by Emma Hart
Her hair was a mess.
She pulled a brush from her case and tugged it through her hair, and I waited until she was done before I spoke.
“We have to talk.”
“No, we don’t.” She finally looked at me, meeting my eyes. “Not right now. All I want to do right now is get through this wedding, get through this afternoon, get through pretending to be your girlfriend, and go home where I can forget this ever happened.”
A loud knock at the door got me out of bed. “Wrong answer,” I said, heading out of the bedroom to the suite door.
It was our breakfast, and I directed the guy to bring it into the main room. I signed the receipt he gave me and handed it all back, then he left.
Holley’s head poked around the door. “Is that coffee?”
“I said I got it.”
“Thank God.”
I stepped in front of the cart. “You’re not having it until we’ve talked.”
She froze. “Are you being serious right now?”
“Do I sound like I’m joking?”
“You’re not gonna sound like anything if you try to have this conversation with me before coffee,” she warned, her eyes flashing in annoyance. “I don’t want to have this conversation at all.”
“And that’s the problem, isn’t it?” I walked toward her, and she backed up, right into the bedroom.
Perfect.
I could corner her in here.
“You don’t want to talk about it. You didn’t want to talk about it back then, either, and look where it got us.”
Her legs bumped into the bed and she fell back.
“But we’re not eighteen anymore, and we’re not gonna act like it either. So we’re going to talk about this, and we’re going to do it now.”
She folded her arms and looked up at me. “We are, we are?”
“Either way, I’m talking, and you’re going to listen.”
She looked out of the windows like a petulant child. Amusement flickered inside me. She was only doing that because I was being heavy handed, and if there was anything that Holley Stuart hated, it was being told what to do.
“I’m sorry I did it. I’m sorry I didn’t take enough time to make sure it was you. I’m sorry I waited as long as I did to try to tell you the truth about how I felt. And I’m sorry I didn’t force you into listening to me back then.”
“Like you are now?” She looked up at me with defiance in her eyes.
I fought back a laugh. “You don’t have to like it, but you’re gonna listen to me. I don’t give a damn if you don’t say a word, Holley, but you’re going to listen to what I have to say and you’re going to accept it as truth, because that’s what it is.”
Her expression didn’t change.
Steely-eyed, closed-mouthed, cheek-flushed.
God, she was so frustratingly beautiful.
“My biggest regret is never telling you the truth. That, and apparently making you feel like you mattered so little to me that you thought I’d honestly hurt you in that way.”
Her nostrils flared. “I never thought that.”
I leaned forward, resting my hands either side of her body on the bed. She leaned back as my face came close to hers, drawing in a deep breath.
“Then why didn’t you listen to me when I wanted to talk to you?”
“Because,” she said in a voice that was decidedly softer than before. “I was young. I was stupid, I was angry, and I was hurt. It was easier to avoid the conversation, because I just knew you were going to tell me something that would hurt me more.”
“But I wasn’t.”
“I know that now, don’t I?” She rested her hands behind her and turned her attention back to the window where it was now lightly snowing outside. “But you still would have left. Even if we had been honest with each other and decided to try, we were so young and dumb that it never would have worked. You would have left, got signed by the Bears, and become everyone’s hero.”
“Except yours.”
“I don’t want you to be my hero, Sebastian.”
“But I want to be, and I will be.”
She shook her head, a tiny little jerk that accompanied a disbelieving huff of air. “We’re not eighteen anymore. We’re not friends. I’m glad I know the truth, and I thank you for telling me, but it’s over. It’s done. The sooner you realize that—”
“Then what? I’ll leave you alone?” I cupped her chin and forced her head around so she was looking at me again. Unless I was a mistaken, she shivered the moment her eyes met mine. “You think I’ll give up trying to be a part of your life? That I’ll let you walk away tomorrow and never speak to you again?”
“A girl can hope.”
“You don’t want that. Face it, Holley; you didn’t have to drive up here yesterday. I didn’t make you. Nobody made you get in your car and come here and keep your word to me.”
She blinked up at me.
“You did that. All by yourself.”
“I promised—”
“Bullshit. Bull. Shit.” I dipped my face closer to hers and, this time, she didn’t back away. “You could have made up any dumbass excuse and my sister wouldn’t have said a damn thing, and you know it. You drove up here because you wanted to know. You can sit there and tell me that it’s over, that it’s done, that I need to move on because you have, but both you and I know that’s a truck load of absolute shit. You came here because you wanted to, and that’s all there is to it.”
Pink colored her cheeks. “Fine. I wanted to know. I realized I was stupid back then and I wanted to know the truth, and I thought this was the only way you’d tell me, so I came.”
“It was the only way you’d listen,” I corrected her. “It’s the only place you can’t run from me.”
“Well, now I know.” She paused. “So there. It’s fine. It’s done. We can move on now.”
“It’s not fine,” I said, the tip of my nose almost touching hers now. “It’s not fine, and it’s not done, and it’s not over. But we can move on.”
“Can we move on to where I’m allowed coffee now?”
My lips tugged to one side. “Are you going to hurt me if I say no?”
“My knee is perfectly positioned,” she said in a mildly threatening tone. “And I will use it.”
I held myself close to her for one more moment before I pushed off the bed and stepped back. “I’m going to shower. I’ll take it mine with cream and one sugar. Thanks.”
“Ooooh!” She reached around and grabbed my pillow, unceremoniously flinging it across the room at me.
Laughing, I darted into the bathroom and slammed the door right before the pillow hit it with a huge thunk.
“I would have hit you that time!” Holley yelled. “Pussy!”
I laughed even louder and turned on the shower.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance we’d somewhat repaired our relationship this morning.
And if not, I wasn’t about to give up on her.
***
My sister was a married woman.
The wedding was, well, a wedding. I didn’t know the difference between one or another, if I was completely honest. They were all the same, just in different clothes and in different places.
It was a miracle nothing had gone wrong with my family around.
My sister was as happy as could be. My dad was talking golf and baseball with Spencer’s dad, and my mother was finally breathing easy—but keeping a beady eye on my grandfather who’d been given hard liquor. That was not anything anyone here wanted to happen, especially since he had somehow cornered Holley.
“She’s very nice, Sebastian,” my great-aunt Elizabeth said from the table to my left, stopping me before I could get any closer. “Are you going to marry her?”
I took a deep breath and turned to her with a smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes. “Early days, Aunt Elizabeth,” I replied. “Excuse me. I have to go and rescue her from Grandpa.”
She sighed but didn’t stop me as
I made my way through the crowd of people to where Holley was staring wide-eyed at my grandpa.
“Grandpa,” I said, interjecting myself into the conversation. “You’re not being rude, are you?”
He looked at me with what looked a lot like a gin and tonic clasped in his left hand. “Rude? Me? We’re talking about the ducks! I think they might get some chickens!”
My eyebrows shot up and I looked at Holley. “Really?”
“Yeah.” The word was long with a hint of tiredness. “I didn’t know about the chickens, though. We’ve really got to ask for a breakdown of the expenses of that place.”
No fucking kidding.
“How are the ducks?” I asked my grandfather.
His eyes lit up. That was probably more down to the gin than the ducks, given his rants about them earlier this week. “Cheese and Quackers are my favorites.”
“Cheese and Quackers.” How the fuck I kept a straight face I’ll never know. “There are ducks called Cheese and Quackers?”
“Mm. Mabel likes a pun.”
Mabel.
Was she the one who liked my ass?
“Interesting names.”
“I told you they got worse than Quackie Chan.” Holley picked up her own glass and sipped through the straw. Her red lipstick matched the shade of her dress almost perfectly, and her blue eyes popped when they met mine. “There’s also James Pond.”
James Pond.
“But he’s a girl!” Grandpa input. “There’s also Quack the Ripper, El Quacko, Quackula, Pteroducktyl, and Phyllis.”
Phyllis.
Honestly, I didn’t know what to say.
“Phyllis is the boss,” Holley added. “Keeps Quackie Chan in line when he gets too big for his, er, pond, I guess.”
“I have no idea how I’m supposed to respond to all that,” I admitted. “Why Phyllis?”
“If you think Phyllis is the weirdest thing out of all those names, you need help.”
“She came with the name Phyllis,” Grandpa added. “I think Mabel ran out of puns, if you ask me. She’s too busy Googling you with Agatha to see if there are pictures of your butt on the internet.”
Holley tilted her head to the side, eyebrows raised. Her lips kept moving and I realized she was doing everything she could to fight back laughter.
“Don’t worry,” Grandpa continued, not noticing the subtle shake of her shoulders. “I called the police and reported her for harassment.”
I—
Nah.
I had nothing.
“Thank you?” I said slowly, trying not to catch Holley’s eye lest she burst into giggles. “That’s not alarming at all.”
“That’s why I called the police.” Grandpa tipped his imaginary hat in my direction and almost choked on his drink. “Oh, balls, here comes your mother!”
He moved faster than a man on a list for a hip replacement should move. He used both of his canes and left his now-empty glass behind, making use of the large crowd to disappear.
“Oh, darn it!” Mom put her hands on her hips. “Your grandfather keeps disappearing! He needs his medicine and a lie down!”
Good luck with that.
I pointed in the direction he’d just shuffled off in. “He went that way.”
“Thank you.” She looked between me and Holley. “I hope his little delusions about your relationship haven’t been too problematic?”
“They’re your delusions,” I reminded her. “You started it.”
“So I did. Forget I said anything. Oh, there he is!” She muttered an apology as she darted off after Grandpa and disappeared in the same manner he had.
Jesus, my family was hard work.
I sat down in the seat Grandpa had vacated. “I cannot tell you how sorry I am about my family. What a shitshow.”
CHAPTER TWELVE – HOLLEY
rule twelve: when you laugh, you can convince anyone of anything. even yourself.
“No, it’s fine,” I replied, stirring my drink with my straw. “I’m only in half the wedding pictures, been asked at least fifteen times if we’ve discussed starting a family, had my ring finger checked four and a half times, and finally, been asked if I have a grandmother who is single and as sweet as I am.”
Seb slowly nodded. “Not too bad, then.”
“For a twenty-six-year-old single woman at a wedding? I’ve had worse counts.”
He met my eyes, lips twitching. “Sorry. I should have known.” He paused. “You didn’t say you had a single grandmother, did you?”
“God no.” I snorted. “I told them if they wanted to summon a demon, they’d have better luck with a Ouija board.”
“Unless it was Uncle Scott. He could do with being kept in line by an older woman.”
I fought a giggle. “Sounds like you’ve got a pair of your own after you.”
“Har har har,” he said dryly. “It’s not my fault baseball pants make my ass look great, all right? It comes with the job. Kinda like a bonus.”
“That makes seniors perv over you?”
“Wasn’t really shooting for the seniors, but at least we know their eyesight is perfectly fine.”
I rolled my eyes and sucked the last of my drink through the straw. “Calm down or you’re not going to be able to fit your head through the door to leave.”
He sipped his beer, eyes sparkling with laughter over the top of the rim. “Do you need another drink?”
“Good choice of words.” I slid the empty glass toward him. He set down his beer and took it, getting a little too close to me in the process, and I glared up at him.
Hell yes, I needed another drink.
Today had been the longest day ever. I’d barely slept after last night’s revelations and lying in bed next to Seb had made it even harder.
I had no idea what to do now that the truth was out.
Now that I knew what he’d wanted.
Because I didn’t know what he wanted now, either.
My gut told me it wasn’t friendship, and my gut wasn’t often wrong.
You didn’t look at someone the way he looked at me if you just wanted to be friends.
I didn’t know how it would work. We were different people now, but maybe that was a good thing. We were older, more mature, more understanding, and less likely to run away from confrontation.
Well, he was.
I was still gonna hightail my ass out of confrontation city.
I did not do confrontation, as evidenced by this morning’s lame attempt at getting out of the conversation.
I was getting ahead of myself, though. We’d had more than enough conversations in the last twenty-four or so hours, and I wasn’t going to have any more serious ones until I could go home and have some time alone and clear my head.
Oh, who was I kidding?
I was heading straight to the store to be among the books tomorrow.
There was no place like sitting in the middle of a room full of books, surrounded by endless possibilities.
Maybe one of them had the answer I was looking for.
“Damn.” A low whistle came from behind me. “One, your boobs look great in that dress, and two, if you’re not going to sleep with him, can I have him?”
I spun in my chair and looked up at Tori with a wry smile. “Look what the cat dragged in.”
Laughing, she flicked her dark hair over her shoulder and joined me at the table. “You look good to say it dragged you through a few bushes.”
“Touché.” I laughed. “Saylor said you’d be here.”
“Kate runs an interior design business, and I manage her website. I wasn’t sure I was going to come because I didn’t have a date, but Grandma sent me to spy on Sebastian when she realized Kate was his sister.”
I laughed into my hand. “So she really does have a crush on him?”
She held up a hand. “Girl, don’t. I’ve seen more photos of his ass in the last day than I have of myself as a baby. She’s going to clear out her photo albums and fill them with photos of
him at this rate.”
“Please let me be here when you tell him that.”
Tori grinned. “Done. How’s it going? With you two?”
“There’s nothing going,” I corrected her quickly. “But we’ve cleared up what happened at prom, so that’s something.”
“You did? What happened?” Her eyes clouded with the memory. “I could have ripped off his balls right there.”
I hadn’t told anyone yet, but Tori was the perfect person. Mostly because I knew she’d tell Ivy and the girls so I didn’t have to. “He didn’t intend to kiss Iris. He was going to kiss me.”
Her jaw dropped. “Well, that explains why he keeps staring at you.”
“Yes, I’m trying to ignore him. It’s bad enough we have to share a room because this place is booked out. There’s no escaping him.”
“Wait. You’re sharing a room and you’re not climbing him like a tree? What’s wrong with you?”
“I have a thing called dignity,” I said dryly.
“That’s overrated.” She waved her hand. “Sex is sex. I don’t know why you’re all tied up in knots about it.”
“Tied up in knots about what?” Seb asked, rejoining us.
Tori looked up at him and said, without batting a eyelid, “Having sex with you. I volunteer as tribute if she won’t do it.”
“Tori!” Oh, my God!
Seb grinned, sliding a chair out for himself as he put my drink down. “It’s good to see you again, Tori.”
“I didn’t hear a refusal there, Seb,” she teased.
“As much as I appreciate the offer, this one takes up too much bed space as it is. No room for a third one.”
This was going from bad to worse.
“Why do I always end up in these situations?” I mused aloud.
“You’ve ended up in potential threesomes?” Seb asked, one eyebrow quirked upward.
Tori smirked. “Yeah, her, a romance novel, and a bowl of ice cream.”
“Hey, that’s one hell of a Saturday night,” I pointed out. “And it doesn’t hurt my feet.” I held up a leg and wiggled my high heel clad foot to prove my point.
Seb’s eyes dropped, and his gaze moved from my ankle all the way up my leg until it met the hem of my dress that was showing a little too much thigh.