Page 36 of Give Me a Reason

Tonight’s wedding had been at a church with the reception at a hotel ballroom. I was surprised the couple hired me to do the first few dances, but now, the DJ had taken over. He went old-school with the chicken dance, and now he was encouraging the groom to take off the bride’s garter.

The music was loud and pumping. I kind of hated it.

I found Aria in a back corner, leaning against the wall. I leaned down and said into her ear, “Are you telling me this is romantic?”

Before I could pull away, she rested a hand on my chest, the warmth searing me through my button-down shirt. “I didn’t say the garter was romantic.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re telling me that as much as you love weddings, you don’t like the traditional throwing of the bouquet and garter?”

Aria laughed, and it felt good to know I did that. When she sobered, she tapped a finger on her chin. “Hmm. I love when the bride throws the bouquet. It’s a great tradition. But the garter? It could be romantic without this kind of music maybe. And with a little less innuendo from the DJ on going higher.”

I moved to stand next to her so I could see the activities. Technically, I was done for the night, but I wanted to talk to Aria.

“Does the bride really want someone’s hands up her dress in front of her family and friends?” I asked her, determined to keep the conversation flowing.

“It’s her husband up her skirt, but yeah, it’s awkward.”

I moved closer so no one would hear our conversation. “Can I expect that you won’t be doing the garter at your wedding?”

I leaned down so that Aria could whisper in my ear. “Don’t say anything to the couple, but there’s nothing about this wedding I like. I preferred Remi and Colton’s ceremony in the woods. That was more romantic than a hotel ballroom.”

“Right? What’s up with these ornate carpets and heavy curtains?” I gestured around.

Aria laughed. “It’s completely over the top.”

“So, you agree it’s too much?” I prompted.

“Oh, it’s definitely too much. We had a hard time decorating. The room is too big, the curtains too everything, the walls too high. It’s hard to make it an intimate, romantic space.”

“Because it’s not.”

I paused and looked at him. “Wait. Did we agree on something?”

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to me. “I think we did.”

“I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Me either.”

Then we looked at each other and erupted in laughter.

When we sobered, my stomach hurt a bit from laughing. “I think if we tried harder, we could find more things we agree on.”

Aria gave me a wry look. “I think most people find the garter awkward.”

I pointed at the dance floor. “This part is even worse. The lucky guy who catches the garter gets to place it on the thigh of the woman who catches the bouquet. Do they even know each other?”

“Does it matter? So many hookups happen after weddings with guests and the wedding party.”

I sucked in a breath at the idea. “Have you ever hooked up with the best man or a groomsman?”

“First of all, that’s against the rules, and no, I’ve never even thought about it. When I’m at a wedding, I’m working.”

“What about other weddings you’ve been to?” I asked, curious about her history. I figured she was a relationship kind of girl, but I’d been wrong about her in other ways.

“I haven’t been to many. My cousins couldn’t afford big weddings.”

“When I hit twenty-five, all my friends started to get married, and growing up, there was always a cousin or random relative who was. Not to mention our own parents.”

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