Page 78 of Alive At Night

She nodded while staring blankly ahead. I wondered if she was too deep into her own head to hear me, but then she relaxed.

I couldn’t imagine being in her shoes. Meeting new people was hard. Meeting new people closely related to you for the first time on one of the most important days of their life…well, her anxiety was warranted.

This wedding business showed me a side of Juniper that I didn’t fully realize existed. I grew up with a Juniper St. James who was brash, confident, and sharp-tongued. She was a pain in my ass. Sheknewshe was a pain in my ass but never seemed to care.

This Juniper St. James was still bold and beautiful, still witty and sharp. But she was also vulnerable. And she did care. She cared that her tossing and turning had kept me up last night. She kept apologizing for things she didn’t need to apologize for.

After making it to the lobby, we followed the signs for Sofia and Marc’s wedding until we found ourselves standing in a glass-covered atrium in the middle of the hotel. Pastel-colored flowers burst from every corner, piling fragrance into the air until it was nearly hard to breathe.

Luckily, I was used to being suffocated by beautiful things.

Hundreds of other guests flooded into the atrium, and I felt Juniper relax further. I understood; it was easier to blend in when there was a crowd. But it still didn’t stop her leg from bouncing after we found our seats, and I placed a hand on her knee to soothe her. Bare knee, bare skin, bad idea. But Juniper stilled and shifted in her seat. My touch dipped, my thumb rubbing the inside of her thigh while my fingers curved beneath her knee. I squeezed, meaning for it to be reassuring. But Juni’s breath hitched, andgoddamn.

She was so responsive. She reacted, lit up, to every tiny touch. Was she that unused to having a man’s hands on her? Or was it just me?

Honestly, I was fine with either option.

“Is that…?” Her murmuring broke through my thoughts. “No, that—that wouldn’t make sense.”

“What?”

Tearing my attention away from how perfectly my palm fit her inner thigh, I followed her gaze to the front of the ceremony space. There were so many people milling around that it was hard to determine exactly who she was looking at.

“The piano player,” Juni said. “It’s just he looks a bit like your other old roommate. I know how ridiculous it sounds, but for a moment, I thought it was him.”

My face split into a wide grin. “Actually, it’s not ridiculous at all.”

“It’s not?”

I shook my head, unable to contain my grin from spreading further as Nessa walked to a microphone in front of the piano, adjusting it before returning to a hidden spot off to the side. Meanwhile, Grayson continued to play a familiar soft melody as guests streamed into the atrium, finding their seats with the help of the ushers.

It was hard to believe, and yet—

“You know that up-and-coming artist you were talking about?” I glanced over at Juniper, who was still looking thoughtfully at the stage.

“Yeah?”

“It’s Nessa.”

“Nessa?”

When she still looked confused, I realized my mistake.

“Sorry, you probably know her as Wednesday Elevett.”

Juniper’s big, beautiful eyes grew even bigger. And, unfortunately for my sanity, even more beautiful.

“When you and Cameron were talking about your friend in the music industry, it wasWednesday Elevett?”

“Yep,” I said, resisting the urge to wave Nessa down, even though she was very clearly busy. “She’s married to Grayson. Elevett is a combination of her last names, Elez and Everett.”

“The wide receiver for LA?”

“Correct.” I nodded toward Grayson on the stage. It was fucking good to see him in his element again. I watched him playing football all the time—whether in person or on TV. But this was rarer. This was the lesser-known side of Grayson Everett. “And the roommate. Who is, in fact, playing the piano.”

“He’s playing the piano,” she repeated breathlessly. “Why is a football star playing the piano at my sister’s wedding?”

“Grayson was a music education major in college,” I said, trying not to laugh at Juniper’s expression. Her eyes flicked between the dynamic duo on stage and me, and I relented, giving her a better explanation. “If Sofia’s goal was a trendy wedding, Nessaisthe trend. Even I’m with it enough to know that. And Grayson just sort of comes as a package deal. Nessa really got her footing performing at events like this in the LA area, and Grayson would always tag along to accompany her. So while I’m surprised to see them, I’m also not. Especially with how big this wedding is.”

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