Catching Texas

God Gave Me You

Texas

Music played through the room, barely drowning out the low chatter of conversation. There were around one hundred and fifty people in attendance, not including the caterers and waitstaff, deejay , and gaggle of photographers that had been hired to document the joyous occasion, and it seemed like every single person in the room was talking at the same time. I smiled politely once again as an antique couple scooted by, trying not to down the glass of champagne once the rim met my lips. 

God, I needed something stiffer than this fru-fru juice. 

I continued to gingerly sip the liquid as people moved around, hoping that none of Yates' family decided to stop and mingle. I'd met a few too many of them before the ceremony. His Uncle Darnell was a creepy older gentleman with no hair, three teeth and wandering brown eyes. He grinned too wide at me, and his beady peepers couldn't stay off of the neckline of my dress. He gave me the willies. Next came Aunt Mildred, who looked like she wasn't a day over ninety and wore her purple hair in a coiffed up-do with a gaudy pin stuck like an eye in the center. She spent the whole ten minutes that we actually spoke sneering at me for coming to a wedding without a date. It was tacky, she insisted, and a lady didn't show up in public lacking the arm of a gentleman. Let me tell you, Aunt Milly was a total hoot. But, my personal favorite was his great Uncle Castiel, who insisted on being called His Lordship, spoke in riddles and quoted Shakespeare every chance he got. Now, to be fair, our side of the family was a little nutty, but not quite so bad. Most of our kin were rednecks -- a little too blue collar for this fancy shindig -- and a good percentage of them looked like the Beverley Hillbillies. 

"You look a little lonely over here," said a familiar voice, breaking my intense stare off with a snub nosed woman across the way, "How about we dance?" 

Knox

"Looks like someone is makin' moves before you pulled you balls outta your back pocket, dumbass." Stetson slurred lightly, smiling sheepishly when my head swung around quickly. He'd been drinking from the time we started getting dressed this afternoon and was pretty well toasted at this point. Most of my fidgeting during the ceremony was an attempt to keep the attention off of him, which only served to piss off Yates and stir the stick that was shoved up his ass. I could smell the liquor on Stetson's breath so his comment didn't bother me, but watching some dipshit smiling dopily at Texas with his arms wrapped around her as they danced, did. 

I was biding my time.

I knew that the song she'd been asked to dance to was winding down and that if I was going to step in, it needed to be done quickly. Of course, this meant weaving my way through the throng of old people tiptoeing around the dance floor, but I managed that pretty decently.

"Mind if I cut in?" 

I'd never seen a more relieved look on her face. 

* * * 

"God gave me you for the days of doubt." 

We were dancing silently together, our bodies shifting across the dance floor in time with the music. I wanted so badly to say something to her, but I didn't know how to start off. Did I apologize for being a jackass? Would she even accept my apology if I did? 

"You look like you're thinking pretty hard about something." I could sense the hesitation in her words.

"D'you know who that was?" Her voice was thick, her plump lips pressed into a thin line. I shook my head lightly even as I tried to recall the people I've met. He was familiar but I couldn't place him. I kept coming up with a picture, but it couldn't be right. 

"That's Cassie's ex-husband. Walker's father." That was a story I only knew the half of, mostly because I didn't want to pry too far into someone else's business. I did know that the asshole had knocked up a pair of sister -- one he was married to and one he wasn't and left them both. Cassie's sister had died in childbirth, something I couldn't fathom happening in this day and age, and now Ward and Cassie were raising the little girl, too.

"What did he say?" I was genuinely curious but what I needed to say was still dangling in the back of my mind. A look of confusion crossed her face, so at odds with the Texas I knew.

"He was asking about Walker, Cassie. He actually didn't know that Carrie had died. I really didn't know what to say to him." What did you say to someone you didn't know? Especially in a situation like this. We continued to dance as the music played.

"Sorry, X. Looks like I walked up at just the right time." I meant for my words to be teasing, but the husky note in my voice pushed past the barrier I'd created. 

"Mmm, you did indeed. And you definitely looked like a man with a purpose."  Her smile was nearly devastating and the heat in her eyes threw me for a loop. It was a white hot look that I'd only ever dreamed of her shooting me -- a look that smothered every friendly-ish thought in my mind and conjured images of a very under-dressed Texas. 

"You finally going to step up and make your move, Knox?" The taunt in her voice was clear -- the dare so very apparent. It looked like someone was getting a little bit impatient. 

And she definitely wasn't the only one.