Page 38 of Give Me a Reason

“I said I didn’t see marriage in my future, but I’m still a romantic at heart. I love to see other people fall in love.”

I took her hand and let her lead me to the dance floor next to Harper and Leo. My heart contracted when she moved close. I’d had professional dance lessons, but nothing prepared me for having Aria in my arms.

There was nothing professional about how I felt with her standing so close, her hair brushing my chin. Her scent floated around me, pulling me in.

Aria wasn’t who I thought she was. Initially, I thought she cared about appearances, but I think she was trying to hide her background. That she didn’t have a lot of money, and she struggled. But she had nothing to be embarrassed about. I admired her.

And it was sweet that she wanted other people to be happy. I might not agree with the idea that marriage made anyone happy, but I couldn’t fault her optimism. She wanted the best for others. And she wanted that despite how she’d grown up. Which I suspected wasn’t the same as me.

“How does it feel to be a guest for a few minutes and not the planner?”

Aria looked up at me. “I think I’d prefer dancing outside of Lily’s barn, but it’s still nice.”

“I have to agree with you there.” I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but this wedding is so expected. The same one you’ve been to a million times. Or at least I have. An outside wedding is more unique.”

“I think we agree on a lot of things when we get beneath the surface.”

I twirled her around, and when she came back to me, I said, “I’m not sure about that.”

She rolled her eyes. “You insist on being contrary.”

“I don’t know about that either.” Maybe I did when I was around her. It was an excuse to engage with her, to get her talking, and to spend time in her orbit. Which I liked, and now that she was living with Ireland, there wouldn’t be other opportunities to see her except at the weddings I played and when she babysat.

I enjoyed having her in my arms. It felt right. Her warmth, her citrus scent, and her sweet smiles. I always thought I preferred cynical people like me, but there was something about her eternal optimism that drew me in. I felt lighter in her presence. “How are things with your apartment?”

“I’m officially done with it. The landlord let me out of my lease and returned my security deposit.”

“That’s good.” That lifted some of the weight off my chest. I’d been a little worried she’d move back there because she didn’t want to impose on Ireland.

“There’s nothing wrong with living there—”

She let her words hang in the air, but I didn’t want to interrupt because I wasn’t okay with it.

“But I’m ready to move on. I’m anxious to live differently.” She ducked her head. “And I’m a little ashamed to say that Ireland’s helping me get there. I always wanted to do it on my own.”

I swiped a strand of hair off her forehead so I could see her eyes, which were downcast. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with accepting help. That’s what friends are for.”

“I’ve never had friends I could move in with. I guess I’ve kept mostly to myself.”

I had a pretty good idea of why that was. If she was trying to keep her living situation a secret, it would be tough to make friends. Eventually, friends wanted to know where you lived, and when they found out, they would want to help you. She’d need to get used to it because now that she was on the Evanses’ radar, we’d always step up. “You deserve better than the hand you were dealt at birth. Let people lift you up. We know you’re not using us.”

She smiled softly. “I’m working on it.”

“You go out of your way for your family. How is this different? For some of us, we’re closer to our friends than to our parents.”

Aria sighed and smiled softly. “That makes sense. And I have to say, I’m in love with Ireland’s place. It’s so quiet, close to the water, and a short walk to the downtown. It couldn’t be more perfect.”

“I’m happy for you.” I had a feeling she felt relief in her surroundings because she finally felt safe. I wanted that for her. She deserved it.

Another song started up, but neither one of us made a move to pull away.

“Outside of weddings, what do you do for fun?” I asked, wanting to talk about something else.

“I love to draw. I play around with facial expressions. It sounds silly, but I’ve always been fascinated with drawing emotions on faces.”

“Are you good?”

She laughed. “I have no idea. I’ve never shown anyone.”

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