“I think they’re hot for each other. One look at them and you can see that.”
Tara worried her bottom lip. “On the one hand, I’m happy for him. I like Sonja. She’s smart and levelheaded and I think she’ll keep him on his toes.”
“On the other hand, you don’t want him to get hurt. Or lose his focus,” Liz said.
Tara nodded.
“You do realize you can’t protect him against everything.” Jenna grasped Tara’s hand. “He’s going to grow up. He’ll get hurt.”
“I know. I’m not one of those clingy mothers who wants to hold on to her babies forever. He has to get out there and make his own way in the world.”
“That’s a good outlook,” Jenna said. “But still, you want what’s best for him.”
“They do look good together, don’t they?” Liz asked. “And maybe she’s what’s best for him right now. She seems to have all the right priorities.”
“I hope so.” Tara watched her son on the dance floor.
Liz turned to Tara. “I had a nice conversation with Sonja at your house. It seemed to me she had her head on straight. I think she really likes Nathan, but she’s putting school first.”
Tara took a deep breath. “That’s what Nathan’s told me. But you know how those hormones are.”
“They won’t screw it up, Tara. I know they won’t.”
Tara nodded at Liz. “I hope you’re right about that. And in the end, he’s an adult now. He has to make his choices—and live with them, right?”
Liz laughed. “So true. Just like we all did when we were that age.”
“Lord, don’t remind me,” Tara said. “Hopefully he’s listened to Mick and to me, and he won’t repeat our mistakes.”
“He’s fine, Tara. He’s awesome, in fact. Now let him get out there and become the amazing adult you know he’s going to become,” Jenna said with a big smile.
Tara’s eyes brimmed with tears. “What would I do without you two?”
“You’d be lost, woman,” Liz said. “Totally lost.”
Tara laughed, then hugged them both.
The night passed in a whirlwind of photos and dancing and a lot of crowds. At least Liz’s nausea had gone away, seemingly for good. She danced with her father-in-law and her brothers-in-law, as well as several of Ty’s teammates. Her feet were sore, she was tired and sweating, and oh, dear God, if she didn’t get out of this dress soon, she was certain it was going to compress some internal organs. She headed over to the table just to take a breather and sip from her glass of water.
This damn dress had fit only two weeks ago during the final fitting. She had to cut down on eating and maybe get a little more exercise.
Damn holidays. And dinners at her mother-in-law’s house. She was enjoying delving into the pasta a little too much lately, and now she was paying the price.
She wanted to sit down and ease her shoes off under the table, and maybe just close her eyes for a second.
She wondered where Gavin was, but she couldn’t find him through the sea of bodies on the dance floor. He was probably somewhere with the guys, no doubt talking sports.
They hadn’t had sex today. They needed to have sex. If they had any chance at all of making a baby, it was important they keep up the daily sex routine. And yes, she was well aware she didn’t ovulate thirty days out of the month, but her cycle was screwed up lately, and the best time to have sex was . . . all the time.
She smiled at the thought. Nothing wrong with practicing, was there? They’d certainly done plenty of that, and she had no complaints. She knew Gavin didn’t.
Just the thought of touching him, kissing him, had her br**sts swelling against her oh-my-God-this-dress-is-too-tight bodice.
Now all she had to do was find Gavin, and make a subtle suggestion . . .
***
Gavin was gathered with the guys at the bar, knocking back another beer and listening to Cole and Mick talk about the games tomorrow. He was stuck in the middle of them grousing about linemen not covering plays and upcoming contract negotiations. But his gaze was on his wife, who leaned against the table and sipped water while she watched the dance floor.
Liz looked tired. He should take her upstairs. He knew she’d object, that she was determined to stay until every guest had left the ballroom. Though he didn’t know why. This party could go on for a while.
He pushed off the bar and headed toward her, circumventing the dance floor and coming around the back of the tables. She hadn’t seen him, though she was looking for him, her neck stretching as she lifted up on her toes to scan the room, which gave him a great view of her fantastic legs. She caught sight of him as he came up on her left and gave him a half smile.
“There you are. Were you at the bar?”
He laid his beer on the table and tugged her close. “I was. Listening to Mick and Cole talk football.”
She rested her palm on his chest. “How . . . riveting.”
“You can’t imagine. How are you feeling?”
“Perfect. And you?”
“Restless. Want to dance?”
She shook her head. “I was actually thinking we could go someplace”—she looked around—“I was going to say private, but I don’t think there’s anyplace secluded in this ballroom.”
“Doesn’t look like it. Grab your purse and come with me.” He took her hand and led her out of the ballroom and toward the elevators. They rode up to their floor.
“It’s a little early to leave for the night.”
He gave her a smile. “Just a short break.”
He inserted the key and opened the door to their suite. Liz laid her bag on the table, went to the sofa, and sat. Gavin went to the bar and pulled out a bottle of sparkling water.
“You read my mind.”
He opened the bottle and poured it into a glass he’d filled with ice and brought it over to her, kneeling in front of her as he handed her the glass.
“This looks promising,” she said as she accepted the glass and took a sip.
Gavin lifted her foot and slipped off her shoes. “Again, I don’t know why you torture yourself by wearing these heels.”
Liz resisted the urge to groan. It felt so good to have those things off. “It was part of the uniform. All the women wore them today.”