Her Gentle Giant, Part 2: Remember to Dance (31 page)

Rachel had a chance to look around and notice all the hard work the girls had put into the decorations. The wind blew softly through the fir trees that surrounded their group, filling the air with their woodsy fragrance. The tables were decorated with candles, which gave the outdoor setting an intimate feeling. Rachel noticed that strands of twinkling white lights which had been strung from the rafters were being illuminated little by little.

Each round table was spread with a royal blue tablecloth. In the center of each table was a tall ivory pillar candle within a hurricane globe so they wouldn’t blow out at the first breeze that blew past. Each globe was centered inside an evergreen wreath, votive candles arranged randomly around the wreaths.

She didn’t know how she had missed it, but brilliant red poinsettias were grouped at the entrance to the pavilion. The bridal party’s table was a long rectangle, spread with a white tablecloth and holding more tall pillars under hurricane globes. Evergreen boughs lined the outside edge of the table. Plates were prepared by the caterer and served at the bridal party’s table, and as they ate, all the guests were served.

Rachel noticed Ben and Quentin, Mike and Rogelio, and several others from the bar and leaned forward to Ethan. When she caught his eye, she said, “Who’s at the bar?”

Ethan grinned and replied, “Nobody. They are all
here
. The employees
and
the customers. Ben and I figured with so many invited and planning to attend that we could close the club for the evening. We left a sign saying we were sorry that the club was closed for a family wedding.”

Her lips trembled as she pressed them together for a second before saying, “Thank you, Ethan. That was sweet of you.”

“You’re welcome, Rachel. You’re special to us, remember?”

She nodded, a little choked up as he patted her hand. She took a deep breath and relaxed, slid her chair closer to Eli’s, then said, “Enough of this formal stuff, already.”

Rising from her chair, Rachel sat in Eli’s lap amidst snickers and chuckles from the guests and wedding party, and they fed each other from their plates. Things loosened up a little then.

After they ate, Rachel and Eli were kept occupied for a while being introduced to family members, cousins, aunt, and uncles.

Eli had been excited to find out that his grandparents on his father’s side were in attendance. Rachel was thrilled when Eli introduced them to her and hoped for an opportunity to hear some of the stories these two could tell about Eli.

The DJ from the club had his equipment set up on the other side of the pavilion. The Christmas trees were moved back to line the perimeter and more Christmas lights were turned on, adding more sparkle to the pavilion of lights. Carrie and Raquel shot pictures as Rachel and Eli cut the cake.

Rachel lifted his bite of cake to his lips and grinned devilishly as she slid her fingers into his mouth, her heart flip-flopping when he licked and sucked the icing from her fingers.

The crowd whistled and clapped for Rachel to take a bite. She opened her mouth when he swiped cake and icing with his index finger from the plate and slid it between her lips. Rachel caught his hand, their rings twinkling in the lights, and sucked his finger completely clean. She ignored the outrageous catcalls, whistles, and applause as she flicked the tip of his finger with her tongue before releasing him. At the guests’ urging, they shared a kiss at the cake table. Camera flashes went off all around them like a short-lived strobe. Grace turned the cakes over to the caterer to cut and deliver to the guests.

“Mrs. Wolf, I do believe it’s time for our dance,” Eli said. A thrill rushed through her at his softly spoken words.

The crowd moved to the tables as the DJ announced the first dance and introduced them as Mr. and Mrs. Eli Wolf to applause from the guests. Grace had asked her to put together a list of any songs she wanted played at the reception and asked Eli for a similar list. Grace had told Rachel that Eli picked the instrumental music for the processional and had asked that the actual song be played for their first dance.

She recognized the instrumental guitar music from her processional when the song began again, and the vocals jogged her memory. It was “Just Look at You” by Jimmy Wayne. Eli gently pulled her into a close embrace, and all she could see was his handsome face. Her hand rested on his chest as they moved to the music like they had been dancing together all their lives. He looked so handsome in his black tuxedo, vest, and black tie. She slid her hand up to cup his tanned cheek and he leaned down to kiss her tenderly.

“My husband,” she murmured softly.

“My wife,” he replied, kissing her deeper this time.   

Chapter Fifty-two

They came up for air when Eli felt a tap on his shoulder. He drew back from kissing Rachel to find his father-in-law standing behind him, waiting for his dance with his daughter. Heartland’s “I Loved Her First” was already playing, and he apologetically released Rachel into her father’s arms and went to Renata and asked her to dance with him, which she did happily.

“Welcome to our family, Eli.” Rachel’s mom glided expertly with him over the dance floor.

Smiling, he said, “Thank you, Renata. Now I know where Rachel gets her natural grace and dancing skills from.”

Blushing, his mother-in-law thanked him. “You are such a sweet talker, Eli. You make Rachel very happy. We’re glad she found such a good man. Peter has always thought highly of you, and I have, too. I’ll never forget the first time I met you. Do you remember?”

“The hospital.” He nodded thoughtfully. He wondered what she must have thought of him. A train wreck.

“Yes. I remember you called us regularly while we were on the road coming home, giving us regular updates about her condition. You met us at the main entrance of the hospital and took us to her instead of waiting for us to come find you. And you never, ever left her side while her condition was so serious. Every mother wants a man for her daughter that loves that deep and knows how to show respect. The love you felt for her was in your exhausted eyes. I was ready to claim you as a son-in-law then.”

He felt his cheeks warm a little at her words. “I had already ordered her ring by that time, hoping she would say yes to me when the time was right.”

“And here we are,” she said as he spun her, the song coming to an end.

Renata hugged him, and he kissed her cheek and walked her to her husband, who was holding a weeping Rachel. Peter looked up at him apologetically as he returned her to Eli. For now, nobody else had noticed, and he hoped to keep it that way. He gathered her to him and kept dancing, knowing stopping would draw every eye to them. Peter and Renata nodded approvingly as he held her and spoke softly.

“What is it, angel?”

“It’s Daddy. You won’t believe it. I’m not sure I do. He told me he saved money all these years for my wedding, which I already knew, but he didn’t tell me he invested it. It’s been a
really good
investment. What Grace spent on the wedding and reception didn’t even scratch the surface on the little bit he pulled out to pay for all this. There’s enough to
buy
our ranch, Eli. Or we can put it all in savings and investments and let it keep growing. Eli,
I had no idea.
He said it was just a lucky break that paid off for the family. He said that was why he taught me to always save my money and handle it wisely, so I’d be able to handle this money after I got married.”

“There’s enough to pay for the house?”

She whispered the amount, “Two hundred thousand dollars.”  

Holy cow
.

“I wasn’t sure what to say for a minute.”

“How do you feel about your dad buying your house for you? Be honest, angel.”

“He raised me to take care of myself, and I’ve trusted you to put a roof over my head, Eli.”

“I can pay for the house you live in, angel. Why don’t we wait and talk about it while we’re gone and get your dad’s advice later. It sounds like he has some experience with investments and money management. I suppose it’s just the pride thing for me.”

“Yeah, me, too, but I understand what you’re saying. We’ll figure it all out. It sure does give us some options, though,” she said, her beautiful face radiant despite her tears.

“True. I’m so glad those were happy tears you were crying.”

“I’ll say.” She dabbed gently beneath her eyes with her hanky. “Now, I want to celebrate with you. You know how much I love you, right?”

“Yes, I do, Mrs. Wolf.”

“That sounds wonderful.” She sighed shakily. “Say it again,” she said with a watery giggle.

“Mrs. Wolf, Mrs. Wolf, Mrs. Wolf. My wife, my woman.”

“My fantasy come true.” She blushed as he slid his hand down her back to just barely above the upper swell of her ass.

“Mine,” he growled.

“Mine,” she growled softly back.

* * * *

They were joined by others on the dance floor as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill sang “It’s Your Love.” Rachel was as light as a feather and positively euphoric when Eli pulled her to the center of the dance floor as the song ended. She thought he wanted to dance with her again but noticed Grace and Ethan putting two chairs in the middle where all could see. The guests speculated quietly, wondering what was going to happen.

“Eli, we already talked about this,” she said, making a giggling assumption. “No
garter groping
!”

He turned to her and chuckled. “Oh, there
will be
garter groping, but only when we’re alone tonight. Then I plan on groping
all
the interesting articles of clothing you have on under this pretty dress, and not just your garters, Mrs. Wolf. This has nothing to do with me sliding my hand up your leg, though I
do like
the way you think.” He laughed. “I have a little surprise for you, angel.”

“A surprise?” she asked, conscious of the guests pulling their chairs to the edge of the dance floor.

He seated her in one of the chairs and handed her the glass of wine Grace brought to him, placing his glass by his chair. Grace brought another chair, and the DJ turned down the music. Rachel turned and looked behind her when she heard movement. It was Ethan approaching with two guitars. She turned and looked at Eli and smiled up at him as he winked at her. She got comfortable in her chair and took a sip of her wine. Ethan handed Eli his guitar, and they both took a seat before her, Eli directly in front of her and Ethan at his side. They checked tune quickly, and Grace spoke from the DJ’s table.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you may or may not know it, but we have some real musical talent in our midst. Eli wanted to do something special for Rachel tonight, and he and Ethan have been working on this for weeks. We hope you enjoy it.”

They began to play their guitars in a slow, sweet rhythm that she recognized instantly. “She’s Got a Way With Me” by Billy Currington. They must have been practicing on the sly, very faithfully because they were smooth and in synchronization with each other.

She had no idea he could sing.
None
.

It’s a gentle touch, but more than enough.

She can stop this ol’ world from spinning too much.

It’s a natural thing, and I do believe

I’ve found my reason to be.

* * * *

Eli sang the chorus, gazing into her expressive, brimming blue eyes. The words flowed from the depths of his heart. Ethan’s background vocals were dead-on and made the song even better. He was so glad he’d discovered that Ethan had some serious skills. It was obvious Rachel loved this.

I’m not the same man, since she’s been around.

There’s more to this life, I’ve suddenly found.

I look at myself now so differently.

It’s her love that brings me peace.

* * * *

Rachel felt tears slide down her cheeks as she listened. From the first note to the last, this was not a nervous, uncomfortably performed declaration of love. This was a well-rehearsed, polished, and professional performance. They played together like they had for years, and they could
both
sing. Ethan provided back-up vocals for Eli as he sang the song to her. Eli’s voice was like a rich, luxurious caress, making love to her senses. When they were done, the guests clapped and cheered wildly for them.

Eli smiled at her, and so did Ethan as he rose from his chair and took Eli’s guitar from him. Eli held out his hand to Rachel as Ethan, and Justin returned with filled wine glasses. Both men raised their glasses and toasted Eli and Rachel then Grace and Kelly joined them and offered toasts as well.

Rachel was still flabbergasted but took a minute to profusely thank Grace and Kelly for their hard work, grabbing Charity and thanking her, too. The girls giggled when Eli picked her up and bodily carried her back to the dance floor in mid-sentence.

She looked up at him and said, “Eli, I had
no
idea you could sing like that.”

“There have been so many times when I’ve wanted to sing to you, especially as you fell asleep. Both Ethan and I were given classical guitar lessons when we were growing up. One night at the bar, we were talking and we discovered that we both could play and sing.”

“Your voice,” she murmured happily, “your voice
makes love
to my ears.”

“Wow! That good, huh?”

“I want to throw myself at you shamelessly right now.”

“Well, it’s interesting that you mention that because Grace is about to dim the lights for Ethan so they can dance, and I’ve requested two or three songs for just…that…reason,
if
you’re feelin’ me?” He growled quietly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Pressing her body to his, Rachel felt the growing hardness at his groin. “Oh, I’m feelin’ you all right.” The lights dimmed, and she smiled up at him softly as the first bars of “Let’s Make Love” by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw began to play, and a soft sigh left her lips.

Grace had already joined Ethan on the dance floor, speaking softly to him. They began to dance, and he tilted his head down and pressed his lips to her ear. Her eyes shut in bliss, and she turned her face into his shoulder.

Rachel smiled up at Eli. He kissed her, and she tilted her head into his shoulder, his long, coal-black hair shielding her face from view as he whispered in her ear. And his voice really
did
make love to her.