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In hindsight, I was grateful for Gretchen’s lack of originality.
Aunt Sue had done a great job with the decorations. She and Uncle Bill must have spent a fortune on the flowers draped over the bannisters and all the guests’ chairs. The space had been so elaborately done up that if I squinted I could almost pretend I hadn’t been to five other family weddings in this exact location over the past two years.
“We should sit near the back,” Reggie murmured, once we were inside. “That way I can slide my hand up your leg and whisper filthy things into your ear when I get bored.”
He winked lasciviously at me.
“Behave,” I warned, though I was trying not to laugh. The string ensemble from the high school where my mom had taught was playing a passable version of Pachelbel’sCanon. I willed myself to focus on the music to distract myself from how brilliantly the sunlight streaming in through the windows brought out the blue of Reggie’s eyes.
“I do what I want,” he countered, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “I’ll behave if it suits me.” But he sat beside me in one of the back rows without further comment, taking my hand in his.
People began filing into the room in greater numbers, and it wasn’t long before I saw relatives I hadn’t seen since the last family wedding. Several of my mom’s siblings sat towards the front of the room, casting warm smiles at Aunt Sue. Sarah, the cousin who two years ago had sent her wedding invitation to my officeinstead of my apartment, sat a few rows back, her husband on one side of her and her father on the other.
I couldn’t be sure, but Sarah looked about five months pregnant. If she was, that meant a family baby shower invitation would be coming in my near future.
Most of my relatives smiled when they saw me, a moment before their eyes slid to Reggie. If he noticed their appraising glances, he showed no sign of caring. He was busy murmuring a quiet running commentary into my ear. He had a lot to say on everyone’s outfits, the flowers, and the musical missteps of those poor high school musicians who were definitely just doing their best.
“When will parachute pantsfinallycome back into style?” he mused quietly, as my cousin Elaine, who I’d never seen in anything but skintight leather pants, sat directly in front of us. Today’s pair was a deep shade of burgundy. “Nowthatwas fashion.”
As if Elaine had guessed he was talking about her, she turned around in her seat to face us. “Isn’t this place gorgeous?” she asked on a sigh.
“Yes,” Reggie said. But he kept his gaze on me. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
I couldn’t help but grin at him.
A few months ago, being in that country club around so much family and their judgments would have been crushing. But sitting next to Reggie made being here easy. Reggie making me laugh, sitting beside me holding my hand…
It made it hard to focus on anything but him, and how happy I was.
When Gretchen walked down the aisle on her father’s arm some minutes later, beautiful and smiling in her wedding dress, my mind drifted to all the times Reggie had said he’d neverdemand forever from me.What if later onI’mthe one who wants forever?I wanted to ask him now.
I glanced at Reggie out of the corner of my eye. He was still unabashedly looking back at me, not at the bride, with an intensity I would have given anything to parse.
I covered his hand that rested on my leg and gave it a gentle squeeze.
And then the ceremony began, and all opportunity for conversation ended.
•••••••
The ceremony was lovely.
Gretchen said her vows with the practiced grace her years of voice training had given her. Josh stumbled a bit over his own vows on account of the tears welling in his eyes.
It had all been very sweet. And Reggie had stayed remarkably well-behaved through most of it, aside from the two times he had, as promised, leaned over to whisper such dirty things to me my face turned red.
“It’s a good thing you kept your voice down,” I said as we watched people file out of the room and make their way to the ballroom. “If Dad had overheard the weird sex stuff you just proposed doing to his only daughter, he would definitely retract his good opinion of you.”
“I’m not sure that’s true,” Reggie said, grinning. “Your dad loves me.”
“He does like you reasonably well,” I teased. A massive understatement. “But he has his limits.”
Reggie winked at me. “Worth it, if any of what I said made you smile.”
The reception was already underway by the time we got there,arm in arm. The ballroom, just like the room where the ceremony had taken place, was bedecked in flowers. Aunt Sue had really gone all out. Lilies of the valley and chrysanthemums trailed along bannisters and railings, and large topiaries were stationed on either side of the ballroom entrance. People were already mingling at the bar with wineglasses in hand as the DJ began setting up for whatever he had planned for the evening.
“Don’t look now,” Reggie murmured, pulling me close, “but one of your relatives is heading straight for us.”
“Who?” I whispered back.
