Natalia was always the life of the party, whereas I was the one who loved to be in bed before ten. We were like night and day, yet somehow managed to balance each other out. Tonight, her energy was just as contagious as always, but I knew my limitations. I needed a quick time-out from all the festivities before I crashed too early.
“Actually, it’s warm in here, Nat. I’m going to pop into the lady’s room and freshen up first if that’s okay. I’ll meet you on the dance floor in a bit.”
“Sure thing, toots. See you in a few.”
Ten minutes later, I exited the restroom and returned to the reception. When I stepped over the threshold into the large hotel banquet room, my ears were assaulted by loud music. I glanced around for Ethan. He was still deep in conversation with the men at the bar. I spotted Natalia on the dance floor with Ben, but I didn’t see Teddy. I knew I should join them, but just the thought of going back into a room where the air was thick and heated from all the dancing bodies made me hot and tired all over again. I needed to get away for a bit of fresh air—even if it was only for a few minutes. Turning away from the crowded room, I walked down the corridor to the outside hotel courtyard.
As soon as I stepped outside, the cool early September night air washed over me. It felt good on my skin and seemed to loosen the heavy satin dress sticking to my body. I spotted a wrought-iron bench a few feet away, walked over to it, and sat down to toe-off my heels. Leaning back, I closed my eyes and breathed deep.
“Runaway bride?” said a deep voice.
Startled, my eyes snapped open. I thought I was alone but standing in front of me was a man wearing frayed jeans and a fitted black t-shirt. Clearly, he was not one of the guests from the wedding, but rather someone who happened to be staying at the host hotel.
“Sort of, I guess. Although, I can assure you—I’m not running from my husband. I’m just taking a break from the stifling heat in the room,” I admitted with a small laugh.
“I can appreciate that. I’m not one for crowds, either.”
“Oh, I don’t mind crowds, but being the center of attention for hours on end is exhausting. All the pictures, people clinking their glasses trying to get me to kiss the groom every thirty seconds… stuff like that. I know it’s well-intended, but it can be suffocating. Does that make sense, or do I sound like a brat?”
He chuckled.
“I hear you completely. And no, you don’t sound like a brat. You sound like a bride who just wants to take a few minutes to recharge. Mind if I sit down?”
“Oh, um… sure.” I moved to gather the many layers of my wedding dress to make room on the bench. Every time I thought I had them all, another one would spill free. I’d love to know who thought crinoline was a good idea. I huffed out a breath in frustration, and the stranger laughed again.
“It’s okay, I can stand.”
“Don’t be silly. This bench has to be eight feet long. There’s room if I can figure out where this damn dress ends.” After another few seconds of rustling and gathering, I had the dress piled onto my lap, leaving plenty of space on the long bench for the man to sit. “There, see? Please, have a seat.”
He nodded his thanks and sat down. Leaning back, he stretched one arm over the back of the bench.
“So, I suppose congratulations are in order,” he said with a wink. “He’s a lucky man.”
I blushed from the indirect compliment.
“And I’m a lucky girl.”
“I guess you have a big party inside,” the stranger mused.
“You could say that. We have three hundred guests in attendance, but I only know about twenty of them,” I added with a light laugh.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Most of them are my husbands’ friends, family, and colleagues. I don’t really have any family and only had a handful of friends to invite,” I said with a small shrug. “I’m the belle of the ball, yet I barely know anyone at my party.”
“Well, parents should count for something.”
“Not for me. I don’t know my father. Well, I did but he left when I was just a little girl.”
“Oh? That’s too bad.”
“Not really,” I said, shrugging with indifference. “My memories of him are limited but I don’t remember him being a very good father. He and my mother… well, they didn’t really get along. I don’t even know why he left. My mother never offered an explanation, and I never asked. Time passed, and asking her about him just didn’t seem important until it was too late. She died a few years ago. Cancer won the fight.”
His hand reached out, almost as if he wanted to place a comforting hand on my shoulder, but he pulled back at the last minute.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I wish she was here. I miss her,” I said, unable to mask the melancholy that settled over me. My mother was an only child like I was. My grandparents had passed before I was born, and I had no aunts, uncles, or cousins to speak of. Until today, I never really appreciated what it meant to have a big family—to be surrounded by loved ones on one of the biggest days of your life.
“It’s natural to miss her—especially on a day like today, but I wouldn’t worry about not knowing anyone else. These big weddings are really all about how much is in the gift envelopes, anyway.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“Well, that’s a callous way to look at it.”
“Is it? I mean, today is really all about you and your new husband. Tomorrow, none of those people will matter. It’s all about you and the life you’re going to build together. I don’t think that’s callous but knowing what really matters.”
“I suppose,” I said contemplatively.
“Perhaps someday, I’ll find the right person. I want a woman who I can cherish—where the sun rises and sets on her happiness, you know? I was once told I’d meet the woman I was meant to be with when I least expected it.” He paused and stared at me intently, curiosity clouding his eyes. “Maybe I already met her and just don’t know it yet.”
A flush began to rise up my neck, unsure of the meaning behind his words.
Did he mean me?
Surly, that’s not what he meant. We’d only just met. Nevertheless, I couldn’t deny the peculiar way he looked at me—or the unexplainable butterflies that danced in my stomach at his words.
I watched him carefully, taking in his features for the first time. His sandy brown hair was wavy, bordering on curly, and cut short as if he thought he could tame the unruliness by shortening the length. His skin was the color of golden honey, like a Coppertone beach tan, from spending a healthy dose of his time outdoors. Although the lighting was dim, I could almost make out the color of his eyes. They were light brown, hazel perhaps, but I wasn’t close enough to distinguish the color of the little flecks that glinted when he smiled… at me. It was a roguish grin, like he had a secret only he knew.
As if there were a magnet between us, our bodies turned toward each other, and we shared a held breath. The force of the pull blocked out the crickets, the faint music from the banquet room carrying through to the outside, and all the other sounds of the night. My stomach clenched again with those mysterious little butterflies. They swirled deep in my belly. He was looking at me so intently, his gaze traveling from my face to the curve of my breasts rounding above the sweetheart neckline of the strapless dress. The heat that had begun to rise up my neck flooded my cheeks.