I laughed and clapped with everyone else.
Expanding their family for these two meant another dog.
Just one more way this wedding had me reeling. Life didn’t have to be two kids and a white picket fence. Grant and Kara proved that.
Outside my usual routine, outside my usual surroundings, I was seeing things in a different way and it was throwing me for a loop.
Hard.
The sun had dipped lower and the music was turned up. The energy shifted again and people drifted toward the makeshift dance floor.
I excused myself from a table full of my aunts and stepped away.
Instead of heading inside, I walked toward the treeline for a breath of air.
There was a creek nearby, water moving slowly over rocks, and I followed the sound. The noise of conversation and music faded behind me with every step.
Taking another deep breath, I hoped the cooler air and smell of the forest would calm me.
Normally it would have.
But tonight, it wasn’t enough.
As I reached the creek bank, I slowed.
There was the shape of a figure standing and looking at the water.
I wasn’t alone.
Chapter Eleven
Wren
Atwig snapped and I glanced over my shoulder to see a shadowed figure approaching. I knew who it was without having to see his face. “If you’re looking to be alone, this spot’s taken,” I teased.
He snorted and moved to stand next to me. “I don’t mind a little company.”
“Did you have fun tonight?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Although it is very different from my usual, this dress shirt is driving me nuts.” He undid the top few buttons and shook out the fabric. My eyes caught on the starburst of black ink across the top of his chest.
“I feel the same way about these shoes. I’m glad they weren’t heels but I’m used to hiking boots.”
“Take them off,” he said. His words sent a tingle up my spine. I slid them off and wiggled my toes in the dust.
“Better?”
“Much.”
“Good. You still have one more thing to do before you call it a night.” I turned towards him, his face partly hidden in shadow, towering over me in my bare feet.
“And what’s that?”
“Dance with me.” My heart flipped over in my chest.
“I’m not much of a dancer,” I said but I was already reaching for him, my hands settling on his broad shoulders.
He slid his hands over my waist, his touch raising goosebumps on my skin. His hand settled low on my back, and he pulled me closer until there was no space left between us.
