Page 50 of Third Degree

“Wait.”

I looked down at him, and he stood so we were standing together.

“Wait for me. I will drive you.” We were interrupted by Julian and Tatum coming over, and Elio hugged his son.

“You look beautiful.” I gave Tatum a hug and congratulated her.

“Are you staying?”

I nodded.

“Good, I want to get a photo of the girls real quick.”

“Oh yes!” I exclaimed.

“Who is driving you back?” she asked me.

“Stop worrying about me. It’syourwedding day.” I laughed.

“I am driving Gi—Daphne back,” Elio interjected from behind us, and I could have sworn Julian shot a look between us like he knew something. God, I wanted to throttle him for almost using my name.

“Let’s go and take that photo,” I said tersely, linking my arm with Tatum’s and striding over to where the photographer and the other girls were already assembled.

Afterward, I sat in the back with Chelsea, who was hitching a ride with Alex. When the photos finally concluded, Elio offered me his arm so that we could walk over to his car.

“You are going to out us,” I grumbled and begrudgingly took it to help me walk through the rocky cliffside to the car.

“I cannot wait until I get to show you off to everyone.” He opened the car door, and I got in before he shut the door behind me and then came to the other side.

“Aren’t you nervous about it?” I asked when he started the car up.

“About what?” he responded, looking over at me.

“About telling our friends and Julian and Alex that we are… I don’t know… together?” I had no idea what to call us. No clue what we were or were going to be once this deal was done.

“Are we… together?” His voice was laced with amusement.

“Shut up,” I retorted, annoyed, and his laughter filled the car. As he reached his hand to unbutton his jacket, I could see the way the shirt pulled against his chest.

“I don’t know how everyone will respond, but I hope that if they love us, they will support us.” He rested his thick hand on my thigh, as he had done many times now, and it felt so natural.

We soon arrived at the hotel, which was a large dark green building with modern gold accents and massive trees that felt like we were going to enter a garden fairytale. It felt so out of place in San Diego, something I would have expected to see in like London or somewhere with lush gardens.

Elio extended his hand, gracefully guiding me into the reception space. My friends were already seated at our designated table, and I took my place next to Chelsea, with Elio settling in beside me.

“Girl.” Chelsea leaned over to me, and it was hard not to notice the intimate touch between her and Alex, her hand resting on his thigh.

“Oh, don’t you dare ‘girl’ me. I see what you’re up to over there,” I retorted, a playful smirk on my lips.

Her face flushed, caught off-guard.

“You’ve got me there.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “So, do you know what you’re doing?” I glanced down at my hands, feeling a mixture of uncertainty and excitement.

“Honestly, no. But it’s a really long story,” I replied, my voice soft with a hint of mystery.

The reception festivities commenced, and along with them came an abundance of delicious food and heartfelt stories about Tatum and Julian. Elio shared anecdotes about the boys’ upbringing, and for those moments, we were all genuinely happy. I wished I could freeze time, capturing the joy and togetherness of the past few days.

As the dancing began, Elio took hold of my hand, and I glanced over at Chelsea, who was with Alex. She simply nodded, granting me silent permission to follow my heart’s desire. With a smile, I allowed Elio to lead me to the dance floor.

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