Luke and Amy Ch. 09

"Congratulations," she said softly.

Greg whispered in her ear, "Congratulate me on marrying a fox." He stepped back and chuckled.

Amy just nodded and smiled as she wondered for the thousandth time what her cousin saw in him.

She waited for Luke and their parents to finish saying their congratulations and well wishes.

"Do you know how long it'll be till we have to do the pictures?" Amy asked as her mother approached her.

Kathryn's long sea foam green dress swished inches from the floor as she stepped closer. "I'd say about," she looked back to check the remaining length of the line, "fifteen minutes probably."

Phil came up to his wife and wrapped his arm around her back.

"Is it okay if I walk around for a bit? I'm feeling a little claustrophobic around all these people," Amy stated as she ran her hand over her neck.

"Of course, sweetheart," her mother replied.

"Want me to come with you?" Luke asked.

She nodded, and then said, "We'll be back in ten minutes."

The siblings smiled to their parents, and then started walking. Amy checked the time on her phone and replied to another text from Kristy, telling her about the ceremony as they went down the stairs. She quickly set an alarm on her phone to go off when they needed to head back.

Luke walked next to his sister, dodging through crowds of people on the sidewalk. He placed his hand on her shoulder as they turned around the side of the church. They grinned to each other as they stepped away from the herd of guests.

They went around to the back of the church and found a quiet area on the back steps.

Amy pulled up the back of her skirt before she sat down. Her bare upper thighs sat directly on the cool concrete. She carefully set her skirt around her. Her knees were together with her ankles apart. Luke sat down next to her. He pushed her dress over a little so he didn't sit on it.

"You okay?" he asked, rubbing her upper arm softly.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just wanted quiet time." His sister smiled sweetly.

"I like quiet time with you, too." He leaned over and dropped a kiss on her temple.

She turned her face and caught his lips. They shared a quick kiss before pulling apart.

The sun made his blue eyes sparkle and Amy got lost in them for a few minutes. She saw flakes of gold in his irises. "Your eyes are so pretty," she said in almost a whisper.

Luke nudged her glasses up, pushing the side of the frames behind her ears, and then trailing his fingertips behind her ears and down her neck. "Thank you, love. But, if mine are pretty, that makes yours gorgeous."

"Well, we do have the same eyes," Amy giggled.

"You're my mirror," he said with a smile.

They could hear chatter from the wedding guests in the distance.

Amy rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths of the fresh air. His eyes glanced down to see her chest rising and falling. He ogled her cleavage for a few moments while his hand slid between their bodies and he played with the white satin bow on her dress with his fingers.

"I love you," she said quietly with her eyes still closed. His masculine scent was filling her nostrils.

"I love you too." He kissed the top of her head. Her silky hair tickled his lips.

A couple minutes later, the alarm on her phone went off. She grabbed her phone from her purse, and then turned it off.

Luke couldn't help but laugh. "Do you set an alarm for everything?"

Amy smiled wide and nodded fast. "I do. You know me and time. I thought you knew me well," she said playfully.

"I do." He stood and offered her his hand. "I was just teasing you."

She took it and he helped her up. Baby blue satin cascaded down her legs.

"You're lucky I like when you tease me." His sister quickly looked around, checking for onlookers before dropping a soft kiss on his lips. "I like you teasing me in more ways than one," she added with a wink.

They headed back inside and met up with their parents. Then, both sides of the bride and groom's family went into the chapel. Several pictures were taken before everyone was free to head over to the reception.

Luke and Amy were walking back to the parking lot when Matthew quietly snuck up behind them. Amy gasped from his sudden appearance when he popped his head between them.

Matthew placed his hands on both of the siblings' shoulders. "Can I ride over there with you guys? Greg's friends are driving me nuts."

Amy turned her face so she could see him. "Don't you have wedding duties to do?" she asked with a playful scowl.

"Eh," he muttered. "Yeah, probably. But, someone can cover for me. I don't really feel like listening to my sister go on a rant right now."

"Won't you get in trouble?" Amy questioned him.

"Who's going to get him in trouble?" Luke chuckled.

"Exactly, Luke." Matthew grinned. "Wendy has all of her bridesmaids to take care of her whims." He paused for a moment. "So, can I ride with you guys?"

"Of course, man." Luke replied as they arrived at the car.

Everyone took their same seats as earlier. Luke drove, with his sister next to him and their cousin behind the driver's seat.

Luke left the parking lot and headed back to the hotel. Amy clasped her hands together in her lap and twiddled her thumbs. She was aching to hold her brother's hand.

She turned her head to look back at Matthew. "The bridesmaid you walked down the aisle with was really pretty. What's her name?"

"Nicole," he replied simply. "She's all right, I guess, nothing special." Matthew found his cousin a million times more attractive than the blonde haired, blue eyed bridesmaid.

Amy knew how Matthew felt about her, but she didn't want to let it show. Her teases also added to his desire. She wanted him to get unhooked from her, at least just a little bit.

"Well, is she nice?" She asked gently.

"I didn't really talk to her much today. She's a friend of Wendy's, not mine." Matthew shrugged. "I've seen her a few times before, but as I said she's nothing special."

Amy turned her eyes back to the windshield. "Well, maybe you could get to know her better?" Her tone rose higher as she spoke, unsure if she was asking a question or making a statement.

Her cousin spoke too fast and didn't realize the words he was saying until after they came out of his mouth, "She's not you." His eyes went wide when he finished his sentence.

Amy uncomfortably shifted in her seat. Luke chewed his lip.

Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shit, I'm sorry, Amy. I shouldn't have said that."

His cousin turned around and placed her right hand on his knee. Her breasts pushed together as she stretched her hand back, causing her cleavage line to expand up her chest, like a rising thermometer. He looked at her like a desperate puppy.

She spoke gently, "It's okay." She smiled a kind, reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll pretend I didn't hear it."

Luke smiled at his sister's kindness.

Matthew placed his hand on top of hers. "Thanks, but I'm still sorry."

"Apology accepted." She slipped her hand away. "It's my fault anyway, after teasing you the way I did last night."

Matthew just nodded while the awkwardness that lingered in the air passed. He kept his thoughts to himself about how he'd found her attractive since his hormones started to kick in.

The conversation changed to a different topic for the rest of the short drive. Amy silently told herself that she should try to find a girl for Matthew tonight. She knew how shy he was around girls and maybe with her help, he may have some success.

The trio arrived at the hotel. Amy walked between Luke and Matthew on the way in, and then to the ballroom. Matthew made himself scarce for a while, knowing his sister would have a fit if she found him already enjoying himself.

The siblings went into the ballroom where there were groups of guests standing and sitting, scattered around the large room. They stopped to sign the guestbook and Luke noticed the gift table that was already over flowing with presents.

"Hey, Mom and Dad got us covered on gifts, right?" he asked.

Amy was signing her name as she answered, "Yup. We picked them up a month ago." She handed the pen to her brother. "A fancy mixer and a food processor. I checked before we left yesterday to make sure they grabbed them."

Luke signed his name and noticed the small heart Amy left next to hers.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and rubbed the soft satin as they found their table near the head table.

Luke pulled out the chair for her that was covered with a white seat cover and had a shiny red bow on the back. Amy flattened her skirt against her bum and her brother pushed in the chair before she sat down. He took a seat on her right. The long white table cloth covered their legs.

Amy looked around, absorbing the surroundings and all of the well-dressed guests. All of the men were wearing suits, but her brother's was one of a kind and he looked stunning in it. She looked up to the ceiling, seeing the draped white fabrics, making several arches across the ceiling over the spacious dance floor, all leading to the disco ball. She cocked her head slightly at the disco ball, but grinned at the same time. Wendy was always a little funky and Amy liked that she brought that in to her wedding with that one item.

Luke placed his hand on her thigh as his eyes trailed to the elaborate table arrangement. Red and white pebbles and glitter were delicately scattered around a vase of flowers. There were several types of red flowers in the bouquet. He could pick out daises, roses, tulips, poppies, but there was one he couldn't.

He reached out and ran his fingers over the rose-like petals as he asked, "Do you know what kind of flower this is?"

Amy's eyes flicked over to what he was touching. She quickly replied, "That would be a carmellia."

"You really know everything," he commented with a smile.

"No," she corrected him, "I just remember everything."

They shared a grin, and then her brother moved his hand from her thigh to under her chair. He pulled her closer to him with so quick tug of the seat cover. Their shoulders touched. Amy giggled, feeling the wool of his suit jacket scratching her arm as he brought his hand back up.

A waiter stopped by and offered the siblings champagne. Both Luke and Amy took a glass.

"We should make a toast," Amy said.

"To what?"

She looked into his eyes as she retorted, "True love."

Luke grinned and they raised their glasses. "To true love," he said before they clinked their glasses together.

They both took a sip. Amy let the bubbles tickle her taste buds for a moment before swallowing. She made a slight sour face.

"I think I like screwdrivers better," she stated as she set the glass down. "This isn't bad, but I don't think it's my cup of tea."

"Champagne isn't my thing either." He took another sip before setting his glass down next to hers. "But, it's oh so classy."

His sister dropped her head back and laughed at the sarcastic tone of his voice. He chuckled and took the moment to admire the perfect braids she had done in her hair and how she weaved it into the low bun at the top of her neck. Her hair shined in the light as did the blue diamonds on her ears and neck.

"I want to kiss you right now," Luke said softly.

She turned her head, nibbling her lip. "It's going to be a long night with no kissing."

"I can handle it," her brother said cockily. "The question is, can you?"

Amy tapped her chin and looked off into the distance as she muttered, "Hmm."

Luke grinned, waiting for her reply.

"How about, whenever we want to kiss each other, we say it, like you did just now?"

He nodded in agreement. "Though, you know I want to kiss you every minute of every day." He took a sip of champagne.

She giggled and played coy, shying away into her shoulder. When her eyes returned to his, she said, "I'm the same way. But, for tonight, when we really want to kiss each other we will say it."

"Agreed." Her brother paused for another drink while she sipped hers. "What about when we want to touch or fuck each other?"

"Well I want to fuck you right now." She leaned back in her seat. "I think what we really need to worry about is finding a place where we can sometime tonight."

They shared a salacious grin before he stated, "I must agree with you on that note, Miss Davenport."

She winked at him just before Felicity and Taylor joined them at the table along with their half-brother Blake and step-brother Hunter. Luke and Amy smiled at everyone as they sat down. A minute later, Uncle Cliff's teenage sons joined them as well. Anthony sat next to Luke, and Jake and Michael completed the circle.

Felicity leaned over towards Amy's ear. "They gave you champagne?"

Amy nodded. "Yup."

Felicity grinned. "They didn't ask how old you were?"

Amy shook her head, and then Felicity grinned wider.

Everyone at the table shared friendly conversation. Anthony and Amy talked about their plans for college. Anthony would be going to the University of Iowa, where his father taught. His plans were still set on music education. He joked with Amy about her getting into Northwestern and him not. It was a friendly rivalry between the two.

Luke sat back and listened. He enjoyed when his sister talked about her passion. Her whole face lit up and she radiated with pride.

"You know, I still think you could do performance if you wanted to," Amy said to her cousin.

Anthony smiled, but shook his head. "Nah. I may be a good tuba player, but I don't have near the talent level you do with piano."

Amy smiled softly. "I'm not that great."

Her brother reached under the table and found her knee that angled towards him. "Don't be modest, Amy."

"I'm not," she tried to protest.

Both her brother and cousin lowered their gazes, as did everyone else at the table.

"You're insanely, utterly, fantastic," Anthony stated. "I could never be as good as you even if I practiced twenty-four hours a day."

Amy blushed. Luke rubbed her knee under the table and nodded in agreement.

"I love music, but I know my place is teaching others. Yours is performing," Anthony added. He ran his hand through his dark hair before having a drink of water.

"Well, thank you." She smiled.

"Hey, Luke," Jake piped up.

"What's up little dude?" He turned his attention to his other cousin. Jake was seventeen, but he had called him little dude since he was born, even though he was the middle sibling.

"Why did you stop playing baseball? You were really good. My dad and I watched your games when you were a freshman at Stanford. Then, you went to Europe and never told us why you stopped."

Luke took a deep breath. Amy slid both of her hand under the table. She found his hand and squeezed it tight. She knew that he once had dreams of playing professionally. He had decided to go to school and get a degree instead of being drafted out of high-school. She was proud of him for that decision.

"Well," Luke started out quietly, "you guys saw our last game against UCLA that year, right?"

The three guys nodded, and Jake said, "You scored the winning run, you barreled down on the catcher, got your hand down on the plate. He dropped the ball and you tumbled over him."

Amy closed her eyes for a moment and interlaced her fingers with his. She shuddered at the memories of that game. She knew something was wrong when his head hit the ground after his helmet flew off.

Luke nodded. "It all happened so fast. In a second there was a dog pile around me, everyone was jumping everywhere, my teammates pulled me up, they slapped my head, and the cheers were so loud that I didn't notice the ringing in my ears."

"So, you had a concussion?" Anthony asked.

Luke licked his lips before he continued, "Yeah, and I'm lucky that was the first one. I can't tell you how many balls buzzed by ear or hit my shoulder when I was at the plate, or how many times I ran into other players."

His sister kept her elbows poking out from the table cloth. She brought his hand closer to her other hand and held it from both sides. Her brother played with reckless abandon, he always had. He would crowd the plate and run over anyone who tried to get in his way. His playing style scared her sometimes.

Luke glanced over at his sister, seeing the love in her eyes before turning back to the guys. "I ignored the symptoms. I had them, but I didn't think about it, except that I was popping Advil all day long. Then, I called Amy and my parents when I couldn't finish a test. I was drawing way too many blanks and I couldn't concentrate. Mom and Dad flew me home the next day to see our family doctor."

"You scared the living daylights out of me with that phone call," Amy noted.

He turned back to her and frowned. "Sorry Squirt."

"It's okay. I was just glad you were okay." She stopped herself from saying three more words.

The youngest of the brothers spoke up, "So you stopped playing cause you got a concussion?"

He turned his eyes back to guys. "I finished the season, but I found out that once you get one, subsequent ones come easier. With my all-out playing style, as I said before I was lucky. If I went to the pros," he shrugged, "it would be bound to happen again. And well..." he paused for a moment, and held Amy's hand even tighter. "I didn't want to suffer brain damage or worse. There are more important things in life to live for, and being in the MLB just didn't seem worth the risks anymore."

"So you went to Europe and studied abroad and that was that?" Anthony asked.

"Pretty much. I applied on a whim early that semester, just to see if I would get accepted. I had the opportunity, and I took it. At first it was an escape, cause after I quit the team I didn't want to be around Stanford," Luke replied. "I loved it there, don't get me wrong. But, I didn't want to go back to any schools here, cause baseball would still be around, so I transferred. Also, I fell in love with Germany."

The guys nodded in understanding.

Amy leaned over and whispered, "I love you and want to kiss you."

His cheek was next to hers and he whispered back, "I love you and want to kiss you too."

A moment later the DJ introduced the bride and groom, Mister and Misses Stevens. Everyone stood, cheered, and applauded as Wendy and Greg strolled into the ballroom hand in hand. Cameras flashed at them almost constantly from all angles.

Wendy and Greg made their way to the dance floor and shared their first dance as husband and wife to "I Only Have Eyes For You," by The Flamingos.

Luke and Amy sat down, along with everyone else at their table. The siblings were facing the dance floor, so they didn't have to strain to watch. Amy leaned against her brother just slightly and held his hand beneath the table cloth.

She noticed that while they were dancing, Wendy and Greg were looking into each other's eyes and smiling. That settled her uneasiness about their relationship a little, but not too much. Though, it was nice to see.

Luke whispered in her ear, "I can't wait to dance with you later."

His sister smiled and nodded. Then, she spoke quietly, "Remember, hands on my Tropic of Capricorn."

He chuckled, and then sipped his champagne. She did the same.

After the first dance, the rest of the bridal party joined in. Matthew was joined up with the same bridesmaid he was at the ceremony. However, he seemed focused on looking at Amy at any moment he could see her.

The siblings arched their necks back and forth so they could talk without anyone else over hearing.

"He's more into you than we thought," Luke stated.

"Yeah, I know. His comment in the car made that very clear."

"What do you think about it?"

She angled back again so she could speak into his ear, "I don't know. I mean, I love you of course and I'm yours. So obviously nothing can happen. But, I never even thought of him like that once. Now, I kind of feel bad about teasing him."