A warmth curled behind my ribs, spreading through my chest. I stepped a little closer, our feet tangling, and this time it wasn’t by accident.
“I think I’d like that,” I said. “A lot.”
He looked surprised, which made me snort. “What, you thought I’d shoot you down?”
“Kind of? You’re a flight risk. I’m just trying to pin down your migration pattern.”
I snorted. “You’re a dork.”
He spun me again, and this time I didn’t trip. “You love it.”
“I do,” I admitted.
The song ended, but the DJ spun a new track that started slow and built into a pulse. That was my clue. I wasn’t up for the fast songs. Nobody wanted to watch me flailing around the dance floor.
My brother made his way over, his Storm Trooper helmet under one arm and a plate of pie in the other.
“You two look disgustingly cute,” he said. “Do I need to hose you down, or are you good?”
“Go eat your pie,” I said, but I smiled at him anyway. “And keep your helmet on. The wedding photographer has a quota to meet.”
Henry made a face, then turned to Daniel. “Dude, you want to do shots later?”
Daniel grinned. “Only if they’re blue.”
“Done,” said Henry, and disappeared back into the melee, pie already half gone.
“He’s happy,” Daniel said, watching him go.
“He is,” I said, surprised to realize it was true. “I think he finally found his planet.”
“You’re not so bad at this, you know,” Daniel said. “The whole family thing.”
Maybe it was the wine, or the dress, or the fact that for once in my life, I didn’t feel like I was holding the world together with dental floss and stubbornness. I felt… great. Ready for whatever life brought my way, including being engaged to Daniel. I’d never really thought that far ahead before, but it was all I could think about now.
As we circled the floor, the crowd thickened. At the edge, Alice’s grandmother sat in an ornate wooden chair, hands folded on her lap, her eyes bright as bird glass. She caught my eye andbeckoned, and I excused myself from Daniel and made my way over.
“You look beautiful,” I said, meaning it.
She patted the seat next to hers. “You’re no slouch either,” she said. “Did you do your own hair?”
“Beth helped,” I said, sitting. “I’m helpless with bobby pins.”
She nodded. “Good woman, that Beth. Brave, too. Like you.” She turned her gaze to the dance floor. “Your brother’s a lucky man.”
“Yes, he is,” I said, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.
She studied me, those blue eyes sharp enough to cut glass. “Do you love him?” she said, and for a second I thought she meant my brother.
“Daniel?” I said, and she nodded.
“Yes. I do.”
She smiled. “Good. He deserves it. You both do.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just sat, letting the music and the warmth of the room soak in. After a few minutes, she leaned over, conspiratorial.
“Will you fetch me a dance partner?” she whispered. “I have my eye on Daniel. He’s a good lead.”
