Page 112 of Romeo

I leaned closer until my mouth was near her ear. “Breathe, Cher. They’re staring because you’re the most beautiful girl in the room. Let them look.”

Her shoulders loosened a little.

“Easy for you to say.”

“Why?”

“Because people probably stare at you everywhere you go.”

“That’s true.”

She looked up at me.

I grinned. “What? You want me to lie?”

The laugh that slipped out was exactly what I’d been after. I tipped my head toward the dance floor. “Come on. Let’s give them something to really stare at.”

The song changed before we reached the middle of the floor, slowing enough that I took her hand and drew her closer. Her other hand settled carefully on my shoulder while mine rested at the small of her back.

For someone who’d looked ready to bolt five minutes ago, she fit against me with surprising ease.

Then we started moving.

“You’re a good dancer,” she said after a moment.

“Mama made sure me and Gator knew how to dance. She told me a boy learns to dance for fun. A man learns because one day there’ll be a woman worth crossing the room for.”

Fiona’s gaze lifted to mine. “Your mama sounds like a smart woman.”

“She is.” I guided her into an easy turn before bringing her back. “She’ll like you.”

Color touched her cheeks. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

That answer seemed to leave her with nowhere to look but at me.

For a while, neither of us said anything. The music filled the space where conversation usually lived, and I let myself enjoy having her close without trying to turn the moment into something more than she’d chosen.

Her fingers relaxed against my shoulder.

Mine stayed where they belonged.

“Thank you,” she said eventually.

“For what?”

“For this. For showing up. For...” She looked down briefly before meeting my eyes again. “For making me feel like I matter.”

My feet stopped before I could help it. People moved around us, dancing and laughing, but Fiona watched me as though my response was the most important thing in that room.

“You matter, Fiona.”

Her lips parted slightly.

“More than you know,” I added.

Something flickered across her face, so quick I almost missed it. Then she smiled, tentative and beautiful, and I started moving again before I did something stupid like tell her every truth I’d spent months keeping to myself.