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He levels me a look.
“Are you trying to give me a compliment, Finnegan?” I tease. Am I fishing? You better believe it. Screw it, I’ve earned it.
He walks slowly toward me, wrapping one big hand around the back of my neck and guiding his lips to my ear.
“Natalie, when we get out of here, I’m going to give you everything, more than you could ever ask for, more than you’ve ever imagined. A compliment is the only thing I can give you in front of all these cameras without getting us all arrested.”
I shiver. Nic is clearly enjoying this, and if the way he’s fiddling with the buttons on his jacket is any indication, he knows exactly what Finn’s getting at.
How is this real? How is this my life?
A flash goes off in the middle of the three of us, grinning at each other like idiots.
The rest of the party is a blur of small talk, usually preceded by somebody saying, “Oh my God, Natalie, is that you? I didn’t recognize you.”
It’s gratifying, no doubt. But after the tenth time, I’m ready to skip that part of the conversation.
The dance floor gets more crowded as the night goes on, with more and more people joining in after enough trips to the bar. At least, that’s what it takes for me. After dinner and my second glass of champagne, I finally let Nic escort me out to the dance floor for a cheek-to-cheek slow dance that I’m positive leaves me with hearts in my eyes. Nic looks no less affected, and not for the first time, I wonder what’s in store for us when we get back home.
Home. That word again.
It’s dangerous to use words like that, even in the privacy of my own mind. We’ve been dancing around the edge of things like relationship and commitment. But home is awfully big for a four-letter word, and lately, it’s not the only one that comes to mind when I think of what’s in store for the three of us.
“Mind if I cut in?” Finn taps me on the shoulder. Nic steps back as though to let Finn take his place. Finn grabs his hand before he can walk away, indicating with his chin for Nic to turn and look.
More than one couple on the dance floor are men with their male partners.
“You sure you want to do this?” Nic pitches the question low. Finn takes my hand, kissing my knuckles again.
“Only if it’s okay with Natalie.”
Grinning so hard my face feels like it may split, I kiss his hand right back. We both ignore the tears in my eyes. “Go with my blessing.”
Finn pulls Nic close, laughing. Nic is smiling with his whole face lit from within. He looks like that when he looks at me, and how I’m supposed to bear so much joy when we have to live in the real world is beyond me.
It’s a big moment for both of them. Not coming out, exactly. Not an announcement. Not a declaration of anything other than dancing with another man. But we know.
I’m intercepted by Alex before I can even return to our table. I dance with him, then Elliot, then Joelle joins us, and before long, the floor is standing room only.
It’s too loud to talk anymore, so when Nic grabs us both and points to his watch, I nod.
I look around the room one last time, waving goodbye to a few friendly faces. Joelle and I exchange phone numbers, and she and her husbands hug each of us goodbye in turn. Strange to think we’re leaving this place with more friends than we started, but tonight is a small step outside of reality in more ways than one.
On our way out, we pass Tawdra and her friends, plus Jeff and a handful of other men I don’t know, standing in a group. It’s too loud to hear, even this far from the dance floor, but Tawdra doesn’t bother to hide that she’s talking about us. Jeff just stares, watching me as we make our way to the lobby.
Donning our coats, we step outside, waiting for our car. The silence is a shock to my ears and a relief.
We don’t talk on the way home. Nic and Finn take their seats on either side of me, each with a hand on my knee, and I know, without a doubt, that for us, the night has only just begun.
26
FINN
“You turned Alex into a stuttering mess,” I say, still laughing as we file into Nic’s apartment. “Elliot’s going to be giving him grief about that for years.”
“Oh, no.” Natalie blushes brilliantly. “I don’t want to upset Joelle. Do you think?—”
“I think they’re all human, is what I think. You’re not the first woman Alex has been attracted to. Or Elliot, for that matter. For all I know, you might not be the first woman to catch Joelle’s eye, either.”
