𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐫 | 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢

Just Dance

"Where are the twins?!"

At some point during the drink distraction, the twins managed to slip away from the crowd. I frantically scanned the room for any sign of them.

"Don't worry, Toni. I'm sure they're around here somewhere." Jason offered but I ignored him as I hurried to hunt them down.

Eventually, I tracked them down in the hotel kitchen. "What're you two doing in here? You had me worried sick."

They froze. "Sorry, Toni."

I took a deep breath to calm down and noticed the balloons tied up behind them. "Dare I ask?"

They grinned. "We want to see how much icing flies onto Veronica when she cuts into our prank balloon cake!"

I tried to maintain a stern expression as I pictured it, but the mental image was too much. I lowered my head to mask my laughter. "Guys. This is Veronica's engagement party. There are a ton of people here, and it's an important event for both her and your mom."

Casey frowned. "We thought you hated her too!"

"And, you're always telling us to express how we feel." Chelsea added.

"With your words, Chels. Not with a prank." I knelt at their height and lowered my voice. "Sometimes you have to put aside your feelings for someone else's. Besides, this isn't about liking Veronica or not. It's about controlling yourselves in public and respecting your mom. You know how upset she'd be if she knew what you were planning right now."

"But--"

"No buts. If you can't understand that, then I'll have to take you home right now." I said sternly.

"What did they do now?"

A voice growled and I turned to find Cheryl standing in the doorway.

"Cheryl!"

She chuckled despite the situation. "Sorry to keep sneaking up on you. And I'm sorry I let the twins get away from me like that. If there's one place they shouldn't be running loose, it's here."

"But Mom, we were just-"

The twins tried but Cheryl cut them off. "I don't want to know. I have a feeling I'm going to need plausible deniability later."

She rubbed her forehead. "Let's get Marcus to take you guys home."

Chelsea approached me with a pouted lip. "Toni, are you still mad at us?"

I brushed the hair from her eyes with a soft smile. "It's impossible to stay mad at you. Your mom and I just need a night off from pranks. We love your creativity, but this isn't the right time or place for a prank."

The twins nodded.

"Come here." I wrapped them both in a tight hug and they leaned into me.

I looked at Cheryl and smiled but she had a contemplative expression on her face. Unsure what that meant, I turned back to Chelsea and Casey. "It was fun while it lasted. Wasn't it, guys? Cheryl, I'll take them home right away so you can enjoy the rest of your night."

Cheryl shook her head. "No. Stay. You prevented the prank and it's a beautiful night. You deserve to stay. I'll call Marcus to come get the twins. You should go enjoy the party."

I gave her a small nod and said goodnight to the twins before heading back out to the ballroom.

Party guests wandered around aimlessly as I found Jason in the crowd. Nearby, Veronica seemed to be in an argument on her cell phone.

"What's going on out here?" I asked the ginger-haired man.

He rolled his eyes. "A travesty! All our hard work down the drain because the couple of honour couldn't get it together. Speaking of."