Page 52 of Guarded Knight

Nino shrieks with laughter as he grabs Logan’s and Shay’s hands and whirls across the grass. Owen and Theo crash into one another like a pair of drunken pinwheels, collapsing into helpless laughter. Julia tugs Rio toward the makeshift dance floor, and he gives her a spin so quick her bun unravels behind her, an elegant, white ribbon. Even Anton bumps his hip into Freya’s. She lets out a cute high-pitched squeak before dissolving into giggles.

And Luis, God help me, Luis is singing into a set of barbecue tongs like they’re a microphone, his voice raw and wildly off-key but carrying pure joy. “Negrita de mis pesares…”

It’s chaos.

It’s magic.

Music, laughter, love. Everywhere I turn it’s spilling into the dusky evening, wrapping itself around me. For a moment, I feel the way I used to when I was a kid at G’s parties, when happiness lived in the soles of my bare feet, determined to dance until dawn. I throw my arms in the air and let it soak in, replacing any worry, any fear… any place but here and now.

Gabriel watches me dance, that deep, unreadable gaze tracking every sway of my hips. A low laugh escapes him, and then his foot taps, his shoulders loosen, and he joins me.

“You can still move, Mendez,” I bite my lip and roll my shoulders.

His grin slices through me, wicked and devastating. “I can still do a lot of things, Firefly.”

Heat licks up my spine as his hips roll deeper, smoother, reminding me that stiff as Gabriel can be with his shades on, his hips know how to salsa. My God, what could they do in bed?

His hips vibrate the space between us with memory and want.

The yard is alive, glowing, but all of it funnels straight into him. Into us. Into the way he finally lets go, lets the rhythm carry him the same way it carries me.

My steps slow, not to tempt but to savor—this rare thing: Gabriel unguarded. Gabriel laughing. Gabriel here. My hips sway with the beat, but it’s my heart leading, aching for everything we were.

His gaze catches mine—dark, burning, full of words he’ll never say. His fingers twitch, like his body remembers before his mind allows it. That night he pulled me in by the waist. Close enough for the world to disappear.

I ache for him to do it again. Not just the touch—the claim. The proof that under all the distance and silence, we’ve never let go.

The music builds, violins racing, trumpets triumphant, voices lifted high. Luis is shouting, kids are spinning, laughter is everywhere… but none of it touches me the way Gabriel does.

We look at each other, and it’s not just a dance.

It’s every laugh we shared before the world got hard. Every time I wanted him but couldn’t have him. The reminder that no matter the distance, the years, the choices—we’re only ever one song away from falling back into each other.

And for the first time in forever, I let myself believe—just for these few beats—that we still can.

But all good things come to an end.

As does the song.

Luis laughs and heads back to the barbecue where Julia joins him, leaning on his shoulder, lightly puffing with a beaming smile, and the others crash out, too.

Gabriel’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Need another drink?”

“I’m fine. Pacing myself so I’m not up all night peeing.”

Thinking back to those gray sweatpants of his, I’d rather be up all night doing something else.

“Too much information.” He smirks. “But seriously, do you need to sit or anything?”

“If I need anything, I got it. I’m a big girl.”

His brow creases, his expression caught between amusement and concern. “I’m not trying to smother… just…”

I cut him off with a small smile, and the space between us stills.

I don’t feel smothered. I feel…loved.

And maybe for the first time, I let myself admit that what’s happening now is what’s always been between us. Not obligation. Not some favor to my big brother. But Gabriel showing up when I need him most, even when he doesn’t want to, even when it costs him. Hurt and comfort, tangled together. It’s how we started. It’s what we are. And God help me, it’s probably what we’ll always be.