Rex laughed. “Oh, he might have mentioned you once or twice.” He cracked a crooked smile at Dane. “Pleasure to meet you, Lacy. No wonder Dane was so distracted during the ceremony. Well”—he let out a dramatic sigh—“you two kids have fun. If you’ll excuse me, I need to find my girlfriend.”
“Bastard,” Dane whispered as Rex passed with a sly grin and gave Dane a playful shove. The room emptied quickly as the guests moved toward the reception hall. Dane turned his attention back to Lacy.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” Lacy smiled. “Your brother seems nice.”
“Yeah, he is,” Dane said. The image of Lacy wearing the tiny bikini she’d worn in Nassau came rushing back to him. He swallowed hard to repress the memory before it could excite him the way it had over recent nights, when he knew he’d be seeing her again.
“Save me a dance?” The anticipation of seeing Lacy had been mounting for weeks, but he hadn’t expected his nerves to be strewn so tight, or the desire to kiss her to be so strong. He stood so close to her that all it would take was the slightest dip of his head to settle his lips over hers, to tangle his hands in her hair and pull her against him.
“Sure,” she answered, and he’d almost forgotten that he’d asked her a question.
“Dane.”
His father’s deep voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Hal Braden took a couple steps toward them. He stood a few inches taller than Dane. His skin was a deep bronze, rivaling Dane’s rich tan. Fine lines snaked out from his father’s eyes and mouth, and a deep vee hunkered between his thick brows. “Excuse me. I’m sorry for interrupting.” He held his hand out to Lacy. “Hal Braden, Dane’s father.”
Lacy shook his hand. “I’m Lacy.”
“Dad, this is Lacy Snow.” Dane watched his father’s dark eyes change from serious to warm.
“Lacy Snow. Related to Blake’s wife, Danica?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m her half…her youngest sister.” She flushed again.
Dane had an urge to put his arm around her and comfort the nerves he heard in her voice.
Hal nodded. “Well, any sister of Danica’s is a friend of ours. It’s a pleasure to meet you. They’re taking pictures, Dane. Don’t be too long.”
“I’ll be right in, Dad,” Dane said. He watched his father walk away and felt pride swell in his heart. He’d always had a good relationship with his father, and now, in his midthirties, he found himself seeing his father in a different way. Dane’s mother had passed away when he was only nine years old, and his father had raised him, his four brothers, and their sister. And to this day, when he spoke of their mother, the love he exuded hadn’t dimmed. Dane hadn’t thought of marriage very often, but lately he wondered—no, he hoped—that one day he’d find whatever it was that his parents had found together. He wanted to experience that love.
“You’d better go in,” Lacy said. She blinked her long lashes several times and fidgeted with her hands.
She’s so cute when she’s nervous. Dane wondered if she could tell that he was just as nervous as she was. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her side, but the sooner he got those pictures over with, the sooner he could be with her again. “Yeah. I’d better. Remember our dance, okay?”
“I look forward to it.”
To continue reading, please buy
THE ART OF LOVING LACY
More Books By Addison Cole
Sweet with Heat Big-Family Romance Collection
Sweet with Heat: Weston Bradens
A Love So Sweet
Our Sweet Destiny
Unraveling the Truth About Love
The Art of Loving Lacy
Promise of a New Beginning
And Then There Was Us
Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers
Read, Write, Love at Seaside
Dreaming at Seaside
Hearts at Seaside
Secrets at Seaside
Nights at Seaside
Embraced at Seaside
Seized by Love at Seaside
Lovers at Seaside
Whispers at Seaside
Sweet with Heat: Bayside Summers
(Includes future publications)
Sweet Love at Bayside
Sweet Passions at Bayside
Sweet Heat at Bayside
Sweet Escape at Bayside
Stand Alone Women’s Fiction Novels
by Melissa Foster (Addison Cole’s steamy alter ego)
Chasing Amanda (mystery/suspense)
Come Back to Me (mystery/suspense)
Have No Shame (historical fiction/romance)
Megan’s Way (literary fiction)
Traces of Kara (psychological thriller)
Where Petals Fall (suspense)
Acknowledgments
As always, there are communities of people whom I’d like to thank for helping me during my writing journey. A huge thank-you to my readers, who have emailed and sent me messages on social media sites, asking me to write faster and to bring you the Braden siblings’ stories faster. You inspire me on a daily basis, and I appreciate each and every one of you. Please keep the letters coming. I do write faster when I know you’re waiting.
I must extend an extra virtual hug to Bonnie Trachtenberg and Kristen Weber, who fielded all of my questions regarding New York and the surrounding area. You have the patience of saints, and I appreciate your time and energy.
A hearty thank-you to the community of bloggers, readers, authors, and friends who support me and cheer me on through social media and email. Thank you for believing in me. Gratitude and hugs to my girlfriends Kathie, Stacy, Amy, Tasha, Marlene, Juliette, and, of course, my mother. Thank you for being there in good times and bad.
My characters would be peaking when they should be peeking and doing other things that would make no sense at all if it weren’t for my editorial team. These women deserve buckets of chocolate: Kristen Weber, Penina Lopez, Lynn Mullan, Juliette Hill, Elaini Caruso, Marlene Engel, and Justinn Harrison.
To Les and my youngest boys, thanks for being my biggest fans and most patient supporters. I love you.
www.AddisonCole.com
Addison Cole is the sweet-romance pen name of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She enjoys writing humorous, and deeply emotional, contemporary romance without explicit sex scenes or harsh language. Addison spends her summers on Cape Cod, where she dreams up wonderful love stories in her house overlooking Cape Cod Bay.
Visit Addison on her website or chat with her on social media. Addison enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event.
Addison’s books are available in paperback, digital, and audio formats.