Joey adjusted the collar of the shirt he borrowed from Gibsie—less his style, more her mother’s expectations—and tried not to let the weight of all the judgmental stares ruin his appetite.

The wedding was beautiful. White roses, crystal chandeliers, everything soaked in that subtle smell of money and restraint. But it wasn’t the venue that was making his jaw clench—it was the people. Her people.

Her family.

They looked at him like he was the dirt under their custom-polished shoes. Polite smiles, forced niceties, and conversations that skirted around his presence like he was some stain on their linen.

He stood beside her, one hand lightly on the small of her back, the other clutching a glass of something he couldn’t pronounce. And still, he noticed it all. The way her cousin barely acknowledged his name. The way her aunt asked if he was “the help.” The way her father looked through him like he wasn’t even there.

“You okay?” she asked under her breath, her calm voice a tether that pulled him back from clenching his fists.

Joey forced a smirk. “You sure I’m not the one crashing this wedding?”

She flinched. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

She looked up at him then, the warm lights catching in her eyes. “They just don’t get it.”

“What’s there to get? I’m here for you. That’s all that matters.”

That shut her up for a second.

Then, just as someone else passed by with another veiled jab—something about his “rough charm”—she did something unexpected.

She reached for his hand.

Not just touched it. Laced her fingers through his like she meant it.

Her family noticed. Of course they did. A few narrowed eyes. One muttered “oh dear” from the next table over.

But Joey? He barely heard it. All he could feel was the press of her fingers in his, her thumb brushing his skin like it was second nature.

He leaned down, voice low. “You keep holding my hand like that and they’re going to think you actually like me.”

She smiled—soft, secretive. “Let them.”

And for the first time all night, Joey didn’t feel out of place.

Because she picked him. Not for show. Not just to shut her parents up.

But maybe… maybe for something else entirely.