She grabbed him and kissed him hard.

They stayed like that for a while, as their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces, their whispers of “I love you” a constant refrain.

Finally, Theo looked up.

“I think we owe a certain someone a thank-you.” He turned to the door. “Alexa!”

The closet door shot open.

Alexa stood there with a huge grin on her face and two champagne glasses in her hands.

“NOW we can get this party started.”

Chapter Twenty-three

THE REST OF THE DAY UNTIL THEY LEFT TO GO TO THE WEDDING PASSED by in a blur for Theo. There was a lot of champagne, many, many snacks, constant hand-holding with Maddie, and an overwhelming amount of laughter.

“Okay, it’s time to get her into the dress!” Olivia said, once the other three of them were all dressed and Alexa’s parents had arrived at the house. She turned to Maddie and Theo after Alexa’s mom rushed into the bedroom. “You two probably don’t even remember what the dress looks like, after all of your secret texting while we were shopping.”

Theo opened his mouth to object, until he realized that no, he did not remember what the dress looked like.

“I remember it looked great on her?” he said. Maddie laughed and kissed him.

Alexa’s dad drove Alexa, her mom, and Olivia up to the Rose Garden, so Theo drove himself and Maddie.

He smiled reminiscently on the way to the wedding as he thought about the hour Alexa had napped and he and Maddie had disappeared back to their closet. Maddie swatted him on the knee.

“I can tell what you’re thinking about, and you need to stop! We can’t do that again for hours. Like, seven or eight, probably.”

He looked over at her and grinned.

“Okay, but after that, we need to make up for lost time.”

She grinned back.

“Agreed.”

When he pulled into a parking spot, neither of them got out of the car right away. He lifted their intertwined hands and kissed hers.

“I’m so happy.” Had that morning really happened? “I love you so much. I missed you so damn much.”

She beamed at him. He couldn’t believe that that look on her face was for him. But it was.

“I’m so happy, too,” she said. “I think I’m going to have to give Alexa that KitchenAid mixer she registered for, just to thank her for this.”

The day before, he’d been horrified that he’d have to stand next to Maddie throughout the ceremony. Now he was overjoyed. He spent the whole time watching her face. His thoughts were so intent on Maddie he was surprised when they pronounced Drew and Alexa husband and wife.

They’d practiced the processional, with first Alexa and Drew, and then Olivia and Carlos, and then Maddie and Dan, with him and Josh pulling up the rear. But there was no way he wasn’t walking out of this wedding with Maddie on his arm. As they started to follow the bride and groom down the aisle, he tucked Maddie’s arm in his, and winked at Dan, who grinned at him and stepped back. Ahh, he saw the news had spread to the groom’s side of the wedding party.

Before the photos started, Maddie beckoned him over to the entrance of the Rose Garden, toward a woman who looked a lot like a twenty-year-older version of Maddie.

“Theo, I’d like you to meet my mom, Vivian Forest. Mom, this is Theo Stephens. You’ve, um, heard a lot about each other.”

Maddie’s mom had a huge smile on her face.

“Theo, it’s so nice to finally meet you.” She took his hand in both of hers. “I know you all have a million things to do today, but I look forward to getting to know you better.”

He put his other hand over the top of theirs.

“So do I, Ms. Forest.”

She shook her head.

“Vivian.” She winked at him. “Now, I’m ready for some champagne. See you two over at the reception.”

The photos were endless, but thankfully the photographer seemed very happy for Theo’s hand to be in Maddie’s the entire time. Alexa had a smug smile on her face whenever she looked at them, which . . . okay, fine, he would give that to her.

Olivia jumped in his car for a ride over to the reception and proceeded to tease them the entire ten-minute drive.

“Lex had already told me she knew something was up between the two of you, but I could not believe how bold you were at the bridal salon. You just sat there texting each other, with me just feet away. Did you somehow think you were getting away with that?”

He and Maddie looked at each other.

“We really did think that,” he said. “But don’t ask me to explain why. In retrospect, it makes no sense.”

“My mom knew, too, even though I didn’t tell her,” Maddie said.

They had really thought they were so slick, and yet everyone around them had known. Hell, the mayor had probably even known!

“Ah, that explains why your mom and Alexa had matching Cheshire cat grins today.”

He and Maddie smiled at each other.

At the end of the many toasts at the reception, he looked over at Maddie. Tears ran down her face. He leaned over and kissed her.

“I’m so lucky,” he said.

She picked up her napkin and dabbed at her eyes.

“We both are.”

Alexa poked Maddie in the shoulder.

“Hey, lovebirds. This is great and all, but I need you to help me bustle this dress so we can get the first dance over with.”

After Maddie and Alexa disappeared to the bathroom, Nik grinned across the table at Theo.

“Looks like someone talked about their feelings, hmm?”

Theo laughed.

“It was as terrible as I thought it would be, but then . . . sometimes good things happen after you do it.”

She smiled at Carlos, who put his arm around her.

“Hard agree,” she said.

When Alexa came back to the table, with Maddie trailing behind her, she winked at him. He opened his mouth to ask her what she needed, but she held her finger up in front of her lips. Oh no, what was she going to do next?

Alexa picked up her bouquet and turned around to Maddie.

“Oh, hey, Mads, can you hold this for me?” She tossed it right at Maddie’s chest. Maddie caught it, and then burst out laughing.

“You are the worst.”

Alexa grinned.

“You mean I’m the best. Come on, Drew. It’s time to dance.”

Once the official first dances were over, the party really started. Someone—he knew it was Maddie—got the DJ to play NSYNC, and managed to convince Theo to show off his moonwalk, to much cheering. They all danced, and cried a little, to Prince. And then when “Crazy in Love” came on, he grabbed Maddie’s hand and twirled her on the dance floor, next to Alexa and Drew, and Nik and Carlos.

When everyone around them shouted the words to the song, he leaned forward and whispered in Maddie’s ear.

“Tomorrow, can we sit on the couch in our pajamas for the entire day?”

She beamed at him.

“Absolutely.”