“You good?” she says.
I grunt, giving a curt nod. With a long, steadying breath, I tear my attention off Petra and perform a search of the room, locking in on a familiar group toward the rear of the establishment. “My brother and his fiancée are there, in back. They’re with my grandmother.”
“Perfect,” she responds, simply.
I hesitate. “Yeah.”
“You look great. You smell great. Your girlfriend is hot. Let’s go.”
It’s hard to believe I’m smiling in the midst of a curious crowd, but I am. I’m smiling, even though I feel like a bumbling giant in a sea of normal-sized people. Petra drops compliments to women that we pass and plucks a glass of champagne off a tray.
I pluck it right back out of her hands and set it on a table while she grumbles.
By then, we’ve reached the back of the bar where my brother, his intended and my grandmother are huddled in a quiet threesome.
My grandmother sees me first, her eyes widening with joy. “Oh, Barry! Oh, my Barry. You made it. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to come!”
I have to take a deep breath, because in just the two short years since I’ve seen my grandmother, she’s aged. A lot. The whites of her eyes have spots that weren’t there before and her frailty is much more pronounced. I shouldn’t have waited so long to visit. I shouldn’t have needed a reason to come.
Petra squeezes my hand, reminding me to speak.
“Grandma,” I say, leaning down to hug her. When I pull back, I notice my grandmother’s gaze swing toward Petra hopefully. “This is my girlfriend. Petra.”
I’m unprepared for the burst of pride in my chest.
Just saying those words out loud is a privilege.
“Petra, this is my grandmother, Dolly.” When my brother punches me playfully in the shoulder, I chug through a laugh. “And this is my asshole brother, Craig. His fiancée, Karen.”
Petra shakes everyone’s hand, smiling warmly. “It’s so nice to finally meet everyone. You must be so excited about tomorrow. What a beautiful venue you’ve chosen.”
With that, she’s won over the bride. “Thank you. We practically had to compete in the Hunger Games to secure a spot.” She waves her champagne flute between me and Petra. “So…how long have you two been dating?”
“Just over a year.” Petra blushes a little, leaning into my side. “Best year of my life.”
“It certainly hasn’t been a verylonglife,” my brother comments, chuckling.
His bride and my grandmother both smack him in the chest.
“Sorry!” Craig winces at my scowl. “It was just an observation.”
“An accurate one, I suppose. I do have a misleading baby face,” Petra chimes in with a laugh. “It took some convincing to make Barry take me out on a date.”
“You had toconvincehim?” my grandmother exclaims. “How did you do that?”
“A blow dart and a net. I knocked him out and dragged him home.”
Two seconds of silence tick by, before everyone bursts into laughter.
Petra goes up on her tiptoes and plants a kiss on my cheek, dropping back down to give my grandmother a conspiratorial wink. “That’s how I plan to get him to the altar, too.”
A wet sheen appears in Dolly’s eyes. “Oh, Barry. She’s a keeper. Hold on to this one.”
“I plan on it,” I manage, a stitch in my chest.
Petra blinks up at me, her bottom lip trembling a little before she’s back to smiling.
Jesus. This girl could win an Oscar.
