He grabs Wes’s arm, giving it a quick tug. “I know this fellow more than anyone in this place. His grandma and I were quite the couple.” He raises his brows, and I have to stifle a laugh at how cute he looks, talking about Wes’s grandma.
“Yes, they were,” Wes validates. “And my grandma tended to have a bigger mouth than she should have.”
“Nope. You tell the one you love everything.” He leans in. “And the best parts are about other people,” he says with a chuckle to his voice. “Now, come in. Let me meet the girl I’ve heard so much about now that this one finally got off his butt and did something about those feelings of his.” He thumbs over to Wes, who, to my surprise, isn’t embarrassed or mad that Ron is spilling his guts about how Wes has felt about me all this time.
We sit down, and Ron instantly says, “I know his grandma is smiling down on him right now. She always hoped you’d be the one he ended up with. I heard your family has done a lot for this boy, and she was very grateful that they stepped in when she couldn’t.”
I smile brightly in Wes’s direction as he takes my hand again.
We spend a good part of the afternoon with Ron. Hearing the two of them joke with each other and tell me story after story fills my heart with so much joy. Now, I totally understand why Wes volunteers here. He could have just come out and explained why to everyone, but that would have taken this special moment away. It’s something that’s only his—his family here—and now, he’s sharing it with me.
Ron looks at his watch and then pats either side of the recliner he’s sitting in. “Well, it’s time for me to get ready. I don’t want to be late.”
“Sure, we’ll get out of here. Thanks for letting us visit,” Wes says as we all stand.
“Are you kidding me? It was my pleasure to finally meet you, Stacey.” He leans in to give me a hug.
“It was really nice meeting you too,” I respond.
“Now, you guys are staying for the special event, right?” he asks.
“Yep, we’ll see you there,” Wes replies as we make our way out the door.
Once we’re out in the hallway, I turn to Wes. “What’s so special?”
Wes leans in to whisper in my ear. “It’s dance night.” Then, he places a kiss on my cheek.
“They have dances here? That’s so sweet. I bet they’re fun.”
“They are. And you’re about to find out firsthand.” He tugs on my hand and walks me back into the leisure room.
We spend the next hour changing the room around into a dance club of sorts, only from the ’50s era instead of what they look like today. After we push all the tables out of the way, we cover them in red tablecloths with a vase full of white roses on each table. We hang decorations and blow up balloons to float around the room. With punch and cookies set up on the side tables, it reminds me of a movie set from a prom in the ’50s.
Edna is the first I recognize to enter. She’s changed into a pair of slacks and a long blouse, and she’s now wearing bright red lipstick with oversize coral earrings.
“You look beautiful, Edna,” Wes says, and I agree.
Ron and the others stroll in after her. Everyone looks like they’re dressed for church, and they all have smiles on their faces.
Wes turns to me and says, “Dance with me?”
I glance around the room, questioning if this is normal or not. No one is dancing yet, so I give him a questioning expression.
Edna nudges my arm. “Never turn down a man who’s offering to dance.” She winks before staring googly-eyed up at Wes.
I place my fingers in his as he swings me around to the center of the room as “My Way” by Frank Sinatra provides us the slow rhythm to move to.
We dance face-to-face, him with one hand behind my back and the other holding my arm out to the right. He twirls me around the room like no one ever has before.
I can’t hide the smile on my face when I ask, “How’d you learn to dance?”
He stands taller. “My grandma always told me a man should be able to lead his woman around the dance floor, so she made sure that I would be able to do so.”
“She taught you well.”
“I needed a good influence in my life. Between her and your parents and Chad, it’s the only way I didn’t become a complete screwup. Man, your brother has kept me from making some stupid decisions in my life.”
“You really care about my brother, don’t you?”
“He’s my best friend. You can’t replace that.”
My heart soars at how tenderly he talks of their friendship. Most people find family to be the most important thing, but Wes doesn’t have that. He had to find that connection elsewhere.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks as he pulls me closer.
Looking up into his eyes, I say, “My family is your family.”
He twists his mouth. “That complicates things.”
I shake my head and disagree, “No, it makes things simpler.”
His mouth lowers and brushes tenderly across my lips. I tug on the back of his neck when someone taps on my shoulder.
“Mind if I cut in?” Edna asks, kind of pushing me away a little. “You get to go home with him. Least you can do is let an old lady have something to dream about when she goes to bed tonight.”
I giggle as I relinquish my date to Edna and then walk over to Ron. “Would you like to dance?”
He doesn’t think twice as he puts down his cup of punch and takes my hand.
For the next hour, Wes and I dance with many people. We laugh, smile, and have the best time. When it’s time to go, I walk out with a happy heart, thrilled that he asked me to come with him today.
The ride home is quiet and enjoyable. Wes puts Lite FM on, and I’m thrilled to hear a Rod Stewart song, which I hum the entire way. The windows are down, and the autumn breeze whips through my hair while I look at the man in the driver’s seat and appreciate just how amazing he is.
When we get home, Wes pulls up into his parking spot next to Chad’s car. Just seeing his car here reminds me that we still have to tell him about us.
Wes turns the car off but doesn’t move to exit. Instead, he’s staring at Chad’s car with a furrowed brow and pursed lips. I turn to him, confused by the long face.
“We can’t tell him yet,” he spits out, and my stomach churns.
“Not this again—”
“No. That’s not what I mean.” He turns to me fully and places his hand on top of mine. “It’s just … Chad and I know everything about each other. That’s good when you consider how close it’s brought us over the years, but trust me when I say, it’s awful when I’m dating his sister.”
“His sister who doesn’t care what her brother thinks.”
“But I care what he thinks. He is not going to be happy. You heard him when you moved in and at the bar. He’s okay with you dating as long as it’s not a guy on the team and most definitely not me. I haven’t been an angel. Thirty-one flavors was a real thing. I came to Cal with a mission to bang as many girls as possible, and I did some damage. I don’t regret anything I’ve said or done, but I do wish my decisions weren’t going to haunt this relationship.”