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“What a great party.” Lyric joined their little posse. True to form, Thatch wasn’t far behind.
“We’d better get out on the dance floor,” Thatch said to Silas. “Show them all how it’s done.”
“But all of your clothes are staying on tonight, boys,” Kyra warned sternly. “I’ve heard all about you two, and this is anelegantaffair.”
Silas shook his head. “Man. You strip at one Navy buddy’s drunken wedding reception—at the bride’s request, mind you—and everyone holds it over your head the rest of your life.”
“That was five years ago,” Thatch added. “We’ve matured since then.”
Tess laughed. “In all fairness, the bride did beg them to do a striptease. And it didn’t go further than their boxer briefs.” Thankfully. She’d attended that wedding with Jace and things had gotten a little wild after midnight. She decided not to mention that Aiden had been right there with Silas and Thatch. SEALs really knew how to let loose and party. “But I won’t vouch for their maturity since then.”
Silas made the dagger-to-the-heart motion again. “Come on.” He tugged her arm. “Let’s go dance and I’ll show you how much I’ve matured.”
“We’ll join you soon,” Kyra promised. “We still have a few more people to greet.”
“Count us in.” Lyric sidled up to Tess’s other side with Thatch and the four of them made their way through the crowd to the front of the stage.
The band had started playing “Little Bitty” by Alan Jackson.
“Perfect.” Silas took Tess’s hands and pulled her into a two-step. “I’ve been working on my moves.”
She was already laughing too hard to answer. He had moves, she’d give him that. With one hand on her waist and the other clasped around hers, Silas led her around the dance floor, two-stepping and twirling and spinning her until she had no choice but to look only at him. God, she’d forgotten how fun it was to dance—to move with the music, to get her heart rate going with the beat.
At the end of the song, he dipped her low and she didn’t even have a chance to catch her breath before the band struck up a lively rendition of “Let’s Go to Vegas” and they were off again, dancing and laughing until she was almost dizzy.
Lyric and Thatch had disappeared in the crowd somewhere, but that didn’t even matter. Silas was taking good care of her.
She lost track of how many songs they danced to before she had to stop.
Silas was out of breath too. “Are you having fun?”
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled and laughed for this long. Her cheeks ached as much as her feet. But it was the best kind of ache. “I’m having fun.”
“I’m glad.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll go get us some drinks. What’ll you have?”
She shot him a sheepish frown. “Water?” If they were going to continue dancing like this, she’d need to hydrate.
“You got it.” He stepped away. “Be right back. Stay put.”
“I will.” She wasn’t sure she could walk very far right now anyway. The boots might’ve been a mistake.
“Tess?”
The voice behind her made every muscle in her neck tense. She turned, already bracing herself. “Hi, DeAnn.” She should’ve been on alert, watching for Jace’s cousin. Jace and DeAnn had been close after growing up just down the street from each other in California.
“Wow.” The woman looked much the same as she had when they’d all been teenagers, except her dark hair was shorter and she smiled less. “I’m so surprised you’re here. I mean, I know Aiden said you were coming, but I wasn’t sure.”
“Of course I’m here.” She grasped at her fading smile. DeAnn had visited her six months after the funeral and had seemed to criticize everything Tess had done that weekend—with the girls, with the house, with the ranch. Because she didn’t do things exactly like Jace had done them. “It’s my brother’s engagement party,” she reminded her.
“I know. But things have been incredibly difficult since Jace passed away, haven’t they?” DeAnn’s mouth pinched. “It would’ve been understandable if you didn’t feel like partying.”
DeAnn lived in the camp of people who thought Tess should still be holed up at home the way she’d been for a good two years. “The girls and I are doing better,” she said politely.
“You seem to be doing more than better.” DeAnn didn’t even try to disguise the judgment in her tone. “I saw you dancing with Silas Beck. Wasn’t he Jace’s best friend?”
“Yes.” So what? Her face was getting hot. “He and Thatch and Aiden have been my saving grace over the last two years.” And she had every right to dance with whomever she wanted to dance with.
“God, I still miss Jace so much,” DeAnn said through a sigh. “I do everything I can to keep his memory alive with my boys.”
