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I glance at him as he follows us, wondering if he minds me having that label when we’ve only had one date, but he just shakes hands with Neal while Mae kisses my cheek.
“So pleased to meet you,” Mae says. She’s in her fifties, but looks younger, with blonde, slightly wavy hair, and blue eyes several shades lighter and more dazzling than mine.
“And Alex, I’m so glad you’re here. He’s been invaluable,” she says to me, “helping to get everything organized. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him.” She gives him a hug and teases, “Who’d have thought that shy twelve-year-old nerd would have grown up into such a gorgeous man?”
“Still a nerd, though,” Damon says.
“Damn straight,” Alex says. “Forever and always.”
She grins. “How’s your mum?”
He slides his hands into his pockets. “All right.”
“And your dad, and Sherry?”
“They’re good, thanks.”
“I’m glad. Neal, get them a drink, would you?”
Damon’s dad flags down a passing waiter, takes two glasses of champagne from him, and passes them to us.
“Thank you,” I say. “You have a beautiful home.”
“It’s very useful on days like this,” Mae says. “When my baby boy is getting married.”
Damon rolls his eyes, and Belle and I chuckle. “Come on,” Damon says. “Lots of people to introduce you to.”
Leaving them behind, he leads us through the guests to a table looking out over the view of the city. It’s full of people, some sitting down, others standing and talking. Most of them look to be around our age. I’m relieved to recognize some of the faces, and spend a moment saying hello to Juliette, Henry, James, Gaby, Tyson, and Aroha, who I remember from the quiz night.
“Let me introduce you to everyone else,” Damon says. “Everyone, this is Alex’s girlfriend, Missie. Missie, these guys are all down from Auckland, you’ve probably heard Alex talk about them all—that’s Mack, and his wife Sidnie, my cousin Titus and his wife Heidi, Victoria and her wife Evie, and that’s Huxley and Elizabeth with little Teddy boy.” I say hello to them as they all wave. “And these are my brothers,” he says. “Kip and his wife, Alice, and Saxon and his wife, Catie. And their boys are Liam and Aidan.”
Alex mentioned that Damon’s brothers were identical twins, but I’m still oddly surprised at how alike they are. They’re not unlike their younger brother—Damon’s a couple of inches taller and a few pounds heavier.
“Sorry, which is which?” I ask as they come to shake hands with me.
“Kip wears glasses,” Damon states.
“Until they decide to play a trick on you and swap,” Alice says, and Catie nods as if to say That happened to me, too!
I chuckle and shake Kip’s hand, say, “Pleased to meet you,” then turn to Saxon and do the same.
“Hey, Missie,” Saxon says. He’s standing, bouncing one of his boys, who has bright red hair, the same as Catie’s. He glances at Alex, then gives me an appraising look. “You seem like a nice girl. So why are you with this miserable old fart, then?”
“Saxon,” Catie scolds as everyone laughs.
“He’s got a point,” Alex says, giving me a rueful look.
Wanting to defend Alex, because he’s not really grumpy deep down, I say mischievously, “Because he’s really, really good in the sack.”
There’s a moment of stunned silence, during which Alex stares at me, his eyebrows slowly rising. Then everyone bursts out laughing, and his lips slowly curve up.
“That’s the first time I think I’ve ever seen you speechless,” Saxon tells him. “I like her already.”
“Thank you for that,” Alex says to me, amused.
“See, why can’t you say nice things like that about me?” Huxley says to his wife.
“I would, if you didn’t fall asleep during sex,” Elizabeth retorts, and everyone laughs and goes ooooh!
