Page 34 of Accidental Wedding Crasher
“True!” Almost everyone chorused in unison.
“It’s a lie!” Evan shot back. He grinned. “I’m not as bad as you all think.” Though in truth, Evan had gone more than a day without eating because he was so caught up in a project, though never two days in a row. And he always stopped to drink coffee.
“That was a good one,” Mia said approvingly. “Luka, would you like to try?”
“Okay. Hmm... I never knew true love until I met Sarah.”
This statement was met by groans from almost everyone, even as they called out that it was true.
“Yes, it’s true,” Luka confirmed. He leaned over to kiss Sarah, who grinned.
“Is this you being more romantic?” she asked.
“You know it.”
Mia expertly guided the family through several more rounds of the game, gently bringing the more hesitant members into the fun. Evan watched her in awe. She’d turned a staid game of charades into something much more fun and, in doing so, created a memory that he knew would stick with everyone in the family.
“I only learned to ride a bike when I was in my twenties,” Ellen said on her turn. Evan raised his eyebrows; that couldn’t be true. But moments later, his mother said, “It’s true! I was always scared as a child, and I never had cause to learn. I only learned after I met Arthur. He wanted to go cycling through France on vacation, and I couldn’t let him down.”
“EvenIdidn’t know that.” Arthur put his arm around his wife. “That’s so sweet. Thanks for learning. That was a great trip.”
“It was very rainy,” Ellen countered with a grin. Everyone chuckled.
A few more rounds of the game later, people began to yawn, and the party broke up. Evan and Mia headed up to their room, where Mia pulled her hair back into a bun and put on a sweatshirt.
“Balcony?” she asked Evan, grinning as a strand of hair escaped from her bun to frame her face. “Or do you have work to do?”
Evan knew what he should say. Hedidhave work to do, and he was getting dangerously close to Mia by now anyway. But he found himself smiling back at her.
“Balcony.”
“Excellent.” They went outside, taking the same seats as yesterday and leaning back in them. Overhead, the stars winked at them, and Mia began to hum. Evan tilted his head.
“I think I know that one.”
“You should.” She winked at him. “It was one of the songs we danced to at the Napa Valley wedding.”
“I do remember!” Evan nodded. “‘On This Starry Night.’ You said it was one of your favorites.”
“And you said you didn’t care for it,” Mia added.
“It’s growing on me now, I think,” Evan said. He leaned back, tucking his hands behind his head. “Sing it for me.”
Mia laughed. “No way! I’m a terrible singer. You’ll just laugh at me.”
“I won’t,” Evan promised, but she still shook her head, tucking her hair back. “Okay, okay, fine.” Evan laughed. “At least tell me why you like it so much.”
“Honestly, I love the words,” Mia said. “It reminds me of a night like tonight, when we can see thousands of stars, I think, and dozens of constellations. Nights like this always make me think of the universe and my place in it. And it’s a love story. I’m kind of a sucker for love stories.” She smiled, but Evan’s mouth felt suddenly dry. Here was a woman who actually liked romance, pretending to date a guy who didn’t even believe in it. It was a good thing they weren’t really together, although he was having to remind himself of that very often now.
“I do like looking at the stars,” he said, catching on that part of what she’d said.
“The lyrics talk about how ‘the stars wink down at me, telling stories of old, as the night closes in, so dark and so cold. I think of you and the warmth of your arms, lifting me away from all that harms. Now you’re as far as a star in the sky, I’ll never reach you unless I learn to fly.’” She didn’t exactly sing, but the words had a melody to them, and they reached into Evan’s heart.
“That’s sad.”
“I know, but it’s beautiful, too.” She tilted her head back. “Just like the stars.”
Just like you,Evan thought but didn’t say. Mia was truly extraordinary. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she showed a new side of herself, and he got to know her all over again. She was like a puzzle that was forever unfolding.
