Bella assumed that being the partially grown-up daughter of the groom had its perks. Mostly, no one looked at her twice as she approached the bar for a glass of wine. That either meant she looked old enough to skate by...or Pat and Patience had a bunch of lushes for friends.
Returning to Damien's side, she searched the group for Gwen, knowing she'd probably be able to hear her before she saw her. It wasn't her place, not really, but she wanted to be ready to toss the girl over her shoulder and carry her out if the need arose.
"You realize," she said after taking a sip of the Zinfandel, "that part of your duty as a wedding date is dancing at least once with me, right? And don't give me a look." She'd barely looked over to Damien, despite the fact that she was talking to him. "I don't like it any more than you do. We'll just...consider it balance training."