Rami
Maleko finally sent me his pick for book club this month
Me
And what has the behemoth chosen?
Rami
A Love Letter’s Promise
Me
Honestly not surprised. Always knew he was a softie
Rami
Same
Aren’t you supposed to be in a wedding right now?
Me
At the reception
Rami
Taking notes for your own?
Darkening my screen, I shake my head and shove my phone back in my pocket. As one of my best friends, Ramiel knows too much. Pries too much.Pushestoo much. But if he were wired any other way, I suppose we wouldn’t be so close now. He wouldn’t have been able to talk me into starting a team book club. Which has been a major hit, by the way. Because of him, I finally feel like I’m in good standing with my teammates. Even after the whole Avery getting fired because of me thing last fall, I no longer fear that my spot on the team could be ripped from me at any second. It’s nice to feel secure both in my career and my love life. I think this is a first for me.
The song shifts, and the tempo slows. Maggie backs away from Avery, pointing her in my direction with a wink before heading off toward her new husband. Averystarts my way, but Mom intercepts her on her path to the dance floor with Johnny. She whispers something in Avery’s ear, and the two of them lean back in a cackle as Johnny lifts a shoulder in my direction. Mom waves her arm to grab my attention like I haven’t been admiring Avery’s every move all night. She points to Avery in an exaggerated fashion before lifting her arm over her head in a cheesy thumbs-up. It warms me to know my family is just as happy to have Avery in their lives as I am. Avery high-fives my mom before turning and practically skipping to my side. She slows down as she approaches, both hands extended. I grip them as she attempts to hoist me to my feet.
An ornery grin scrunches her nose in that adorable way that still unravels me as she lowers her voice to a growl. “May I have this dance?”
“What? Don’t say it like that.”
“Like what? This is my normal voice,” she grits out again.
We both laugh, and I kiss the top of her head before lacing my fingers through hers. “I’m kind of ready to take a break. Aren’t you?”
“Ty, you haven’t danced since you were out there with your sister—you guys looked great by the way—and you’re already ready to sit one out?”
“Hey, I danced with you after I danced with her. Was it really that forgettable?”
She stands on her tiptoes, bouncing up to kiss my cheek. “Why don’t you remind me of how good it was?”
My heart stutters. As much as I want to dance with her again, I want to be alone with her more, but I can’t say no to her. Gripping both her hands in mine, I pop her out insome fancy, unnecessary flourish of a spin, immediately pulling her to my chest when she faces me once again. Our bodies press flush together as we sway and step to the song. Her full pout smooths into a content line, and we move together for a few counts until I can’t take it any longer.
Leaning down, I breathe in every sugared note of her perfume and lower my voice. “Let’s just get some fresh air. Then I promise, I’m yours for the rest of the night.”
The rest of my life is more like it, if she’ll have me.
The little box hidden in my breast pocket feels like it weighs a thousand pounds as she relents, letting me guide her out onto the terrace of the historic space—one of the oldest hotels in Vista City. She laughs as she recounts her evening, how much she loved the wedding cake, and how she’s glad my sister opted to have her nuptials in Vista City rather than back home in Texas.
“Nothing against Texas, but you can’t beat a California autumn. And I’m glad she didn’t listen to you and went with the poofy dress. She looks gorgeous. Totally fits the whole fairy-tale-romantic vibe she was going for.” She lets out a dreamy sigh. “I’ve already gotten so much inspo for my future wedding. Except I’ll have orchids, not roses.”
“Orchids, huh?”
