Re: Gavin & Mila
Gavin let out a small huff that sounded amused. He'd never been good at the paternal thing, didn't have a role model to copy in that department, but he was trying these days. Too damn late, but better than never? "They respect you and want you to have a good day," he said. "So that does a lot of the heavy lifting." Sure, they were Aaron's friends but a lot of them were rowdy boys who would absolutely ruin the day just to tease their 'buddy'. It was the women who really kept them in check, the beautiful dresses and the flower decorations serving as a reminder that this was not their venue to play around in.
"Well, I am having a good day," Mila said with a small smile. Caden and Shan were behaving, as were Roxy and Spence and everyone else seemed to be having fun and that's what Mila had wanted. Her mother had even spent most of the reception talking with Aaron's mom, and Mila was hoping both families could become friendly. It helped that Aaron and Adrian were already close. "I should probably get back inside," she said, running her hand over her stomach once more. The baby had stopped kicking, so that was some relief. "Give yourself a small break. Dance with Charlie or something."
"Not gonna say no to the bride," Gavin said with a smile and Charlie deserved to have more of his undivided time - unbothered by the idiots he was chaperoning. He felt like he should say something to Mila, he always did, but it was never the right time and he never wanted to remind her of the past, though he was sure she needed no reminding. She was being gracious and he didn't deserve that much, it was really a testament to how much she loved Aaron that she could be civil with his brothers. And yet, he wanted to tell her he'd take it all back if he could, that he was ashamed of it all, that it had been a stupid decision with consequences he couldn't have begun to imagine. He said nothing, just stubbed out his cigarette and stuffed what remained in the cigarette butt receptacle, letting Mila leave first.
Mila didn't need anything from Gavin. All she wanted was for him to be a good brother to Aaron, and so far he had been doing that. The entire family had been through enough trauma, she saw no reason to dredge up even more. So she led Gavin back inside the reception hall, eager to find her husband and maybe have a dance before her feet decided it was time for another break.