Page 37 of Give Me a Reason

“Gosh. I hadn’t thought of that. You have been to a lot of weddings. You must be an expert at this point.”

“I’m smart enough to know never to do it myself.”

“You know it’s not about the wedding, right? The couple is in a relationship, and they want to be together forever. The wedding is just a public declaration of that. A celebration.”

“Are you sure the couple, or at least the bride, doesn’t just want the wedding?” I asked, pulling out a chair at a nearby table for Aria to sit.

She immediately kicked off her shoes and let out a sigh. “There’s some of that, I’m sure. But I think the brides want the happily ever after. They believe in the fairy-tale ending.”

“And you do too?” I asked, angling my chair so I was facing her.

Aria scanned the room, probably on alert in case there was anything she needed to do. “I love the idea of other people finding their significant others.”

That was interesting. “You believe in it for yourself?”

Everyone was by the dance floor or sitting at the tables surrounding it. We were alone in our corner. This was the time of night that we could kick back and relax.

Aria’s eyes met mine. “I don’t know. My parents love each other. They have a great relationship. But they aren’t technically married. I love the romanticism of a wedding, but I’ve never imagined my own. You don’t need to marry someone to love them forever.”

“But you have that binder of ideas?”

“I compiled that when I interviewed for the position. I wanted to show Gia my design ideas. It wasn’t something I did for myself personally.”

“You’ve never dated someone you thought you could marry?”

She chewed her lip. “Maybe the last guy. He was a lot like you. Had a trust fund, went to private schools, and I got a little lost in that world.”

“A lot of women want to marry a man with money,” I said bitterly.

Aria gave me a sharp look. “That wasn’t me. I liked him, but, in the end, he said I would never fit into his world. When we broke up, I realized how much I’d assimilated into his life and lost focus on what I wanted and what I was working for. I won’t do that again.”

I hated that what her ex said was probably true. Aria was too sweet, too idealistic for the circle I’d grown up in. “You lost yourself?”

“I wouldn’t say that exactly. I just lost sight of what was important,” she said thoughtfully.

“I wonder if that’s what my parents did. They were always chasing something they couldn’t find. Or thought they did and then tried again.”

Aria leaned close. “I don’t know what motivated your parents, and I’m sorry their decisions affected you and Ireland.”

What she said was so simple but so sweet. I don’t think anyone had ever said that before. “Thank you.”

She smiled at me then, and it was like everything fell away. I wanted to kiss her. The only problem was we were at work, and anyone could see us.

She wouldn’t want to date me after her ex. I was too similar to him.

She looked away, and the moment was gone. The bouquet and garter were done, and the DJ was playing slow music again. The dance floor was full.

Harper walked by with Gia’s brother, Leo. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks flushed, and Leo looked pleased with himself. I think he’d come tonight to help Gia with something, but now I was wondering if they’d hooked up in a spare room somewhere.

Harper waved to us. “Come on, guys. Let’s dance.”

“Isn’t that for the guests, not us?” I asked

“Have some fun. Gia won’t mind.” Harper grabbed Leo’s hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. She placed his hand on her waist.

Aria stood and held out her hand. “Come on. It will be fun.”

I stood, my lips twitching. “I thought you don’t believe in all the stuff.”

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