He lifts his shoulder in a half shrug. “I’m not the best at picking up on things like this. I wanted to be sure.”
Shaking my head, I hook my chin on his shoulder. “You, you giant idiot. I’m seeing you.”
Wes exhales, squeezing my hand. “Good.”
The hall fills with applause, and I look back at the stage to see Jackson giving an over-the-top bow before handing over to Trey, who starts up the music again.
Sasha and Jaime approach the table, asking Jacey to come dance with them, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her move so fast. Jaime gives me a wink over her shoulder as they walk off, and I grin.
“Dance with me?” I ask, pushing my chair back.
Wes’ eyes widen, his grip tightening on my hand. “Are you sure? There’s no way back from this.”
I am sure, but it doesn’t mean I’m not sweating buckets, my heart slamming against my ribs with so much force, that I’m not sure I’ll be able to stand. Glancing to my left, I find my parents smiling at me, and it settles something in my soul.
“Good to see you again, Wes,” Dad says. “I hope you’ll come over for dinner again sometime soon.”
Wes smiles and nods. “I’d love to, sir. You look stunning by the way, Diane.”
Mom blushes, her grin widening. “We’re so proud of the two of you. This event is incredible.”
“Thank you,” he says. “It took us a while to figure it out, but we make a good team.”
We stare at each other for a moment, but as the lively song filling the room melts into a mid-tempo Adele song, I get to my feet, tugging Wes up with me. I don’t let go of his hand as we move to the dance floor, and I catch a few people raising their eyebrows, but I keep moving.
Once we’re folded in amongst the swaying crowd, I reach up and loop my arms around Wes’ shoulders. He smiles, his hands gently gripping my waist.
“I’m sorry,” he says, as we sway in time to the music.
“What for?”
He sighs. “For being a jealous asshole. I saw you walk in with Peyton, and after seeing you all over her at that party and then her kissing you, I kind of lost it.”
I stroke the back of his neck with my thumb, pulling him a little closer. “If I’m honest, I completely forgot. I told her I’d be her date back in January, and when she texted me this morning, I was gutted. More than anything, I wanted to be your date tonight.”
“Well, I’m your date,” Wes scoffs. “Although, if you paid for it, does that make me a prostitute?”
My head falls back as I laugh. “Well, having sampled the goods, I still think I got a good deal.”
Wes grins sheepishly, but then it fades, his expression turning serious. “I really am sorry, though, Sol. I spent so much of this evening pissed at you, when I should have walked over to you the second you entered the room.”
“Lesson learned?” I ask.
He nods. “Definitely.”
“You don’t need to doubt this,” I say, sliding my hands from his shoulders to cup his face. “Us. I wouldn’t have stuck around through the shit show that’s been the last six months if I wasn’t all in.”
Wes lowers his head to mine, his eyes closing. “I’m not going to pretend that I have this figured out, or that I’m not scared, but I promise to do better. I never want to hurt you, Sol. Never again.”
My heart squeezes, and I tilt my head until our lips brush against each other. I’m aware of the people around us, but at the same time, it’s like we’re in a bubble, the outside world a muffled haze. Wes’ fingers tighten on my hips, and when his mouth brushes mine again, I lean into it.
“Are you sure about this?” Wes asks softly.
I pull back enough that I can look him in the eyes. “I’m sure about us. I’m sure that I want to see where this goes. Sure that I don’t want to go another day without your kiss. What I need to know is, is that enough for you, Wesley Bowers? Areyousure? Because I don’t know if I can be sure enough for the both of us.”
Wes blinks. Then, his head falls back, his body shaking with laughter.
“What?” Dread weights my shoulders and I go to pull away, but he tightens his grip on my waist.