Page 77 of Hang the Moon
“Of course.” He shrugged. “What’s not to love about weddings?”
Her fingers gently twisted in the short strands at his nape. A pleasant shiver raced from his scalp down his spine. That was new. Someone playing with his hair. It was nice, something he could get used to.
“I can only speak to the weddings I’ve been to, but usually the food sucks, there’s never an open bar, someone’s aunt or uncle still manages to get sloppy drunk and make a pass at the wedding party, someone has a breakdown in the bathroom, the DJ thinks the chicken dance is still in vogue, and everyone makeswaytoo big of a deal out of the bouquet toss.” She stared up at him through long lashes made dark by the makeup around her eyes. “I guess weddings feel like a party for everyoneexceptthe bride and groom. It has nothing to do with their marriage.”
“I’ve been to weddings like that,” he conceded, stepping back before reaching for Annie’s hand, spinning her in an unexpected twirl that made her laugh. The sound was music to his ears, better than whatever the DJ was playing, which had faded into the background, just noise. “Where everyone forgets what it’s all supposed to be about.”
“Which is?” Annie rested her hands on his chest, no doubt able to feel his heart thundering away beneath his breastbone.
“The party favors, obviously.” He grinned. “Free stuff. What’s not to love?”
She shoved him lightly, then let her hands drift back to his shoulders. She stepped closer than before, her stomach pressed intimately into his hips, a move that made him swallow hard. “I find it difficult to believe you come to all these weddingsfor cellophane-wrapped kettle corn and bottle openers engraved with someone else’s initials.”
“You got me there.” He ran his hands down her back, stifling another smile when her breath caught, audible even over the music. “It’s—don’t laugh.”
She mimed zipping her lips.
“There’s just something about watching two people pledge their love to one another, celebrate their commitment surrounded by family and friends, and step into the next chapter of their lives. It more than makes up for the rubbery chicken.” He traced absent circles along her back, staring down at her. Her blue eyes were serious as they flitted over his face, her lashes fluttering softly. “I’ve been thinking. The other night, in the hotel. You asked me what I think is romantic. And yeah, I am a fan of the grand gesture. Not every grand gesture, because I thought about it, and you’re right. Plenty are flawed and creepy, poorly executed, or try to make up for shoddy communication skills. But emblematically? I do love it. That big, demonstrative moment where nothing else matters but making sure the person you care about knows it. That you’re in. You’re all in and you want everyone to know, no matter how wild or risky it is. Weddings are like that. The vows are, at least.”
Something about the soft look in Annie’s eyes, wistful almost, compelled him to keep going. To confess what he’d never told anyone before.
“I don’t have a single memory of my mom and dad sayingI love youto each other.” Annie made a soft noise, but he soldiered on, wanting to get this out. “Maybe those movies aren’t perfect,but for most of my life, they were the best proof I had that people could wind up happy together.”
Their gentle swaying had come to a stop at the edge of the dance floor. Annie frowned sharply and her fingers tightened in his hair, forcing him to turn his face down. “Brendon.”
“Sorry.” He chuckled, eyes darting around the pavilion. Everyone else was in their own little world, paying the two of them no mind. “Didn’t mean to go off on a tangent. Or be such a bummer.”
She gave a quick, curt shake of her head. “No, no. That’s... I always viewed the grand gesture as sort of selfish.If I do this, I’ll get this out of it.I never thought of it the way you described it before.”
An uneven exhale escaped from between his lips when Annie’s thumb brushed the space beneath his ear. “And I never really thought about the little things, until you talked about it the other night. But I think you’re right. With the right person, I don’t think it matters what you do or where you are.”
The smile she graced him with made his heart roll over like the engine of his junky first car. “Exactly.”
The last strains of the slow song they’d swayed to ended, and the DJ switched over to something loud and poppy. Brendon stole a step back, bopping his head and shaking his hips from side to side in an exaggerated shimmy, trying to make Annie laugh.
His performance had the desired effect, causing Annie to grip her stomach as she giggled.
“Go on.” She jerked her chin at him when he stopped. “I was enjoying myself.”
Across the floor, someone wolf-whistled. He followed the sound to where Jian had his fingers in his mouth, Katie at his side, falling over herself laughing.
Brendon flushed. “Yeah, you and everyone else.”
Annie smiled and reached for his hand, leading him off the dance floor.
Caught up in the feel of her much smaller fingers laced with his, he missed the fact she’d led them not in the direction of their table, but instead to a table covered in tiny vials of bubbles and other party favors.
Mixed in with the bubbles and miniature bottles of tequila were a dozen Fujifilm Instax cameras and a sign that read,Please borrow a camera and help us capture our special day. Take a selfie or group picture and add it to our guestbook! Xoxo, Katie and Jian
Brendon snagged a camera and snapped a candid of Annie. A startled laugh escaped her lips.
“Gimme.” She snatched the camera right out of his hands. A bright flash filled his vision, making him jump even though he knew it was coming.
Annie lowered the camera and grabbed the photo that popped out from the top.
“Let me see,” he said, reaching for the camera.
She shook her head, holding the camera out of reach. His arms were longer, so he could’ve grabbed it had he truly wanted, but he didn’t. Not when Annie was beaming at him. Not when he’d do anything to keep her smiling. Smiling because of him. “Uh-uh. I bet that one turned out blurry.”
