Whatever It Takes

Trouble

I giggled as Eddie hoisted me onto the counter in the bridal suite, my cheeks getting hot when he buried his face in my neck. 

"You looked so pretty during the ceremony," he whispered, his hands roaming over my body. He came back to my lips and kissed me hard. When he pulled back, I laced my hands in his hair, scratching his scalp. He hummed happily.

"You looked very handsome," I complimented back. He beamed at me and kissed me again. I couldn't believe how much I liked Eddie Munson. I could have been doing this for ten years?

I felt my stomach drop when I had that thought – I guess my feelings for him had gotten deeper over the last couple of weeks. He went back to nipping at my neck, making my head dizzy.

"I didn't realize how fun weddings could be," he murmured, making me smile. I pulled him back to my lips, brushing my nose against his.

"I've heard receptions are just as fun," I teased. He shrugged before ghosting my lips.

"I'm having plenty of fun here," he quipped before kissing me again. I kissed him back hard before hopping off the counter. He pouted, making a ridiculous face, and I laughed.

"Come on, handsome," I ordered, pulling him along. He let out a petulant sound, and I wrapped his arms around me. "We've got to go dance!"

He shook his head, pulling me tight and setting one of his hands around the back of my neck. I held my breath as he kissed me deeply, making my knees buckle and face hot. He refused to move his lips from mine, guiding me towards a wall and gently pressing me against it. I couldn't focus as he moved down my neck, pressing his body against mine.

"W-what happened t-to wanting to d-dance?" I gasped, trying to focus.

He sighed into my neck, burying his face and refusing to come up from it. I almost had whiplash from how quickly his fervor died down. I kissed the side of his face, trying to coax him out.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I asked. He groaned into my neck and came back to my face.

"I love it when you call me that," he sighed, almost disappointed.

I grinned, bemused by how ridiculous he sounded. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine. He kissed me softly, so softly could have melted into a puddle right then. I looked up at him, smiling nervously.

"What's wrong? A couple hours ago you were over the moon about dancing with me," I said anxiously. He let out a deep breath.

"I do really want to dance with you," he started. He kissed my cheek quickly. "I'm just worried to go out there with everyone."

I furrowed my brows, confused by his sudden concerns. He watched me for a beat, trying to glean something.

"Um, so, earlier, w-when I came to get the rings, uh..." he trailed off, looking down at his feet. I furrowed my brows and tugged at his tie. I smiled when he looked up at me.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to hide my panic.

"Earlier, when I came to get the rings, Dustin followed me," he finally said. My stomach finally dropped.

"Did he—"

"Yes, he saw," Eddie answered before I could ask. I felt like my stomach was falling out of me and my face drained of color. Eddie held onto me, knowing I was freaking out, and trying to calm my breathing. "He's okay—"

"Oh, my god, he was so mad, wasn't he? He probably was so angry," I started, panicking at the thought of my baby brother catching me and Eddie. "We were so careful, too!"

"Dovey, sweetheart, take a breath," Eddie cooed, pulling me closer to him. He cradled my face in his hands, his eyes kind and sweet. "He was mad—"

"Oh, my god," I cried, my eyes welling with tears. He shook his head.

"Bird, let me finish, okay?" he continued, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs. "He was mad. But I calmed him down a bit – he probably will still be weirded out, but he's not as mad as he was when he caught us, okay?"

I looked at him in the eyes, still panicking as he held me. He smiled kindly.

"I'm not saying everything with him is perfect, but it's not nearly as bad as you are picturing in your head, okay?" he assured me. I took in a shuddering breath, and he looked nervous. "Dovey, I promise, I wouldn't do anything to get between you or Dustin."

I smiled and set my hand over his, squeezing it.

"I know you wouldn't," I said, feeling a bit better as he stepped closer to me. I shook my head. "Dustin just gets irrational and angry."

"I know – he made it very clear that you are his favorite person in the world," Eddie replied, wrapping one of his hands around the small of my back. "I am not to do anything to hurt or upset you."

I smiled, feeling a little better. Eddie kissed my forehead sweetly, and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in for a tight hug. I set my face in his neck as he pulled me close to him. I was still worried and anxious about Dustin, but I realized that a much larger part of me than I expected wanted to make sure that nothing derailed what me and Eddie had between us. This part was the same part of me that would overthink this and overthink why I liked Eddie. Different sides of the same irrational coin, I suppose.

"But...I didn't...I don't want to go back to the reception because..." he started, looking down at our hands that were now intertwined. He pursed his lips and frowned. "It's been really nice in our bubble. I've liked you for such a long time, I really don't want to mess this up, Dove."

It was the first time he had ever called me that, and for some reason, that made what he said so much more earnest. My heart caught when he finally looked up at me, his eyes full of an uncertainty. I wanted to immediately make him feel better. I smiled at him, snaking my arms around his neck and rocking up on my toes to get close to his face.

"You haven't messed anything up," I assured him. His smile grew and he looked relieved. I winked at him. "We'll see if that stays true after I see you dance."

"You said I didn't have to practice!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking. I laughed, throwing my head back, pulling him closer to me.

"You know, you would think you would know when I was teasing you by now," I joked, grinning at him. His eyes softened.

"Hey, I spent ten years trying to get you to even tolerate being in the same room as me – I'm just trying to play it safe," he replied, his tone soft and sweet. I melted again.

God damn it, if you had told me a month ago that Eddie Munson would be so sweet he'd give me cavities, I would think Dustin had paid you off to make me be nicer to his friend.

Shit, Dustin. I would need to figure that out. At the very least so his friendship with Eddie didn't get weird or complicated. However, I could barely think about it as Eddie's eyes crinkled, and he leaned close to my lips.

"Hopefully that wasn't too corny," he said quietly, as if he could read my mind.

I grinned like an idiot – cripes, I was weak as water around him now. I used to chew him up and spit him out if he dared to look at me funny. Now, I couldn't imagine even accidentally hurting his feelings. I pressed my lips to his, my knees buckling when he kissed me back deeply. When I pulled back, he was bright red and giddy.

"I guess not too c-corny," he stammered, making me laugh.

I took his hands and pulled him out of the room, smiling as he stumbling along with me. We kept our hands locked together as we made our way to the noise of the reception. He lifted our hands to his mouth, kissing the back of my hand sweetly. My smile grew as my heart rate picked up, and I realized that I was in deep trouble from how much I liked Eddie.