Chapter 29
MOLLY
After the christening, we head to the reception, where the real fun begins.
It’s being held in a large room in a country club.
The room is decorated in the same maroon and cream colors as the roses from the church and each table has a centerpiece made up of the flowers.
The chairs are covered with cream covers as are the tables and with the maroon ribbons around the chairs and runners on the tables, the room is so fancy it looks more like a wedding reception than a christening party.
There is even a huge maroon and cream balloon arch behind and over the buffet table.
Joshua sticks by my side, his presence warm and solid as we take seats at a vacant table.
I’m glad he didn’t want me to sit with his parents and sister and her husband.
As much as they seem like nice people, it would have been awkward for me, and he seemed to sense that.
We make good use of the free bar, and we talk, and we laugh together, and when Joshua begins to flirt with me, I forget that I’m supposed to be acting as though I’m immune to his advances, and I flirt back.
For the first time in a long time, I let myself enjoy the moment without overthinking it.
Several times when I happen to glance over to the family table, I see Fran looking over at us and smiling.
She definitely seems to approve of me, and when I’m formally introduced to Mitchell and Hannah, they both seem welcoming and friendly too.
I start to almost feel bad for deceiving them into thinking Joshua and I are dating.
One of the highlights of the day for me is when Hannah is chatting to Joshua and me at our table and she needs to use the ladies’ room, and she asks me if I wouldn’t mind holding Oscar for a moment.
I relish that milky warmth in my arms, his sweet baby smell in my nostrils.
He peers up at me out of perfect blue eyes and I chatter away to him in baby talk.
He is the most adorable baby, and he seems to be content enough in my arms. When Hannah comes back, I don’t want to hand him back over, but I know I have to.
Before Hannah can take him though, Joshua says it’s his turn and he takes baby Oscar.
Watching Joshua holding the baby and talking to him, I melt inside.
Seeing him be so gentle and sweet with the baby turns my heart into mush.
And when he moves the blanket aside slightly and baby Oscar grabs his finger and holds onto it, it is cuteness personified.
I’m upset when Hannah has to take Oscar away, but her mom wants to see him before she has to leave.
The buffet opens and Joshua and I go and join the line for the food. I end up beside Joshua’s father who peers at me for a moment and then his eyes open wider.
“I know you,” he says. “You’re that secretary, the one who spilt the milk on me in the board meeting.”
“Guilty,” I say, blushing.
“Don’t worry,” he says, leaning in conspiratorially. “I hated that suit. Mind you, I like this one and I’ve seen what you can do with a single jug of milk. I dread to think what you can do with a whole bowl of dip so please be careful.”
We laugh and although I’m still a little bit embarrassed, he’s put me at ease, and I relax a bit.
It’s a good thing because relaxed me is pretty good at touching things and holding them but flustered me is a whole different story.
I manage to make it from one end of the buffet table to the other, helping myself to the food, without dropping anything, spilling anything, or knocking anything over.
I don’t congratulate myself just yet though.
That comes when I get back to the table without dropping my plate.
The food is delicious, and Joshua and I fall quiet for a little bit as we eat.
When we finish, I offer to go up to the bar and get us some more drinks.
I go up and order a white wine for myself and a scotch for Joshua.
I turn to go back to the table when a woman in a pair of grey pants and a black top stops me.
She has brown hair with a few bits of grey showing around her hair line, but her face is pretty much wrinkle free and it’s hard to place her age.
“It’s Molly, isn’t it?” she says, and I nod my head. “I’m Norma, Joshua’s aunt on his father’s side.”
“Oh hi, lovely to meet you,” I say.
“And you,” she says, and she smiles at me. “Has Fran got you two married off yet?”
“Not yet,” I say.
“Give her time,” Norma says. “I guarantee you she has already picked a venue, a color scheme and what she will wear in her head.”
“It’s a bit soon for that kind of talk,” I say with a laugh, trying to let her know that’s not happening, but without sounding abrupt.
“That won’t stop Fran. Joshua never brings people he’s seeing to family events, so you must be pretty special, and she’s not letting you go,” Norma says. “How long have you two been dating then if it’s too soon to be thinking of marriage anyway?”
I’m at a loss for words for a moment. Up to this point, everyone has assumed that Joshua and I are dating, and I’ve just let them think it.
Now though, if I give any sort of timeline, I’m openly lying to this woman’s face and that feels wrong as she seems really nice.
But if I say we’re just friends, or worse, work colleagues, it kind of blows Joshua’s whole getting his mom off his back about dating thing out of the water.
I’m saved from having to answer as Joshua sidles up beside me.
“I thought you got lost,” he says.
“No, I was just talking to your aunt,” I say.
“I was just asking how long you two have been dating,” Norma says.
Fuck. She’s not letting this go. Joshua doesn’t seem to have the same qualms about lying to her as I have though.
"Oh, we’ve been dancing around each other for years," he says smoothly, his hand resting on the small of my back. "It was only a matter of time for us really."
His words send a thrill through me, even though I know they’re just for show. Still, when his aunt sighs dreamily and tells us what a lovely couple we make and then walks away from us, I glance up at him, shaking my head.
"Fancy lying to your aunt like that," I say.
He grins.
"But did you see how happy that made her?" he says.
I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the way my heart stutters in my chest. Because for a brief moment, I wish this wasn’t just pretend.
“Anyway, it wasn’t really a lie was it. Three years we were apart, but we found each other again,” he says. “And before you say we’re not dating, like I said, it’s just a matter of time.”
I don’t know what to say to that, but I like how it sounds, and I let myself just enjoy the moment. I hand Joshua his drink and we go and sit back down.
Unlike other christening parties I’ve been too, this one doesn’t dissolve around six o’clock.
Oh no, not even close. Around that time, the children are ushered off with nannies or babysitters and then a DJ turns up and the party really starts.
The drinks keep flowing, a whole other course of food is served, and the dancing goes on until late.
“Come and dance with me,” I say to Joshua.
He shakes his head.
“I’m not much of a dancer,” he says.
“And I’m not much of a fake dater, but here we are,” I say. “At least make it fun for me.”
“What, you don’t think my charming company is fun enough?” he says.
“I mean it’ll do I guess, but a dance would be better,” I grin.
“Oh, it’s like that is it?”
“Yup.”
Defeated, Joshua stands up and takes me by the hand and leads me to the dance floor.
We spin and shake our hips and move together.
Joshua takes control, leading me around the dance floor, and as the song ends, he dips me dramatically and then pulls me back up.
When the next song, a slower one this time, starts, we wrap our arms around each other and sway together.
“I thought you said you couldn’t dance,” I say after a moment.
“This is hardly dancing.”
“I’m aware of that. I meant the last song.”
“Oh, that. I didn’t say I couldn’t dance, I said I don’t dance,” he says.
“Asshole,” I say, and I put my tongue out at him.
“Very mature,” he says with his signature smirk.
We dance until my feet are burning in my heels and then we grab a drink from the bar and go and sit back down.
This is pretty much the way the rest of the night goes.
We dance for a bit and then sit and chat for a bit.
The one thing that doesn’t change is that we do it together.
Joshua hasn’t left my side once except for bathroom breaks and I love that he’s making sure I don’t end up left alone while he’s talking to everyone he knows.
Whenever anyone comes over to talk to us, he makes sure to introduce me and include me in any conversations that occur.
He really is very well mannered and chivalrous, and I don’t think he’s doing it to try and win points with me or anything, I just think it’s his natural way.
When the DJ stops playing and the lights come up, I’m shocked at how fast the day and night have gone by, and I’m even more shocked when I learn it’s close to one am.
Joshua gets his cell phone out and excuses himself. He’s hardly gone for more than a minute and he’s back.
“I think I’ve had a bit too much to drink to drive home. I was just calling my driver,” he says. “He won’t be long.”
We go around and say goodbye to Josua’s family and some friends of his, and then we thank the host and hostess who thank us in turn for coming. All in all, it’s been a lovely day and night, and I have really enjoyed myself. The only thing that could make it better is if it didn’t have to end.