“Hey, are you okay?”
She sighed. “Yeah. You’re just so great. I want you to know I appreciate you so much.”I think I love you.She wanted badly to tell him how she felt, but what if she did and messed up their friendship? She didn’t want to lose him just because she had no self-control.
He smiled, the curve of his lips not hidden by that soft beard and mustache. “Well, I’m pretty sure you’re going to show me your appreciation later, aren’t you?” He leaned close and kissed her on the lips, sending tingles down her spine. “You promised.”
She shivered. “I never break a promise. And I amsooogoing to appreciateallof you.” She kissed his cheek and patted his strong chest.
He leaned closer and growled, “Stop it before I embarrass myself in front of your family.”
She bit back a grin. “A shower and a grower. My favorite kind of man.”
He laughed and hugged her before putting a bit of distance between them. In her tight-fitting dress, she could feel everything easily, and Xavier definitely liked holding her close.
She tried not to keep looking at him, but she failed, meeting his gaze each time. “Why do you keep staring at me?”
“Because you’re the most beautiful woman in the room.”
Stop saying stuff like that!“Xavier.”
“Besides, you keep looking at me. Relax, Justine. I swear I won’t embarrass you.”
“What?” She gaped at him. “I never thought that. I just…” She felt her cheeks heat. “You’re the best looking guy here.”
His slow smile warmed her all over. “Even better than Dr. Douche?”
She laughed, as he’d no doubt intended, and relaxed. “Dr. who?”
“Oh, now there’s a conversation we could have. Dr. Who versus the evil that is this wedding. Look there! It’s Mitch, obviously an Auton. Oh, and I think I see a few Daleks pretending to be tables over by the wall.”
“What’s an Auton? What’s a Dalek?”
He stared at her, agog. “I just… I think we need to break up. Autons were introduced to the show a long time ago, but a Dalek? Everyone knows what they are! Have you no shame, woman? That’s it. When we get home, after you appreciate me, we’re watching a marathon ofDr. Who.”
She groaned. “A closet geek. I should have known you’d have something wrong with you.” She was teasing. She’d seen her share of the sci-fi show and had enjoyed it, though not as much as the horror movies she and Katie liked.
Before they could delve into Time Lords and all their glory, the emcee asked everyone to take their seats for dinner.
She and Xavier sat at the head table with Angela and Scott, Justine’s parents, Ted’s parents, and one of her fathers’ close friends and his wife. Too bad Aunt Rosie couldn’t have been there, but then, her mother wouldn’t have wanted to share the spotlight with her sassy younger sister.
Not only did Aunt Rosie gallivant around the world when the mood struck, but she’d made a tidy little nest egg with investments throughout the years, and she wrote one of the hottest advice columns in the country—Dear Aunt Truth.Justine had been wanting to share that golden nugget with Xavier, since he and her aunt advised people for a living. But her aunt had a strict policy to never share her information with anyone.
What would Aunt Truth say about my feelings for Xavier?Feelings she’d only come to recognize as deeper than mere affection. Huh. Maybe she should reach out and ask. But not over the phone. Anonymously, of course. Heck, she still didn’t know exactly what she felt for the guy she’d only known a month. Yet it felt like they’d known each other forever.
He reached for her hand under the table and held it, smiling into her eyes while the bride and groom said a few words to the crowd. Justine heard none of it, only the beat of her heart as she looked into her lover’s warm gaze.
Everyone clapped, breaking the mood, and she did her best to relax and live in the moment, enjoying Xavier’s presence while trying not to make too much of it.
Dinner went well, everyone mannerly as they talked to Xavier, asking questions and subtly digging to see when and if Justine might next be getting married.
Xavier parried every inquiry with aplomb, and she noted her father’s amusement and admiration for her wedding date.
Later, after several people at the table, including Xavier, got up to stretch their legs and use the restroom, her father sat next to her. “Xavier’s pretty damn good at deflecting, isn’t he?”
“He’s a master, all right.”
Lyle laughed. “I like him, Justine. He balances you.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. Her father rarely got super personal with her. Mostly, he badgered her about her poor career choices, and of course her terrible decision to leave Mitch, a steady companion with an upward-moving career as well as a true financial partner.
