Clipped by Love
Page 120

“Don’t be speechless! You have to talk to us!” Elli giggles when I turn to look back at her.
“I’m so sorry, but can you excuse me real fast?” I ask, and she nods, but when I go to get up, Jace has a mic and Jayden is grinning at him like he is a dork. “Or not.”
“Announcing my brother and his gorgeous new wife, Jude and Claire Sinclair.”
When the room erupts in applause, Jude and Claire enter. But Claire isn’t wearing her wedding dress that I saw her in earlier. No, she has on a white silk cami dress thing that I highly doubt is proper wedding attire, but then Jude’s changed too into a thin white tee and his slacks.
“She changed,” I mutter, and Elli leans in to me.
“Yeah, they are going to dance. Isn’t it sweet? She’s a dancer and wanted to do something special.”
“Oh wow,” I say as I turn my attention back to the couple.
When the music to Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” starts, I sit back and watch as they slowly walk toward the dance floor, hand in hand, and then they are dancing. Now, I sat through a dance team tryout and I saw some great dancing, but holy crap on a cracker, Claire can dance. Like really dance. She moves around Jude effortlessly, her body looks like its fluttering, and Jude, he’s there catching her and lifting her like he’s been doing it his whole life. When they join up, moving in perfect unison, the room loses it, hollering and cheering them on.
But I’m in awe.
They are so in love, so perfect, and fucking hell, that’s how I feel about Jayden. I’m not saying I want to dance around like they are, but I want to be on that level with him. The level where I can just fall and know he’ll catch me. The level where I don’t question his motives, his love for me, and that he loves me, no matter what.
I’m there, I’m ready. Now I just need to tell him that.
As the song ends, Jude lifts her up, looking up at her with all the love in the world before he lowers her into his arms, his mouth connecting with hers.
“I knew they were gonna get married the day I met him,” Elli says beside me.
“Really?”
She smiles as she dabs at her eyes. “You always know when a man loves a woman; it’s in the way they smile. But unlike me, Claire went for it while I fought it off,” she says with a wink as Shea cuddles her in his arms.
“The best love is the one you fight for, though,” he says against her cheek, and tears sting my eyes.
“I’m a fighter too,” I admit, and she smiles at me.
“The best women are,” she says, leaning into Shea.
Before either of us can say anything, Jude says, “Okay, so yeah, that wasn’t easy.”
Turning my attention to where he holds the mic, he’s breathing hard as Claire grins up at him, and everyone laughs while some dry their eyes. Mainly Mrs. Sinclair.
Clearing his throat, he says, “I didn’t want to do that. But because she wanted to do something to show how much she loves me, in the way that she does best, I did it. Because I love you.”
“I love you,” she says, and the crowd swoons as they press their lips to each other. I know this is my chance to go after Jayden, but then I want to watch. It’s beautiful and I’m astonished by them.
“Now, she did her thing, and now I’m gonna do mine,” he says as a chair is brought out, and Jayden is there, handing him a guitar. “Let me tell you guys a little story,” he starts before sitting down. Jayden takes the mic, putting it on a stand. “Way back in the day, I got into a heated karaoke battle with a certain fiery redhead. When I won—”
“You didn’t win, I did,” she calls out, and he smirks back at her.
“Minor details,” he continues with the laughter of everyone. Even I’m cracking up. “I looked at her and knew that this girl was it. Every song that played reminded me of her, and it’s only right that I sing the song that is the epitome of my wife,” he says, and when Elli awws beside me, I grin really big, my eyes welling up with tears. “This one is for you, baby,” he says softly, and then he starts playing the guitar. My jaw drops at how good he is, but when he starts singing, even I’m swooning. I’ve always loved “All of Me” by John Legend, but hearing Jude sing it in his low, raspy voice, it does something to me.
It leaves me breathless, my heart is hammering in my chest, and it isn’t because he is so good. No, it’s because this song, it’s me and Jayden. He loves all of me. Even the fucked-up parts, and I’m out of my mind to not be screaming that I love this guy.
But that needs to change.
As Jude finishes up and wraps his arms around Claire, kissing her hard on the lips, I stand up and push myself to move to where he is. When I reach him, Jude looks over at me, surprised, and smiles.
“Um, Baylor?” he says, and I smile back.
“Can I borrow your mic?” I ask, and then I look at Claire. “You are unbelievably beautiful, and I’m sorry, but I need to say something.”
“No, go! Here!” she says, pushing the mic to me, and when it’s in my hands, I really don’t know what I’m about to say, but I know I have to say something. When I look up from the mic, Jayden’s eyes are wide. His brows are in his hairline and his eyes are asking what the hell I’m doing.
And there is only one answer.
I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago.
Better late than never, I guess.
“What in the Sam Hill is she doing?” I mutter as Baylor stands awkwardly by Jude and Claire, the mic in her hand and her eyes trained on mine.
“Oh God, please say she isn’t going to sing,” Jace says beside me, and while I agree, it is great to see her. She looks beautiful in a short little black dress, her hair down in curls the way I like, and her lips painted that trusty red color she loves so much. The red I love.
Drawing in a breath through her nose, she lets it out and then smiles shyly. “Hi,” she says before doing a really awkward wave. “I’m sorry to interrupt this gorgeous display of love between these two amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and calling my friends, but I need to address something.”
She bites into her lip, and I can’t help but smile. She’s freaking the hell out, and while I want to move to her and help her out, this is where I need to let her win. I need to see what her play is.