Holding On by Meg Jolie

with that, Quinn didn’t see a problem with it.
    She let out a content little sigh. Everyone that she cared about looked so happy. Almost everyone. Because…
    Then there was Luke…After the Tabby debacle, he apparently didn’t have time to find a date. Or maybe he simply didn’t want to. He’d attended both the groom’s dinner and now the reception alone. He’d been spending most of his time on the far side of the reception area. Quinn noticed he’d been visiting with his cousins. And now he was drinking at the bar with Jake’s friend, Shane and his date.
    She wished he would’ve brought a date. He probably could’ve used the distraction. Then again, she realized sadly, maybe that was exactly why he didn’t invite anyone. It might not have been fair to her. For the most part, he’d kept his distance from Quinn so it was hard for her to tell what kind of mood he was in. She just hoped he wasn’t completely miserable.
    A s if he could feel her watching him, he turned around and glanced at her. She smiled and was relieved when he raised his beer to her, as if in a silent, long-distance toast. He gave her a small smile back.
    “Your mom is another matter entirely,” Jake said.
    His words pulled Quinn back into the conversation. She snapped her gaze away from Luke. She had been so busy assessing her sister and her friends that she’d been lost for a moment. Especially when Luke had caught her eye.
    Quinn felt Jake’s laughter rumble against her chest, as it was pressed to his. She glanced at Margo. Her mother was watching them, a melancholy look on her face as she dabbed at her eyes. When Quinn glanced her way, she was treated to a small wave and then Margo clutched delicately at her chest. As if it was painful to see her little girl moving on. And possibly it was. But Quinn thought it probably wasn’t quite as painful as her mother would like to make everyone believe. She forced a smile for her mom. Her dad, on the other hand, beamed proudly at her. She grinned at him and then returned her attention to Jake.
    “I know,” she moaned. Margo had been intermittently erupting into tears all day. Pete had his suit pocket stuffed full of tissues to keep her needs met.
    “She’s kind of giving me a complex,” Jake admitted.
    Quinn wasn’t sure if he was teasing or not.
    “I marry you and she can’t stop crying about it. It’s enough to take a guy down a couple notches,” he admitted.
    “You know she’s not crying because of you,” Quinn chastised. Though she knew now he was teasing. “She’s crying because…” Quinn shrugged, not wanting to say it.
    “Yeah,” Jake said with a laugh. He had no problem saying it. “I know why she’s crying. She likes the attention.”
    Quinn smiled up at him. “She does. And she can have it.”
    If there was a person in Lanford that could manage to turn any day—any situation—into an event that was all about them, it was Margo Johnson. Quinn knew this but also knew after all of these years, there was no changing it. So she simply accepted it and moved on.
    “It’s your day. All of the attention should be on you,” Jake pointed out.
    She shrugged and then looped her arms a little tighter around his neck. “I don’t want it. I don’t need it.”
    She felt a warm hand land on her bare shoulder. She turned her head, surprised to see Luke standing there.
    “Do I get to steal a dance with the bride?” Luke asked. His eyes were on Jake. He had a cocky smile on his face.
    It looked to Quinn as though he were daring his brother to say no.
    “As long as you give her back,” Jake joked. He released Quinn and handed her over to his brother.
    “I don’t know,” Luke said as he wrapped his arms around Quinn. “I just might not.” He had meant to joke back. Some how, it sounded slightly like a threat.
    Jake knew better than to say anything so with a final glance , and a smile, at Quinn, he turned to leave. He didn’t get too far before he was whisked away to