Page 29 of Yours, Finally

I shrugged. "If we're holding the party inside, does the outside matter?"

"I want it to be perfect so, yeah. It matters."

"Okay, then let's see the other." I clicked on the second tab. "The gardens are gorgeous."

She put a hand on my shoulder and leaned forward, pointing at one of the photos with a straight index finger. Her dark purple nail traced the pictures inside the venue, but my vision blurred. Her smell reached me, and the way she put weight on my shoulder… god, I was starved for her touch.

The ribbon that kept my heart tied to Vi went taut with tension. I was done for, if her hand on my shoulder had me feeling this much.

"This is the opposite problem." Her voice remained serious and untouched, focused on the task, unlike me. "I like the outside but not the inside."

"Could we make it better with decorations?"

She turned her face to me, leaving our noses close. It was rare to be so near her, and I didn't waste the chance. I studied the curve of her brow, her deep, warm brown eyes, even the angle of the wing on her eyeliner. Her gasp was almost inaudible, but I paid close attention.

I crossed my arms not to pull at her and have her sit on my lap.

"We could make it better," she breathed.

"Excuse me." Ryan, my assistant, stood by my door.

Vi straightened next to me and crossed her arms, but stayed in place— like what we'd been doing wasn't a problem at all.

It wasn't, by the letter of the law. Everyone knew that I was practically family, and she was demonstrative with Gabe and her dad. The glass wall around my office had remained transparent. Nothing had been happening.

But in the spirit of the law, my emotions would get us in incredible trouble.

"Yeah?" I asked Ryan, and hoped my voice seemed the same as usual.

"They're calling from Seattle. Can I put them through?"

"Yes. Give me a second. And please reach out to Vi's assistant and find a time for us to go out one of these mornings."

"For sure." Ryan left and put the call through; the red light on my phone told me they were on hold.

"Can we go to the one with the pretty outdoor space?" Vi picked her briefcase. "See if we can make the place better by the power of pretty venue makeup?"

I nodded. "I'll book it, though the Remington place still gets my vote."

She whispered. "Do better than me and explain we're not there to choose a venue for our wedding, okay?"

I smirked and gave her a serious nod; she wrinkled her nose and left me to deal with Seattle.

And yet, when I called the new venue later that day, they congratulated me on being a husband involved in planning his anniversary. I corrected them, of course. Even if for an instant I contemplated what would happen if I didn't, and I let them treat us like a couple renewing vows.

I had worked hard on self control. I took pride in it. I'd do better to remember why.

We visited the second venue later that week. Joanna was the person to show us the building; she was shorter than Vi but smiled just as much, and seemed to have a tendency to put her hair behind her ear and look at people from behind her eyelashes.

The building itself was mostly a big, plain box, with basic wainscotting on the walls to add minimal texture. The place branded itself as a blank canvas, which allowed you to play and make your party dreams come true. After the tour, Joanna led us to the large glass doors that showcased the garden outside.

"Do you have an idea for a party theme?" she said. "We offer some basic decorations like wall draping, depending on your color scheme."

Vi offered a neutral face and a small smile. "It's their fortieth, so we want the accent color to be ruby or burgundy, but we haven't decided on the full palette yet."

My eyes were on her. Something had dimmed her light. I often caught it, over the past two and a half years, where she'd be more reserved around me than others. But there was something different about it this time.

"I'll email you out options for you to consider." Joanna cast her eyes at me. "Can I send you the details?"