She groaned. “A closet geek. I should have known you’d have something wrong with you.” She was teasing. She’d seen her share of the sci-fi show and had enjoyed it, though not as much as the horror movies she and Katie liked.

Before they could delve into Time Lords and all their glory, the emcee asked everyone to take their seats for dinner.

She and Xavier sat at the head table with Angela and Scott, Justine’s parents, Ted’s parents, and one of her fathers’ close friends and his wife. Too bad Aunt Rosie couldn’t have been there, but then, her mother wouldn’t have wanted to share the spotlight with her sassy younger sister.

Not only did Aunt Rosie gallivant around the world when the mood struck, but she’d made a tidy little nest egg with investments throughout the years, and she wrote one of the hottest advice columns in the country—Dear Aunt Truth. Justine had been wanting to share that golden nugget with Xavier, since he and her aunt advised people for a living. But her aunt had a strict policy to never share her information with anyone.

What would Aunt Truth say about my feelings for Xavier? Feelings she’d only come to recognize as deeper than mere affection. Huh. Maybe she should reach out and ask. But not over the phone. Anonymously, of course. Heck, she still didn’t know exactly what she felt for the guy she’d only known a month. Yet it felt like they’d known each other forever.

He reached for her hand under the table and held it, smiling into her eyes while the bride and groom said a few words to the crowd. Justine heard none of it, only the beat of her heart as she looked into her lover’s warm gaze.

Everyone clapped, breaking the mood, and she did her best to relax and live in the moment, enjoying Xavier’s presence while trying not to make too much of it.

Dinner went well, everyone mannerly as they talked to Xavier, asking questions and subtly digging to see when and if Justine might next be getting married.

Xavier parried every inquiry with aplomb, and she noted her father’s amusement and admiration for her wedding date.

Later, after several people at the table, including Xavier, got up to stretch their legs and use the restroom, her father sat next to her. “Xavier’s pretty damn good at deflecting, isn’t he?”

“He’s a master, all right.”

Lyle laughed. “I like him, Justine. He balances you.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. Her father rarely got super personal with her. Mostly, he badgered her about her poor career choices, and of course her terrible decision to leave Mitch, a steady companion with an upward-moving career as well as a true financial partner.

They both paused while her sister and Ted walked around, talking to people. They did make a lovely couple, she had to admit. Mallory glowed with happiness.

“Mallory looks so pretty,” she said. “And Ted looks handsome.”