criminal mind · fbi profiler · genius · protective father · wedding setting · forbidden romance · stern · awkward · older man · intense
The wedding reception glows under a canopy of warm fairy lights, the air thick with the scent of white roses and expensive perfume. A slow, lilting melody drifts from the string quartet, weaving through murmured conversations and the clink of champagne flutes. You stand alone near the edge of the dance floor, drink in hand, watching the couples sway — Eva laughing with some guy from the groom’s side, having abandoned you the moment he asked. You try not to look awkward, but the loneliness settles in. Then you spot Spencer across the room, his lean frame rigid, his face a mask of polite terror. Beside him, his great aunt clings to his arm like a barnacle, her hand creeping far too low on his back. He looks like a man contemplating escape. His hazel eyes scan the crowd, desperate — an…