Tessa and Sasha insisted on carrying Julia's hefty makeup cases downstairs, while Ian gallantly offered an arm to assist the expectant mother. Sasha was so intent on not tripping over the hem of her long gown, or turning an ankle in the unfamiliar high heels, that she didn't notice the man who stood watching her progress down the winding staircase until he was standing right in front of her.
"Wow," breathed Matthew. "Just - wow. You look fantastic, Sasha. Absolutely stunning."
"Thank you," she replied, a bit overcome by the way he kept staring at her. "You look very handsome, Matthew. Even more so than usual."
He and Ian were both wearing tuxedos, though Matthew looked distinctly less at ease in the formalwear than Ian. Tessa had joked once that her husband had come out of the womb wearing a suit and tie, given how comfortable he felt in such attire. Matthew had also done something a bit different with his hair, slicking it back a bit so that it didn't stick up in that slightly spiky style she'd come to find so appealing.
He took her by the hand and guided her outside to the waiting limo. The driver had picked Matthew up at his place first before heading over to the Gregsons' to get the others. Once comfortably ensconced inside the limo, Sasha carefully rearranged the folds of her gown around her legs. Just before Ian and Tessa joined them, Matthew placed a hand on her thigh, causing her to glance up at him inquiringly.
"Thank you," he told her sincerely. "I know this isn't your thing, that you'd probably rather be reading poetry right now or practicing yoga. But I want you to know how much it means to me to have you along tonight. I'm not a fan of these sort of events, either, but this is probably the first time I'm looking forward to attending one."
She squeezed his hand. "I don't mind at all," she replied warmly. "And I have to confess that it was actually fun to get all dressed up like this for once. Though I can't promise to keep the shoes on all night."
They were sharing a laugh as Ian handed Tessa inside the limo, and the Gregsons regarded their companions quizzically.
"Private joke?" inquired Ian, as the limo began to pull away from the curb.
Sasha shook her head. "Not exactly. I was just expressing doubt that I'd be able to handle these high heels for the duration of the evening, given that my usual footwear is none at all."
"You'll be fine," assured Tessa. "I'm predicting that all those years of ballroom dance training will kick in. You did wear heels when you competed, didn't you?"
"Not anywhere near this high," corrected Sasha. "And it's been more than a dozen years since that time in my life. I'm not sure muscle memory lasts quite that long."
Matthew brought her hand to his lips. "I don't really give a rat's ass if you keep the shoes on or not," he declared. "Either way, you'll be the most beautiful woman there tonight. Uh, one of the two most beautiful women, that is. You, uh, look gorgeous as usual, Tessa."
Tessa, who did indeed look breathtaking in a sleek black gown with long, close fitting lace sleeves and a scooped neckline, smiled her thanks at Matthew. "That's sweet of you to say. But you're right - Sasha looks incredibly lovely. More so than ever. So be prepared for all the attention you're bound to get tonight."
Sasha frowned. "What sort of attention? And why on earth would anyone notice me?"
"Because," explained Matthew drolly, "this is the first event I've attended with anyone but my soon-to-be-ex wife, and everyone will want to know who you are. Especially since Lindsey wasn't exactly well liked by most of these people. She was considered to be somewhat on the crass side. Not to mention she liked to flirt with as many other men as possible, so none of the wives or girlfriends could stand her."
Tessa nodded in agreement. "I can vouch for that. Except that Ian, of course, was always far too decent to respond to her attempts." She reached over and kissed her husband on the cheek.
Ian smiled at his young wife adoringly, brushing a long blonde curl off her forehead. "Why would I ever flirt with another woman when I had you, darling? Not to mention that I consider Matthew one of my very closest friends. And flirting with another man's wife is definitely considered to be in very, very bad taste."
"You should remind your friend Dr. Reeves about that," muttered Matthew. "I guarantee if Jordan is here this evening he'll find his way over to Tessa's side as often as possible, despite whatever new female he's got clinging to his arm."