THEO
“Is that woman I saw you dancing with earlier your date?” I asked my friend Brendon.
We were standing at the edge of the dance floor at the reception, watching couples sway beneath the warm glow of the string lights while the band played something slow and romantic.
The whole place hummed with that easy, celebratory energy that came with weddings.
Laughter. Champagne glasses clinking. People leaning close together like the rest of the world didn’t exist.
“She is,” Brendon said, a smile tugging at his mouth as he looked across the room.
I followed his gaze back to a woman standing near the bar with his twin daughters. She looked to be somewhere in her early fifties, her dark hair pulled back in a loose twist, her hand resting lightly on one of the girls’ shoulders as they talked.
“Is it serious?” I asked, curious.
Dr. Brendon Aarden was a neurosurgeon nearly twenty years older than me, not exactly someone who would’ve been in my normal social circle.
But as an acquaintance of my parents, when he’d heard about Alisha’s passing, he’d reached out to offer his support.
His own wife had died a few years earlier, and he’d understood what I was going through in a way most people didn’t.
At the time, I hadn’t even known what kind of support I needed. But every day for months, Brendon had made sure to call or text me. Telling me I could answer if I was up to it or ignore it if I wasn’t.
Sometimes I answered. Sometimes I didn’t. Either way, it was always nice to know he was there. And when I needed to vent about the strange, tangled mess grief left behind, he was the one person who understood—never trying to fix it or tell me how I should feel.
“I mean,” Brendon said with a quiet chuckle, lifting his champagne glass for a sip, “I did just ask her to marry me, so I’d say it’s pretty serious.”
“What?” I turned to him, stunned. “Since when?”
“We got engaged in December.”
My eyebrows shot up. “What? Didn’t you just start dating right before that?”
He laughed. “That’s just when we started telling people.” He tipped his glass slightly in her direction. “We’ve actually been pretty serious for a year.”
“Really?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around it.
Brendon’s smile softened, turning a little distant, like his mind had wandered somewhere far beyond the reception lawn.
“We’ve known each other since we were teenagers,” he said. “Lost touch for a long time. And of course I was happily married to Brianna for all those years.” He paused for a moment before adding quietly, “But life has a way of surprising you.”
I let out a slow breath and took a sip from my own champagne.
“It’s hard putting yourself out there again,” I admitted. “When you know how badly it can hurt to lose it.”
“That’s true,” Brendon said. “And I still think about Brianna every day.” He reached over and gave my shoulder a firm pat. “But just because putting yourself out there again can leave you open to pain, doesn’t mean it’s not worth the risk of finding joy again, too.”
He glanced at me knowingly. “Of course, you’ve got to do what feels right for you, though.”
Before I could respond, movement on the dance floor caught my attention.
Miles and Nora had stepped out among the other couples.
They were moving easily together, laughing as Miles said something that made Nora tip her head back with a bright smile.
I found myself watching them.
Curious about how things were going tonight. If those smiles and quiet whispers were just part of the act… or something more.
Then again, with a night like this—music drifting through the air, lights glowing overhead, two people pledging forever just a few hours earlier—it probably wouldn’t take much for anyone to get a little swept up in the moment.
Miles guided Nora into a slow turn, his hand settling at her waist when she came back to him. And judging by the way she laughed softly at something he murmured in her ear, they both seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit.
Who is Miles putting on this performance for?
I let my gaze drift across the dance floor, trying to spot the potential audience for this little show. If Miles was going to go through the trouble of making a relationship look convincing, there had to be someone here he wanted to convince. Someone he wanted to make jealous.
Probably a woman who’d shown up with a date.
That would make the most sense, at least.
I scanned the couples moving across the floor.
Lucy was dancing with Owen near the center, the two of them laughing about something as he spun her around. But that definitely wasn’t it. Lucy and Miles had always just been friends.
Addie was dancing with Evan a few feet away from them, her arms looped around his neck as they swayed together. They’d been married for a year now… so I doubted they’d be the target of a jealousy campaign.
Off to the side, Brendon’s twin daughters, Elyse and Ava, were standing with his fiancée and Ian’s sister, Cambrielle. But both twins were happily married. And Ian’s younger sister was married to Brendon’s son.
I continued scanning the crowd. Was everyone here married besides me?
My gaze landed on Bash and Alessi next as they stepped onto the dance floor together.
Well, I guess not everyone.
But Alessi obviously wasn’t the mystery woman, either. She was Miles’s stepsister.
So, unless things had gotten a bit weird in that family dynamic, she wasn’t the one he was trying to impress.
I glanced toward the head table where two women in matching bridesmaid dresses were standing with babies in their arms while their husbands hovered nearby. Maddie’s sister and sister-in-law, if I remembered correctly.
So, yeah, most likely not them, either.
My eyes moved farther across the lawn until they landed on Sloan.
She was Maddie’s aunt… or maybe cousin? Something like that. Only a couple of years older than me and single as far as I knew.
But Sloan being involved in some sort of jealousy-fueled relationship game felt unlikely. Especially with Miles.
I scanned the crowd a little longer, noticing a few other women around Miles’s age, but I didn’t recognize most of them.
So, who knew.
Maybe the intended audience hadn’t even shown up tonight.
My attention drifted back to the dance floor just in time to see Miles spin Nora out before pulling her smoothly back into his arms. She laughed again, clearly amused by something he’d said.
They really were doing a convincing job. I’d give them that.
“Well,” Brendon said beside me, pulling my attention back. “You look like a man doing a lot of thinking.”
I huffed out a quiet breath. “Just observing.”
He took another sip of champagne before glancing at me. “So, tell me something. Have you been dating at all lately?”
I shifted my weight slightly. “I went on a double date last week.”
“And?” Brendon asked expectantly.
I shrugged. “It was nice.”
“Just nice?” he said with a quiet chuckle.
“Yeah. Nice girl. Nice food. Nice time.”
As I said it, Nora drifted back into my line of sight across the dance floor.
Nice nanny dancing across the floor from me.
The thought came out of nowhere, and I immediately pushed it aside.
Hadn’t we just been friends twenty-four hours ago?
So why did I suddenly feel so aware of her? Why did my eyes keep finding her in the crowd?
Was it just leftover adrenaline from last night? From the moment I thought she might actually die in that fire?
Was that why everything felt so intensified today? Because I’d come a little too close to losing another person I cared about.
I didn’t know.
But yeah… I should probably figure out how to stop checking her position every thirty seconds.
“You know,” Brendon said slowly beside me, a half-smile forming on his lips, “your sister’s gymnast friend is very pretty.”
I groaned quietly under my breath. First Lucy. Now Brendon.
Then I sighed. “She is.”
Was my heightened attraction that obvious to everyone now?
Because that couldn’t be good.
Nora was my employee, for goodness’ sake.
Before Brendon could say anything else, his fiancée, Miriam, approached us with a warm smile and slipped her hand into his.
“Mind if I steal the handsome neurosurgeon for a dance?” she asked.
Brendon’s lips quirked up. “I thought you’d never ask.” He set his glass aside and then turned back to me. “It was good seeing you again, Theo. Let’s be better about keeping in touch, okay?”
“Okay.”
I watched as he led Miriam toward the dance floor, joining the rest of the couples swaying beneath the lights. Then I shoved my hands into my pockets, suddenly unsure of what I should do with myself.
The reception was supposed to go on for another forty-five minutes or so. But I didn’t really need to stick around for the cake cutting and bouquet toss, did I?
I tipped my head back and finished the last of my champagne before walking over to set the empty flute on a tray.
My fingers closed around my key fob as I pulled it from my pocket.
Yeah, I should probably just head home.
But as I turned toward the exit, I spotted Lucy and Owen standing near the refreshment table.
“Hey,” I said as I walked over. “I’m gonna head out. Just wanted to say goodbye first.”
“You’re leaving already?” Lucy frowned. And the concerned look in her blue eyes told me she was worried that the wedding might be a little too much for me.
“I’m just a little tired,” I said, forcing a casual tone.
“I guess you did have a pretty long night.”
“I did.” I nodded, grateful she was letting me off the hook instead of giving me another interrogation. “So, I’m gonna try to catch up on whatever sleep I can while Charlotte’s still with the Vanderbilts.”
“I promise I won’t call you first thing in the morning and ruin your one chance at sleeping in.” Lucy smiled.
“I appreciate that.”
She stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug. I hugged her back, holding on for a second longer than usual.
Lucy and I hadn’t been particularly close growing up.
She was eight years younger than me, so we’d mostly lived in separate worlds.
But after Alisha died, she’d been one of the biggest reasons I’d managed to get back on my feet.
And now she wasn’t just my little sister, she was one of my best friends.
When she pulled away, Owen stepped forward and gave me a quick hug, too, clapping my back. “Good to see you tonight.”
“You too.”
I glanced toward the dance floor where Ian and Maddie were swaying together, completely wrapped up in each other on their wedding night.
“I don’t want to interrupt the happy couple,” I said to Owen. “But will you tell them congratulations for me?”
“Of course,” he said.
Before I left, my gaze drifted back to the dance floor one last time. To where Nora was still dancing with Miles. And she must have some sort of sixth sense or something, because in the next instant, she was angling her head toward me.
Our eyes met, and she watched me for a moment, her expression softening with something that looked suspiciously like concern. Like she could tell from all the way across the lawn that I was feeling out of sorts.
I forced a small smile and lifted my hand in a wave.
Then I mouthed, See you later.
She nodded slightly.
And then, before I could second-guess myself, I turned and walked toward the exit.
I had almost reached the front gate when a delicate hand caught my wrist.
“Hey, Theo. Wait.”
I looked down and found Nora standing there, her fingers curled lightly around my hand.
“Why are you leaving so soon?” she asked breathlessly.
Because I was lonely.
Because I was the only single guy in a sea of happy couples.
Because I didn’t know where I fit in anymore.
Because I wanted to fit in with someone.
“I’m just a little tired,” I said instead. “And I figured the bride and groom probably wouldn’t notice if I slipped out early.”
Her brown eyes studied me for a second, as if she wasn’t entirely convinced.
Then her expression shifted, a small spark of determination lighting her eyes. “But didn’t you say something earlier about stealing a dance with me?”
Ah.
Right.
She hadn’t forgotten that impulsive moment at the house when I’d told Miles to expect me to steal Nora for a dance.
“You aren’t going to skip out before making good on your promise, are you?” she asked when I didn’t move to follow her. “Because that would be very rude of you.”
I sighed, a smile lifting my lips despite myself. “You really want to dance with a crusty old man like me?”
“You are neither crusty nor old.” She rolled her eyes. “And yes, I’d love to dance with a guy who isn’t just using me to make someone else jealous.”
“Has Miles been bad?” I furrowed my brow.
“No.” She chuckled, waving the thought away. “But I’d still like to dance with you, if you’ll have me.”
And though part of me really had been ready to leave since the night had stirred up more emotions than I’d expected, when Nora gave my hand another tug, I let her lead me back to the dance floor.
As a string version of Taylor Swift’s “Enchanted” started playing, I took a deep breath and pulled Nora close, letting one hand rest on her back just below her shoulder blade while the other took her hand.
How long had it been since I’d slow danced with a woman?
Way too long.
“Is this okay?” she asked quietly, searching my face.
“Yeah,” I said, swallowing. “It’s… great.” Then after a beat, I bent closer and whispered near her temple, “Thank you for this, by the way.”
Her eyes softened. “You’re welcome.”
We held each other’s gaze for a long moment while the music carried us slowly across the floor.
And as my heart thudded loudly in my ears, a strange swirl of emotions filled me.
Gratitude.
A flicker of fear.
A small, aching sadness that whispered the simple truth that I would never dance with Alisha again.
That part of my life was gone.
But standing here with Nora, swaying to the music beneath the warm glow of the lights, I also felt something else.
Relief.
Maybe even hope.
Because sometimes, taking a step forward was hard to do alone.
Sometimes you needed someone willing to pull you along.
And Nora seemed to understand that.
After a moment, she rested her head lightly against my chest. And I let out a quiet breath.
Because despite all the confusing emotions I’d felt tonight… this was nice.