Once Clyde and Ryley finished their opening dance, Starla and Ryder took their places.
Starla drifted toward Clyde with a bright, earnest smile, while Ryder stepped toward Ryley with a steadier, quieter presence.
The music shifted into a gentler melody as Ryley placed his hand on Ryder's shoulder, and the two began to move across the floor.
It didn't take long for Ryley's throat to tighten, his vision blurring as tears gathered—he had never imagined he would get a moment like this with Ryder, not on such a day, not in such peace.
As they turned to the soft rhythm, Ryder leaned in just slightly. A muffled, repressed cough trembled against Ryley's ear before he whispered, "When Rosie gets married in the future, promise me you and Clyde will dance with her just like this…"
Ryley's heart clenched.
He wanted to protest—to say she'll want to dance with you as her Padre, to insist that the future he feared for Ryder was not sealed.
