Page 82 of Fostering Chemistry
If I were an English major, I might’ve been able to come up with the words to do justice to just how gorgeous she looked, but mostly I just snuck quick peeks and tried not to gawk. But I should’ve noticed she was reaching her limit with all the socializing. My family even overwhelmed me sometimes, and I’d known them since I was seven.
"Come on," I murmured, gently guiding her through the crowds, steering her far away from male cousins whose eyes went wide when they saw her, and older aunts and sisters who were probably picking out our wedding China by now. "I want to show you something."
I led her down a quieter hallway that connected the main reception hall to an outdoor courtyard. We'd been to this venue for family events many times before, and I remembered a room my brother and I had found when we were kids. A room with so many mirrors that it looked like a funhouse at a carnival.
“Ah, here it is.”
“Bridal staging area?” Mia read off the little plaque, and I flushed. I hadn’t remembered it was called that.
“I call it the ‘get away from family for a few minutes room.’”
She grinned and pulled open the door herself. “Sounds perfect.”
The little room was unique, you had to give it that. It was luxurious and lined with ornate, angled mirrors that caught the soft glow from the decorative sconces. It was blissfully quiet here, with just the distant, muffled sound of music drifting from the main hall.
"Better?" I asked as I closed the door behind us.
Mia let out a long breath, her shoulders finally relaxing. "Much. Thank you. Your family is amazing, they really are, but…"
"But they can be a lot," I finished with a grin. "Trust me, I’ve heard it before—from everyone who’s ever met them."
She laughed, and the sound made something warm unfurl in my chest. I loved making her laugh. Her whole face lit up when she did so.
The soft music filtering in from the party was too tempting to ignore. Without overthinking it, I held out my hand. "Dance with me?"
"Here?" She glanced around the empty room, but she was already reaching for my hand.
"Why not? No great-aunts asking if we're dating, no cousins making jokes about when I'm going to propose." I pulled her into my arms, and she came easily, fitting against me like she was meant to be there. "Just us."
We moved together slowly, her hand warm in mine, my other hand resting on the small of her back. The silk of her dress was smooth under my palm, and I had to resist the urge to pull her closer. We were supposed to be just friends at this party—that had been the deal when I'd asked her to be my date. But moments like this made it hard to remember why I'd agreed to that arrangement.
I could feel her muscles relaxing and her shoulders lowering. “This is nice,” she said.
“I guess we have Diego to thank for the dance lessons.”
Mia immediately stiffened and stepped away.
Shit. Why’d I bring him up? And what the hell had happened last night when they’d been babysitting? After they’d run the scavenger hunt together, they’d seemed to be in a good place, and now something was obviously wrong.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked softly.
“No.” She turned away. “But thanks.”
When she took several steps away, all the women in the mirrors did, too. She paused, looking at the endless reflections of herself. “This is so weird.”
I moved to her side. “Not weird. It’s like having dozens of gorgeous Mias here rather than just one.”
“There are a bunch of Aarons here, too.” She peeked at my reflection in the mirror. "And they all look good in a tux.” Then she frowned, twisting one way and then the other.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s just strange that I can see both my front and my back.” She flushed a little as she stared into the mirror. “I’m not used to seeing my, um, butt like that.”
I didn’t point out how I could see that sweet, round ass—many times over.
I moved in behind her, so close I was almost touching her. Then I did touch her, wrapping my arms around her waist. “Now you can’t see it.”
She leaned her head back, her eyes closing briefly. Then I felt her body shake. Was she crying again?
