Anna and Miles breezed through the hall, greeting people briefly and sharing a few hugs, before they found their way to the family table and sat in their seats at the head.
“Hi,” Anna said a little breathlessly, like she was still in disbelief. “Wow.” Then she shot me a bright, pretty smile. “You must be Tanner.”
“Thanks for having me,” I said. “You look so gorgeous—I can hardly believe Beau is related to you.”
She laughed, throwing her head back in surprised glee. “Me neither. Thanks for being here.”
Heather seemed a little more at ease with Anna there, and the conversation quickly turned to gushing over the details of the wedding. Then came the speeches: a lot of speeches, some sober, some a little drunken, first from friends, and then from family. After Beau’s father, Alan, gave a slightly stilted, tearful toast about how proud he was of Anna and how glad he was to have Miles as a son-in-law, Beau steeled himself and stood at the front of the room.
“I promise I’m the last one. You do get to eat after this,” he said, to titters of laughter from the crowd. “I’m Beau, I’m Anna’s older brother.” He turned to face the table, directing his toast to her. “Anna was always a little difficult growing up. Very opinionated. A little sassy. We used to drive each other crazy, didn’t we?”
Anna laughed and nodded in agreement.
“The thing is, though,” Beau said, “because she ended up being so selfless and kind, I can’t even get mad about all the names she used to call me. I’ll admit I can be a kind of overprotective brother”—he rolled his eyes at Anna’s overemphasized agreement—“and I don’t know a whole lot about love.”
Then his gaze flickered to mine, holding it briefly, before sliding back to Anna.
Confusion turned my stomach, followed by a warm rush of attraction. What exactly did that curious look mean? Did he want to learn more? With… me?
I wasn’t exactly an expert myself, but I thought I could teach him a thing or two. At least for tonight.
“But I know what my sister’s like when she’s happy, and I know that Miles has made her happier than anything else in a long time,” Beau said. “I’m grateful she’s found her foundation. Cheers, and welcome to the family, Miles.”
Beau sat back down at my side, and Anna was very valiantly trying not to cry. “Stop that,” she said to Beau as he laughed. “I’ll ruin my makeup.”
He nudged his shoulder against mine. “How’d I do?”
I slid my hand over his knee before I even realized I was doing it. “I thought it was great,” I said. “Very earnest.”
Beau grinned, pleased. Then the catering staff finally (finally!) appeared with dinner.
Over a meal of steak and salad and vegetables I couldn’t identify, Heather finally pinned me with her gray eyes. “So,” she started coolly. “How’d you two meet?”
“Well, uh—” Beau started.
“It was—” I said at the same time.
Beau looked at me with terror in his widened eyes. I resisted the urge to roll mine. Had he really already forgotten the story we’d agreed on?
“I help out at the bakery in Junee occasionally,” I said. “Beau was one of my regulars, but he was so terribly respectful, he didn’t ask me out until I wrote my number on his latte three different times.”
That got a few laughs around the table. The tense line of Beau’s shoulders eased slightly as I ran my hand over his knee again.
“In my defense, I didn’t see the number the first time,” he said, playing along.
“What about the second time?” I teased.
“I thought it was a joke. Or a fake number.” He shrugged. “You’re out of my league.”
“Oh, you two are cute,” Anna said delightedly.
Heather still looked pained, but Anna’s reaction kept her from saying anything that wasn’t coldly polite. Beau’s grandmother watched the interaction with carefully attentive eyes.
After that, with food and wine, the conversation flowed a little easier. I learned about Anna’s work as an advocacy lawyer, and Miles’ job as a high school teacher at a private academy. With the way Heather emphasized private, I got the sense she wouldn’t be so keen on him if he taught in the public system. Beau’s grandmother told raunchy jokes, teased Beau mercilessly, and gushed over Anna in the same breath. Alan watched all of this with an easy smile—he was quiet, and seemed content to let Heather run the table.
It was easier than I thought it would be. I was more than happy to sit back and let the family sink into familiar conversation, swapping stories and jokes and laughter.
Eventually the staff cleared away the dinner, and the music picked up. “We’d like to invite Anna and Miles to the floor now for their first dance.”
The room quieted as Anna and Miles stood up. Miles took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor, smiling wide but somehow private—a smile only for her.
They danced to something that sounded to my untrained ear like a waltz, wrapped up in each other starry-eyed despite the crowd watching. Heather patted Alan’s forearm as he wiped away tears. Afterward, the wedding band picked up the pace, playing something a little more jazzy and upbeat, and the band invited the other couples to the dance floor. Anna and Miles were in the center, wrapped up in each other, as other guests slowly filtered from the tables to join them.
Beau and I were the only ones at the table—even his Gran had gotten up to dance.
“Come on.” Beau stood up, pushing his chair out from the table determinedly, and then offered me his hand. “Let’s do this.”
“What?” I said, raising my eyebrows.
“Dance,” Beau clarified, like that wasn’t obvious.
I glanced around the hall, and then shot him a little smirk. “Ask nicely.”
“Are you serious?”
I crossed my arms over my chest.
Beau sighed. “May I have this dance, Tru?” he asked, faux-politely.
“You may,” I said with a winning grin, and as I took Beau’s hand, I was happy to see a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, too.
Truth was, I was shocked that he’d even offered, let alone gone along with my teasing. He was so uptight, especially tonight, I thought for sure he’d want to fade into the background and let the rest of the attendees do the dancing. But maybe not participating would garner more attention.
Regardless of the reason, he kept a firm grip on my hand as he pulled me toward the populated dance floor.
The wedding band’s fast-paced tune ended, and they transitioned into something slower, pretty, with a familiar edge of nostalgia to it. Beau wasn’t intimidated, though; he simply tugged me closer to him with one hand set comfortably at my hip like we’d done it a thousand times. I looped an arm around his neck, and he led the dance with our other hands still clasped.
He was a good dancer. I hadn’t expected it, not really—I thought he’d be the type to trip over his own feet, or worse, just sway side-to-side stiffly while being hyper-aware of all the eyes on us. But instead he was relaxed, moving comfortably to the music, and his attention was focused on me.
I liked being the center of attention. I liked knowing his family was watching us, and that he was still treating me like his boyfriend. It surprised me, honestly. The way he’d talked about this wedding, I thought he’d be… I wasn’t sure. Shyer? More awkward? More embarrassed? But instead, I got this Beau: attentive, focused, and chivalrous. I liked this Beau. I could get used to this Beau.