“That sounds so much better than a night spent in my pajamas with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.”
“You didn’t go?”
She shakes her head. “I couldn’t…”
My hand cups her nape, my thumb moving across her jaw. I start to dip my face at the same time her chin tilts up. But then we realize where we are. Surrounded by her family and friends, watching us as we take a painful stroll down our past.
We continue to sway through the changing songs and the movement of couples dancing around us. We know we should part ways, go back to our respective seats, and sip wine and enjoy the vanilla cake making its way to each table before we start to garner more looks and attention than deemed appropriate, but it’s hard to let go. It’s hard to watch Teeny walk away when all I want to do is whisk her away somewhere quiet. Somewhere we won’t need to think twice about what we want to do.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Teeny
NOW
“Should you be manning the grill?”
Andrew looks up at me, a wounded look on his face. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“Didn’t you burn the burgers last time we left you alone with a spatula?”
He scoffs. “That was like, ten years ago. I’ve learned my lesson.”
“No, Teeny’s right,” James cuts in. “I can’t risk you burning all of these precious short ribs.” He snatches the tongs from Andrew’s hand just as he protests.
“What the fuck!”
“Hey, watch your mouth in front of your mom,” my dad warns, his back to us but his ears on high alert.
“Whatever,” Andrew says glumly. “I’m going to get a beer.”
“Get me one too,” James calls, and Andrew responds with a middle finger thrown over his back.
I take a sip of my own beer when my phone buzzes in the pocket of my dress. I pull it out, swiping through it to an alert showing a new text message from Leo.
Leo
I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.
Me
Okay. Sadie’s swimming but I’ll tell her to get out.
“Is that Josh?” James asks. “I thought he’d be here by now.”
I shake my head, nudging away the disquiet of having to see Leo and focusing on ways to remain cordial through our pending exchange. “It’s Leo. He’s picking up Sadie.”
“Here? He’s coming here?”
“Yeah. He’s going camping with Javi and their kids, so he’s taking Sadie too.”
He nods, his focus on the sizzling meat in front of him. “That’s good. I’m sure Sadie misses him.”
“Yeah.” There’s a bit of an awkward pause between us, but I fill it by rearranging some of the grilling tools my dad laid out for us to use. Even clacking the hard bottom of my beer bottle onto the surface of the fold-out table, right next to a tray of salad and other side dishes my mom prepared.
“James.” Both James and I look toward the inside of my parents’ house, the sounds of water splashing and Sadie and Sophia playing in the pool mixing with the warm summer breeze as we all lazily enjoy a post-wedding celebration my parents put together for Josh and Mina. My mom has her head poked out the side of the glass doors, looking at James. “Can you take out the trash?”
He’s in the middle of flipping a few short ribs, the sweet marinade scent mingling with the cloud of smoke surrounding him. “Yeah,” he answers, his movements turning rushed. “I just gotta turn these.”
