It was a few days before the wedding and Nate was spending much more time at Lexi's place. Her grandma was still in the hospital, but she was hopefully still going to be able to come to the wedding and they were doing what they could to help prolong the time she had. Nate came with Lexi to visit her in the hospital and had also been helpful in calming her mom down with all of the wedding details. It happened to help that Nate tended to bring desserts his dad had made for both Steve and her mom.
"How is the calculus homework coming along?" Nate asked from Lexi's desk.
"I think I have figured out the last problem," Lexi answered from her favorite chair, biting her pencil. Nate turned to look at her and tried to hide his smile before going back to his homework. When they finished studying, Lexi went to bring the two of them food. Steve had taken Clara and Luci out so that they could all relax a bit and get away from the wedding. Lexi had warmed up the food more than necessary, carrying them in the tray so that she wouldn't burn her hands. She took a spot on her desk, next to Nate's homework and winked at him once he looked up.
"Shouldn't we eat the food before it gets cold?" He questioned with a smirk, rolling his chair back and moving his homework so that she could sit in front of him.
"I may have heated it an extra minute so that we could have a bit more time before eating," Lexi responded with another wink. She played with his hair he was starting to grow out, but neither of them made a move to close the distance between them. "So... when do I get to score a touchdown?"
Nate quickly rolled back away from her, the chair tipping once it hit carpet. He managed to catch himself, but his face was flushed, and his eyes were wide. "What did you ask?"
"You heard me," she challenged, but his cheeks just turned a deeper red. "You just always stop things short and not that I want to right now, but I wouldn't mind being a bit more physical."
"Alexandra... we haven't even said I love you yet, we don't need to be more physical. It's only been six months anyways and I was personally planning on waiting until I was at least legally an adult," Nate tried to explain. Lexi couldn't help but smile at him. She got up from the desk and cautiously took a seat on his lap. She kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder.
"You're sweet," Lexi told him, happy when he wrapped his arms around her. "You still surprise me star quarterback. I didn't mean we had to now, I just wanted to know when you would stop cutting me off."
"Good, I like to keep things interesting," he joked. "I still wouldn't mind making out with you if you wanted to do that right now."
Lexi got off his lap, laughing, but took his hand and led him to the bed.
The couple had fallen asleep, curled up together on the bed two nights before the wedding. They had stayed up late together the prior night to study for their calculus and history exams and went to close their eyes for a moment on Lexi's bed. Clara found them and flipped out, but Steve passed by just as Clara saw them and got her to calm down.
"The kids are just sleeping. I woke up to get a glass of water in the middle of the night and they were on video chat studying at 2 in the morning," Steve whispered, leading her away from the door. "The door is even open so they're not planning on doing anything. Let them get some rest and I can get them once dinner is ready. Just breathe, love."
"Sorry, I've already had her taken away once, I don't want to lose her again. It's been awhile since I've had to deal with her and a boy and just all of the stress of the wedding..."
"Breathe Clara." She couldn't help but smile at the way he said her name in an accent. Clara nodded then went to check on Luci. Steve double checked on the teenagers to make sure they were actually asleep and recognized Lexi's faint snoring that only grew louder the more tired she was.
Nate woke up first having gone to sleep an hour before Lexi and less comfortable since he had spent little time on her bed. He tried to get off the bed and move to her fluffy chair, but she curled up closer to him. Nate wouldn't feel as uncomfortable if the door had at least been partly closed, but it was wide open for anyone and everyone to see. When he recognized that there were multiple voices downstairs, including Luci's, he relaxed and wrapped his arm tightly around Lexi and buried his head into her neck.
"I thought you were asleep," she whispered.
"I thought you were still sleeping so I was trying to fall back asleep," Nate replied in a whisper back. "How long have you been awake?"
"Just woke up right before you wrapped your arm around me," she answered. "Give me a second..." Lexi got up and closed the door halfway then crawled into the other side of the bed, pulling Nate's arm around her like a blanket. "This way it doesn't feel as much like we're being watched."
"Thank you," he murmured, burying his head back into her neck. She tried to keep her giggling to a minimum as the stubble on his cheek ticked her neck. When he gently kissed down her neck and shoulder, the giggling stopped. "Mmmm I almost feel like you're my puppet, so easy to manipulate your actions just by touching the right spots."
"I can do the same thing back, don't test me," she mumbled, making him chuckle, but he pulled his head away.
They stayed in bed for a while longer before Lexi pulled away and started stretching. She pecked him on the lips then pulled on a sweater.
"Dinner is ready," Steve greeted from the doorway, "and we're finally awake in here."
"Sorry, we were just really tired. It won't..." Nate began to apologize.
"Don't worry about it. You two were only sleeping," Steve interrupted with a smile before leaving the room.
Nate quickly got up from the bed but kissed her again when he was sure her family wasn't around and kept her occupied for a minute before they left for the dining room.
"How were your exams?" Clara asked as the kids took seats on either side of Luci at the table.
"Lexi probably aced them, but they were tough," Nate answered.
"I did not ace them. I know I missed a few on each, I definitely mixed up some of the answers in history," Lexi responded. "I also messed up some of those integrals."
"I'm sure the both of you did fine with how late you were studying," Steve commented, making the two teens blush a faint pink.
Luci eventually steered the conversation towards herself and what she wanted to do for spring break. Clara and Steve were going on a honeymoon for two weeks, leaving Lexi in charge so Luci had to ask Lexi to drive her to all of these adventures.
The morning of the wedding was busier than the last few weeks had been. Steve was constantly answering the door for family members he didn't know were coming over so early. The men all went to help with last minute details outside and they managed to squeeze in a few more tables outside without it looking too busy. Most of the women were upstairs in the master bedroom if they weren't cleaning up the downstairs or watching over kids. Lexi had been fussed over most of the morning as a hair stylist tried to do something special with her hair and replicate it on her sister and favorite aunt. Carolina was there giving her opinion on it all then went to do makeup for everyone since she was a pro at it. Lexi's mom wanted her makeup to be very simple and Lexi insisted on having hers be a natural look, but Carolina refused to listen to Lexi. Although it was simple, it wasn't the basics that Lexi normally applied, but she was grateful in the end since it seemed to enhance all of her natural features.
Clara asked Lexi to go check on things with Steve downstairs since she knew the other women would get distracted. Lexi took his tux out of the room her mom hadn't noticed and put it into her own bedroom before searching for Steve. She heard someone enter through the front door and was going to look before she saw one of her younger cousins trying to jump from one couch to the other, too big of a gap to make. Lexi quickly grabbed him and took him with her to find where the other younger children were being watched. Steve was still in sweatpants and a white shirt.
"You need to go get dressed. Everything looks done around here," Lexi stated, admiring it all. She found the dad of the child and handed him over before ushering Steve into the house. Nate was just coming outside, a large smile on his face as he took in Lexi.
"I can go shower and get dressed on my own, but I may need help with hair in ten or twenty minutes," Steve informed her, letting her stay with Nate.
"You are absolutely gorgeous," Nate commented, kissing the top of her head so that he didn't ruin her makeup.
"You look very handsome if I say so myself. Jose is here if you wanted someone you know to hang out with," Lexi said, glancing around and pointing to a group of younger men. When she turned to him, she blushed under his gaze that hadn't seemed to change. Lexi got on her tiptoes and kissed him briefly on the lips, melting into his touch. "Now go to Jose or find someone else to talk to."
"Don't stress too much," he stated, tipping her chin up and smiling at her for a moment before heading toward the younger guys.
Steve had just finished dressing when Lexi got to her room. She had run into her grandmother downstairs and chatted with her for a bit. She was tired already but insisted on monitoring the door for guests. Steve's best man was helping him as much as they could as his friends were chatting around her room, laughing.
"Finally," his best man stated, hugging Lexi. "This hair is not easily tamed."
"I've been practicing," Lexi responded. She fixed his hair into the style they had agreed upon, a nice slicked look that Steve could still pull off even at his age.
"Now go back to your mother and make sure she's not panicking," Steve insisted once they were sure his hair would stay.
"We've got everything handled here," one of his groomsmen assured with a large smile.
Jess was in the room and tightly hugged Lexi when she saw her. "The dress and makeup all look amazing. I need a million photos of you in this. Carolina, please do her makeup for prom."
"I will gladly make myself available for that," Carolina responded, a huge smile on her face.
When the wedding was about to start, everyone was kicked out of the room except the bridesmaids and Lexi's grandmother came in to see her daughter.
"You look beautiful, Clara," her grandma commented, lifting her daughters chin up. "I like Steve a lot, so keep this one."
"I was planning on making him my last," Clara responded with a giggle that made her sound ten years younger. "I love you mom."
"I love you too."
Grandma led them downstairs and to the sliding glass doors that opened to the backyard. Lexi and Luci walked down the aisle together since Luci kept getting distracted during rehearsals and couldn't be trusted to walk down in a straight line. Her aunt walked down next, then everyone stood for Lexi's mom who was walked down the aisle by her grandma.
Lexi found Nate in the crowd with Jess, winking at him when they made eye contact. The ceremony was fairly short and straight to the point, but it was interrupted halfway through by one of the toddlers that quickly ran from his mom. Lexi picked him up before he could get too far and just held him on her hip for the rest of the ceremony. Once they kissed and said I do, the couple walked down the aisle and Lexi handed back her cousin to her aunt. Lexi was in charge of letting in the catering crew and went off to get them before any of the kids or animals could try to escape through the side door.
"You look amazing," Brayden commented, standing alone waiting for the side door to be opened. He hugged Lexi, squeezing her closer for a moment too long then letting her go. "It's weird seeing you participating in the event instead of having you help unload the van."
"It's weird that all of you signed up to cater my mom's wedding," Lexi responded, letting him in with the large trays. Mia and Mike were coming up the side of the lawn with the biggest cart they had. They each hugged Lexi before following Brayden up the lawn. One of Steve's nieces ran over while Lexi was closing the gate. She was only two and Lexi wondered where her parents were, but picked her up and kept her entertained while she waited for anyone else at the van. When the others got in a rhythm of unpacking and knew to close the side door since there were so many kids, Lexi left to go find her new cousin's mom and her own parents.
"We've been looking everywhere for you," Nate stated when Lexi turned the corner and bumped into him.
"We told that little one to go looking and she never reported back," Jess joked, reaching for the little girl. Lexi tried to hand over her cousin, but she turned her head into Lexi's neck. "You are the kid magnet today, but your family was also searching for you to take photos at the gazebo."
"Shoot," Lexi responded, "come along you two."
"You found Bailey," a woman declared with a large smile. "Sorry about that Lexi, I looked away for one minute..."
"Don't worry about it, she's just so cute," Lexi replied, handing over the little girl. She then hurried off toward the gazebo, grabbing Jess and Nate's hand to make them walk faster.
"There she is!" Steve announced with the widest smile Lexi had ever seen him wear.
"Sorry, I was taking care of catering and any kids that ran my way," Lexi explained, quickly joining her family. She posed for every photo they wanted, taking many various types of group photos. Once they finished with all of the family photos, Lexi took a few photos with just Luci since they were matching, a few with Jess and Nate together then a few alone with each of them.
"I've told you that you're absolutely stunning right?" Nate asked as they walked away from the gazebo, an arm wrapped around her waist.
"In different words," Lexi answered with a large smile. He kissed her cheek then let go once they got to Jess. "It is practically a free for all on tables, so I can sit with you two, but Luci may join us if she doesn't join the other kids."
"Alexandra!" Carolina shouted from a small and empty table. "We saved you all seats."
"Thank you. You didn't want to sit with anyone closer to your age?" Lexi questioned with a teasing smile.
"You're only four years younger than me," Carolina responded with a roll of her eyes, but a smile playing at her lips.
"Did your mom choose some Spanish music for the reception? A little bit of salsa or bachata?" Jose asked Lexi.
"Of course. I made sure of it so that Steve's family can see our culture," Lexi answered. They marked their seats with an item of each of theirs then went to grab food when it was ready.
"Lexa, can I sit with you?" Luci asked, coming over with big sad eyes.
"Of course, Lu," Lexi assured her, brushing some of her hair back from her face. "Go sneak in line for some food and find me."
Luci ran over for a plate and snuck in and out of line to grab what she wanted. At the end of the line, Lexi had a third toddler on her hip and Luci clinging onto her dress. Lexi helped feed the toddler, their parent unconcerned about their location since everyone was happily chatting at their tables, while she chatted with those at her own table. Luci had really wanted to sit in between Lexi and Nate, and Lexi didn't want to take that opportunity away from her.
After most people were done eating, Steve and Clara started their first dance. Steve called up Lexi for the next song and she set down the toddler then joined Steve in dancing the salsa. Afterwards, Luci ran up to dance a simple, cute song together. As soon as the music changed again, everyone went onto the dance floor, including Nate and Lexi.
"We will rotate you in so you can have a dance partner," Lexi assured Jess, who was sitting with Luci, only a small frown on her face.
"Finally mine," Nate commented once they were on the floor dancing together. "Too bad I'm still going to have to compete for your attention later on."
"Enjoy me while you have me," Lexi teased. "If it weren't for Jess, I would suggest we sneak away for a while since everyone is too busy to notice us."
"Maybe I can call Lucas over to occupy her," Nate joked, glancing over at Jess who was now spending time with a bunch of kids.
The songs went by quickly and Lexi hadn't realized how long she had been hogging her boyfriend until Jose interrupted for a Spanish song. Nate went and got Jesse who helped teach him the basics again while Jose practically spun Lexi around the floor. Although that day was supposed to be all about Steve and Clara, Jose and Lexi got a lot of attention when they danced together. Two songs later, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned excitedly, expecting to find Nate, but found Mike with his apron off and a large smile on his face.
"The others said they would cover me so that I could get at least one song with you," Mike explained. "I just want to experience those salsa moves for myself."
Jose smiled and handed her over before finding Lexi's mom to dance with. She danced with Mike for two songs before he led her off the dance floor, getting her to laugh at memories of the jobs they worked together. Mike had been a senior when Lexi started working for the catering company as a sophomore and she had been awful at it initially. He kept the job when he decided he would stay close and commute to college.
"Can I talk to you for a bit? Somewhere a little quieter so that we don't have to shout?" Mike requested.
"Sure," Lexi responded, glancing at the dance floor and finding Nate still dancing with Jess. Mike led her to the side of the house he had entered from, a hand at the small of her back. "What did you want to talk about?"
Lexi was leaning against the wall with a small smile on her face. She was curious as to what he wanted to discuss alone, and he was taking his time in answering. Suddenly, his lips were on hers, one hand at her waist. Lexi took a second to process what was happening before she shoved him away.
"What the hell was that?" Lexi asked, wide eyed. She kept a hand on his chest to make sure he kept his distance, but his arms were longer, and his hand still rested on her waist.
"Well, I've liked you for some time and I just didn't know how to say it," Mike began, cheeks flushed, "and I know nothing happened with Brayden, but I thought I'd give him a shot first since he's your age. I just panicked and well... I kissed you instead of saying it."
"I have a boyfriend," Lexi responded, watching his face redden but she was pissed. She turned and saw Nate standing to the side of the dance floor with Jesse, both of them shocked. Lexi couldn't tell if Nate looked mad or sad. "You can't just go around kissing people!"
"I'm sorry, you were just dancing with a lot of people and you weren't sitting next to any guys, so I just assumed..." Mike tried to explain. Lexi pushed him back more and started to step away from his touch.
"My little sister wanted to sit next to him and booted me to the empty seat. But you still shouldn't go around kissing people," Lexi declared. She turned towards Nate, feeling very sad when she saw the look on his face. Jess began to walk away when she saw Lexi headed toward them. Lexi grabbed Nate's hand and led him inside.
"I really didn't know he was going to kiss me," Lexi began, looking Nate straight in the eyes to let him know she wasn't lying. "He said he wanted to talk, and I never expected that he would have feelings for me."
"I believe you," he responded after a moment, walking closer to her. "You're much more popular than you think you are. I guess I should have realized that other people would see you the way I do."
"This honestly never happens," Lexi retaliated, getting frustrated when she saw Nate try to hide a smile. "Not that many guys ever show interest."
"Seriously Lex, I'm not that mad. It really should've been expected," Nate assured her, but it only seemed to make her angrier. "Come on, all of my friends were obsessed with you and would've dated you if given the opportunity. I think Ethan was prepared to fight me for you. Brayden liked you and tried to make you his fake girlfriend, even took you out on a date. There's probably more I don't know about and that you maybe never even realized."
"You make me sound slutty," Lexi retorted, crossing her arms. Nate lifted her chin, chuckling at her response and kissing her sweetly.
"A slut would've done something with them. You simply just ignored their feelings, or didn't realize they were there, and continued being friendly," Nate stated, kissing her again. Lexi stood up and started to walk towards the stairs. "Don't be mad at me."
"I'm not, I just wanted to this to my room," Lexi responded with a smile, offering her hand.
"Is everything fine?" Jess asked when they returned to the table.
"We're all cleared up," Nate answered, wrapping an arm around Lexi. "Sorry Jose, but I'm keeping this little lady to myself for the rest of the night."
"I will just have to steal her friend then if Caro won't dance with me," Jose stated, turning to Carolina with a hopeful smile.
"I will give you maybe two songs," Carolina responded, "I'm fine with slow songs, Jess will gladly dance with you for the Spanish songs."
"I question your love for me," Jose told her, but kissed her cheek with a smile.
As Nate stated, he barely left Lexi alone. When other family members asked to dance with her, Nate let her go and danced with Jess or Luci instead.
"Hey babe, I'm going to go spend some time with my grandma," Lexi told Nate.
Nate nodded and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be with Jess."
Lexi sat and chatted alone with her, sharing lots of smiles and laughter. After a while, her mom joined, and the three women were laughing the whole time.
"Can I steal this beautiful lady away?" Steve asked, offering his hand to Lexi's grandma.
"Mike kissed you?" Lexi's mom asked her.
"It was completely shocking," Lexi answered, unable to stop herself from laughing. "I honestly had no clue that he had feelings for me at any point."
"I noticed that Nate is now keeping an extra careful eye on you though," her mother commented. "I'm glad he doesn't get angry when he's jealous."
"I think he was more sad than anything and then he used it as an opportunity to make fun of me for attracting guys more recently in my life," Lexi complained with a smile.
"May I steal the bride from her daughter?" One of Steve's cousins asked. Lexi nodded with a smile and watched the dance floor for a few minutes until the song changed.
Nate came over and offered his hand to Lexi. He helped her out of the chair then wrapped an arm around her and kissed her.
"I know you'd like everyone to know I'm yours, but we are surrounded by my family," Lexi commented as she pulled away.
"I just really want to solidify it in everyone's mind," Nate replied laughing. "Now, let's go dance."
Jess was dancing with Jose, so Lexi didn't feel as bad dancing with Nate. Nate was finally able to dance with her for some more Spanish songs since Jose normally took her, but Nate barely let her go the rest of the night. When it was getting late, Steve and Clara were sent off for their honeymoon. Most of the family helped clean up everything so that Lexi wouldn't have to on her own. Lexi said goodbye to her friends in catering as they packed up the last of their own stuff.
"Are you still staying the night?" Lexi asked once almost everyone had cleared.
"Yes, as long as your family doesn't find out and kick me out," Nate answered with a nervous chuckle.
Lexi saw off the rest of her relatives then took care of Max and Luci. Nate checked the rooms to make sure everything was clean, and no unwanted or unexpected visitors were around.
"Luci is asleep, Max curled up with her," Lexi informed Nate, wiping the makeup off her face. She then let her hair out of its half do. Nate was already changed into sweats and a plain shirt.
"All the doors are locked, and the windows are closed," Nate stated.
Lexi slipped out of her heels then joined Nate on her bed. "Maybe we should go to the loft and watch a movie."
"I feel like you're avoiding us sleeping in the same bed together," Nate whispered, tickling her skin with his breath. "But if it would make you feel more comfortable, we can fall asleep in the loft with a movie playing. You should go get changed though so we don't accidentally ruin that dress."
Lexi got up off the bed and went into her closet, closing the door behind her. She came back out in old shorts and a tank top that didn't leave much imagination to the eye. She passed by the door to her room first and locked it before facing Nate, biting her lip.
"I didn't want Luci walking in on us and freaking out that there's boy in my room," Lexi explained, "and we don't need to go up to the loft."
Lexi had her parent's old desktop sitting on the wardrobe that faced the bed. She sat at the edge of the bed and put on a show the two of them had already seen on lower volume before crawling across the bed to Nate. Her hair was getting long so she reached over to her nightstand and clipped it back before facing Nate. He placed a hand on her hip and drew circles on it with his thumb, waiting for her to make a move. She rested a hand on his chest and pecked him on the lips. He pulled her closer and reconnected their lips. Lexi readjusted herself and let them get more intimate. She had to restrain herself as his hands explored her body and when things got too intimate between them, they both pulled away.
"Maybe it's time we go to sleep," Lexi stated, flushed and with a large smile on her face.
"I agree," he responded. Lexi readjusted herself again so that she could curl up next to Nate. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. He leaned over and kissed her neck making her giggle.