To Have And To Hold

13 - Divine Distraction

By the time Joey had fully refocused his attention, Jaime had moved on from the conversation to carry on thanking the guests, so he pulled Lauren onto the dance floor, moving their hands between them. She resisted him at first but then gave in to the rhythm, grinning when he pulled her closer, having to tilt her head back even more to meet his eyes.

The music changed to a slower song, and Joey tugged Lauren into him, linking his fingers at her spine. She rested her hands on his chest, swaying in synchronicity with him as they spun in a slow circle. He didn't think he could feel any happier than he did right there, holding the love of his life in his arms and feeling completely at peace. Looking into her eyes, all he could see was his whole life ahead of him with her at his side.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," he said quietly, ducking down to kiss her, their lips moving together in a rhythm they both knew by heart.

Her eyes were wide when he pulled away, her lips still parted.

"What?" he said, his breath hitching in his throat.

"I am so in love with you, Joey Richter," she murmured.

His face broke into a grin. "Oh, is that right?"

"Shut up," she laughed, shoving against his chest, the moment broken for a second. But then he held her even closer to him, so close he could feel her heartbeat.

"I'm so in love with you too Lo. More than I ever thought I could be in love with anyone."

He kissed her forehead, but the second he pulled away Lauren pushed up on tiptoes to kiss his lips, seeking as much contact as she could. Joey's hands tightened around her, losing himself in the kiss and the girl in his arms.

Simultaneously, they both seemed to remember they were on a crowded dance floor, and Lauren dropped back to flat feet. She reached a hand up to wipe away a lipstick smudge from Joey's lips, grinning. Then she rested her head on his chest again as they continued their slow circle.

After the song ended they retreated to the edge of the room, Lauren sat in Joey's lap with her arms linked behind his neck. Something about being at this wedding with these people he'd known since college was making him even more sentimental than normal, thinking about how grateful he was that he and Lauren had been able to overcome all the obstacles to be sat here together loving each other with everything they had. Because of this he was unusually quiet, but Lauren seemed to understand. She trailed her fingers lightly through the hair at the nape of his neck, the pair of them simply watching the room filled with joy.

On the drive home from the wedding a companionable silence filled the car. The only noise was the muted sound of other cars and the wheels turning on the tarmac. Joey looked over at Lauren now and then, smiling at seeing her soft smile as she stared contentedly out of the window, her head resting against the back of her seat.

When they pulled up Joey went round to Lauren's side to open her door, holding out a hand to her as she climbed out of the car. He walked her up the path with a hand on her lower back, trying to hold onto the feeling of contentment he'd felt tonight and not think about the conversation to come.

"Lo, can I talk to you about something?" he asked as he shut the door of their apartment behind them. He kept trying to tell himself he had nothing to be nervous about, but he was unable to ignore the pounding of his heart.

"Of course you can," she said with a soft smile, taking his hand again as they went and sat on the couch.

He took a deep breath. "You know how much I love you, and how happy I am to have you."

She linked their fingers together. Joey was still searching for the right words to continue when Lauren bridged the gap between them and pressed her lips to his. He allowed himself to melt into the kiss, still trying to think of how to bring up marriage again. But then her hands slid into his hair as she drew his face closer to her, and she traced her tongue along his bottom lip.

The logical side of Joey's mind went blank and the only thing he could think to do was pull her up off the couch and in the direction of their bedroom. His slipped his fingers from hers, his hands trailing up her arms and to her shoulders, where he distractedly tried to pull down the straps of her romper while her hands slid to his belt. It would have been difficult enough at the best of times, but with his eyes closed and one hand tangled in her hair it was impossible.

"I wish you'd stop wearing rompers," he mumbled roughly against her lips.

"Why?" she asked, pulling back, her head tilted to one side.

Joey caught his breath, trying not to get distracted all over again by Lauren's mussed hair and swollen lips.

"Because it's impossible to get you out of them," he said, still tugging at the straps.

Lauren finally seemed to realise Joey was having trouble, and tipped her head back with a laugh. She gently pushed his hands away to slide the straps over her shoulders herself, letting the garment drop to the floor.

Joey took a deep breath. "Much better," he said shakily.

Lauren grinned, taking his hands again and pulling him towards her. She stretched up on tiptoes to kiss him again, picking back up where they left off, every other thought gone from Joey's mind.