"Phoenix?" Floyd says with a laugh. "Do they have many mountain men over there?"
A schoolgirl giggle escapes my lips, and I feel my cheeks burn. Stop being so obvious, Lexi.
"Also, I think my Aunt Gertrude assumes we're staying at the cabin together."
"Oh really? Well, I guess that makes sense," he says, contemplating out the window.
"Which you obviously do not need to do," I quickly add, feeling horrified that maybe I sounded like I wanted him to stay with me. "We can just say you're sharing the rental with me and not mention your own place on the lake."
"Sounds like a plan," Floyd says, his smile lighting up his blue eyes.
My body quickly takes notice, with my pussy humming as I squirm in the booth.
"Anyway, so I was briefly dating this guy, and I actually wasn't even planning on asking him to come to the wedding since I was thinking I was going to end it. But then this whole thing happened with my aunt and, well, I told her I would bring him, and then he just happened to end it," I say, laughing at the ridiculousness of my story. "I guess that's pretty much it. Basically, you've been involved with the rest."
"You're an adult woman. Why does she care so much about whether you have a boyfriend at your cousin's wedding?" he asks me, studying my face.
"I'm 44. She is horrified that I've never been married," I say, feeling my neck burn at the admission.
"Dang, 44? I'm a fossil next to you," he quips, but I see a look of concern dance behind his eyes.
"How on earth are you a fossil?"
"I'm 56," he says, cringing. "I'm an old ass man next to you."
"There's nothing old ass that I can see," I blurt out.
My entire face set on fire as the bearded mountain man grins at me and my big mouth.
While the servers take away our empty plates, Aunt Gertrude continues to fawn over Floyd. She has definitely taken to him, as have several other family members. At one point, CeCe passes me to go use the restroom and leans down, whispering, "He is drop-dead gorgeous, Lexi. Well done!"
After dessert, several couples go to the dance floor, and Aunt Gertrude insists we join them.
"Go on now! Enjoy your young love," she says, beaming up at Floyd.
My heart slams against my ribs as I follow him out to the dance floor. When he pulls me into his arms, I have to swallow a gasp. My body feels like an electrical storm is swimming through my veins as he wraps me in his brawny arms.
Clearing my throat nervously, I whisper to him, "Are you surviving all of this?"
Floyd grins down at me, his blue eyes sparkling in the restaurant's fairy lights.
"Piece of cake," he says.
"Sorry, my aunt seems obsessed with you," I say, and a laugh bellows out of his chest.
"No worries at all. I'm happy to help."
We sway to the music for a couple of minutes, and most of the time, I'm just focusing on not letting my Jell-O legs give out on me. When we walk back to the table, Floyd takes my hand in his, giving it a supportive squeeze. As we return to our seats, I notice Aunt Gertrude furrowing her brow at me.
"Lexi, you two have not kissed once!" she says irritably, and my entire body stiffens at the word kissed.
I hadn't even thought that she would expect to see us being affectionate in that way. Usually, she is such a prude.
"Aunt Gertrude, you hate PDA."
She sniffs, shaking her head.
"Not when it involves my spinster niece, I do not," she says shrilly.
