Page 68 of To Belong Together
John smirked.
His mother graciously acted oblivious, but if the woman was half as bright as he had said, she’d noticed.
After fifteen minutes of conversation, they were interrupted when the wedding party stopped by the table to announce they were “moving on.”
Patricia stood and laid a hand on Kate’s cheek. “Don’t stay out late, okay? Big day tomorrow.”
“Yes, Mom. Love you.” Kate gave her a quick hug and waved goodbye to the others at the table. The group slid into coats and out the door.
With that, everyone began to pack up. John swiped two of the mints off the table and handed one to Erin as he rose.
Was he personally invested in her breath?
He moved on to hug his mom without a sideways glance for Erin to read. She stared at the red-and-white candy for a moment before tearing open the clear wrapper. Might as well be prepared.
After saying good-night to his grandma, John held the door for Angie and Mark, who carried a sleeping Ava.
Erin zipped John’s coat up to her chin and dipped her face to smell his cologne on the fabric.
Though he said nothing, he offered his arm as she picked her way up the street, trying to avoid sticking the heel of her shoe into a sidewalk crack.
In the parking lot, John got her door.
She settled into the seat for the remaining two blocks of their date. “Your family’s nice.”
“They like you.” He twisted, watching as he backed out of the stall.
“What happened with the toast?”
He eased the car through the slushy snow and onto the road. His mouth pulled down at the edges, and her hopes did the same. He’d avoided discussing it during dinner, but she’d hoped he might open up to her.
Maybe with a little more encouragement … “When you said you were doing a reading, I thought it’d be more than one little quote.”
He’d read the whole book and had held an entire page, but he’d only quoted a few lines.
As his silence stretched, she wished she’d had the presence of mind to read the passage when he’d laid it on the table, but she’d expected him to recite the words. If she knew what he’d planned to say, it would be a start toward understanding why he’d changed his mind at the last second.
A step toward understanding him.
“I upset Kate, even saying so little,” he said.
“That’s not on you. Do you think she has cold feet?”
John sighed toward the windshield. “Chilly, anyway.”
“Can you imagine calling it off after everyone has battled all this weather to get here? And taken off work, and spent money.”
“No guest would want her to go through with it if Tanner wasn’t right for her.”
“I don’t know. I watched a TV show once where a bride got cold feet. Her dad talked her into following through with the wedding, even though she had legitimate concerns. I never understood why he didn’t take her concerns seriously. Was it to avoid embarrassment? Because I have to believe the awkwardness of calling off a wedding isn’t as awful as the pain of a divorce.” Besides, a bride who’d oust a brother from the ceremony and have a good cry in the restroom during her rehearsal dinner wasn’t afraid of a little awkwardness.
His expression was stony. “Don’t ask me to try stopping the wedding.”
“I’m not.” What was she doing, babbling as if this were a TV show when, for John, it was family? She’d gotten him talking. Her responsibility now was to comfort him. “I just don’t think you need to worry about tiptoeing either.”
“Too late.” He flicked on his blinker to pull onto the ramp leading to the hotel’s parking garage. The orange lights of the structure cast shadows across his somber expression.
“I didn’t mean this to be a guilt trip.” She tried his move on him, rubbing his shoulder. “She knows she can go to her big brother if she needs him. Otherwise, she’s a grown woman, responsible for her own decisions. And I’m not sure Tanner is a bad match for her. They seemed pretty in step. I’m only sad I didn’t get to hear the reading.”
