Page 67 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2

“Shh.” I ran a finger over his raised eyebrow to ease it back into place. He huffed and I grinned as we ambled along until he came to an abrupt stop.

“Poppet,” Matt took my left hand, making a show of rubbing my wedding band and engagement ring. “Should we have done this?”

Biting back the immediate ‘what the hell, what thehell?’ response, I took an uneasy breath to ask, “Done what? Got married?”

He gave me an exasperated look, considering his inebriated state, I was surprised at how well he pulled it off.

“Don’t be silly,” he chided. “I was referring to the wedding aspect of things. Do you regret not having this?”

I thought back to our wedding day. The lack of pomp and circumstance. The lack of family and friends. “Not really,” I reassured him with a squeeze of fingers. “Bella’s dress is lovely though.”

And it was. In fact it was outstanding, and completely expected as the bride wore Oscar de la Renta.

“Really beautiful,” I said wistfully. Ok, maybe there was a little jealousy. When she had walked down the aisle in that dress…my heart had paused. There was a collective gasp from everyone and Nathan’s face had shone with joy as he watched her take those steps that would bring her to his side before they pledged their lasting love to each other.

“And their vows made me cry,” I admitted, slightly embarrassed at my sappy behaviour. “And their first dance as husband and wife was sweet,”

Matt regarded me with the tiniest of frowns, not in anger but remorse.

“But,” I said firmly, leaning over to kiss the tip of his nose. “I wouldn’t change how we got married for anything. It was perfectly us and you did offer me a big wedding which I refused.”

“Mmm,” he muttered, pensive and tense. “Perhaps we should’ve-”

Whatever he planned on saying was put on pause when a broad arm got slung over his shoulder from behind. The unexpected and boisterous appearance of my brother-in-law had me jumping in my heels.

“Bloody hell, Adam,” Matt grumbled. “Have a care, will you?”

“Where are you two heading?” Adam drawled. He too had flushed cheeks and glazed eyes.

Pissheads, the whole lot of them. The next time Matt complained about me getting drunk I would remind him of this night.

“What do you want?” Matt shrugged him off as he asked.

“Hannah and Stuart just left with our parents,” Adam advised. “And Dad mentioned Ralph Minshall wanted a word with us aboutthat thing.”

Matt groaned under his breath. “I’m in no frame of mind to discuss business, Adam. Can’t I have a moment’s peace with my wife without someone dragging me away?”

I held my tongue. Matt had the enviable title of best man and it came with responsibilities. Adam had his fair share as a groomsman too, but Matt had been under siege by the wedding planner. Bella’s maid of honour, who looked picture perfect on my husband’s arm, was also at the dragon lady’s beck and call.

I had tried not to feel left out. Even though Bella and I had the beginnings of a beautiful friendship, being part of the bridal party wasn’t extended to me. At times, specifically the meal and the photo taking, I had been left to my own devices. Why I hadn’t been sat on the table with my in-laws was still a puzzle. The folks at my table were pleasant, but not friendly. Needless to say I had kept my conversation to the bare minimum and avoided the champagne. No way was I going to end up as the drunk, outspoken fool at someone’s wedding, trust me, there’s always one. Seeing Louisa and her date milling around had me on extra good behaviour. She would love to see me mess up.

“Fifteen minutes at most,” Adam negotiated and Matt grunted in annoyance before chucking me under the chin.

“I’ll be right back, poppet.” he assured me before he and Adam sauntered away.

Left to my own devices again. Pasting a smile on my face, I wandered away from the dance floor, seeking a place where I could hide and not be forced to make small talk with strangers. Then we saw each other. It was almost comical, the shared glance of solidarity and relief followed by a second of embarrassment when you avert your stare. A brother wasfinethough! Strong features, smooth dark skin, nice build, tailored tux…yeah, he was fine. And also one of the few people of colour on the guest list tonight. I hadn’t seen him at the church earlier on so he may have only been invited to the reception, but I was infinitesimally grateful to not be the only black spot on a white page. I snuck another peek at him as I took up position on the outskirts of a chattering group of people. Not so close they thought I was a weird lurker, but far enough they wouldn’t feel obligated to draw a stranger into their conversation.

Fidgeting with the clasp to my purse, I began the countdown untilMatt returned to my side. After the meal, when he’d been more or less released from his best man duties, he had tucked my arm into his and proudly introduced me as his Mrs to anyone who came up to us. Once again I looked over at Mr tall-drink-of-chocolate. Was that brunette his date? She looked fine too. Mmm, the swirl was taking root in good ole England. Or perhaps he was gay? I amended when a man leaned in close to say something in his ear. Real close.Mind your business, DuMont.My mental reprimand hit the spot as I let my thoughts drift to Bella and Nathan. Today had been perfect, cold outside but a bright sunny day; and tonight things were just as beautiful. No one could have asked for a better wedding…hmm, did I regret eloping with Matt and missing out on the whole white wedding dream? Bella’s dress did make me feel a sliver of girlish regret. Being the centre of attention amongst your family and friends as they wished you the best on this new journey you were embarking on. Yeah, a small part of me was sad Matt and I got hitched the way we did. But the wedding was just one day in a lifetime of marriage. A smile curled my lips up. So what if I hadn’t had the big church wedding? I’d take a happy marriage over that any day. God. I was someone’s wife. How had that happened? Maybe karma liked me after all.

Five minutes turned to ten, then ten to twenty. The group had wandered off and I looked like an anti-social loner. Damn it. Where was Matt? Needing another human camouflage, I sauntered off towards the nearest grouping. Halting within my invisible ‘just smile politely but do not approach’ zone, I focused on the people still twirling around the dance floor. My gaze searched futilely for my better half, then I nervously licked my gloss-covered lips. Mr tall-drink-of-chocolate was heading in this direction. Nah, he probably spotted someone he knew and – oh man! He was coming over here. Be cool, be ice cool.

“Hello there,” he greeted in a silky posh voice when he stood in front of me.

Mm, mmm, mmmm. He was even finer than I thought. Hair close-cropped and shiny…would it be impolite to ask what black hair care products he used? My hair didn’t shine like that.

“Hi,” Oh great, squeaky voice. Just great.

He grinned at me and extended a hand. “I’m Harris Norbert, and I’ve noticed you don’t have a drink.”

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