slightly, but only for about two beats, and then he caught himself. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Narrowed his eyes and peered into mine. “Into our house?” His brows dipped.

I pressed my lips together and nodded.

“I didn’t know she needed a place to live,” he said, looking as if he could be discussing the weather with me.