Page 2 of This Wild Heart

I merely quirked an eyebrow.

Emmett managed to tear his eyes away from Adaline, narrowing on me in a way I didn’t really feel like dissecting. “You’re being summoned too. You going to ignore the bride?”

Come have fun with your familywas the not-so-subtle subtext.

I decided to ignore that too.

“Pretending I don’t hear the things my sisters want me to do is good for my mental health. We call those boundaries.”

Emmett laughed, slapping my leg as he stood. “Yeah, well, ignoring my wife on our wedding day will likely end up with me sleeping on the floor, and I’d very much like to be in bed with her, so…”

“A single mention of sex with my sister, and I’ll never speak to you again.”

He was still chuckling as he walked away. My sister’s face glowed when he approached, and I felt that ache again. It wasn’t jealousy, not envy or anything of the sort. I didn’t want what they had.

A love like that felt fucking dangerous.

But sometimes I just wanted to feel something. Anything.

I picked up the beer again, sighing when I remembered it was empty, and decided one more wouldn’t hurt. One more and I’d be done. We’d already made it through the toasts and the first dances, through the delicious cake. One more beer to show I wasn’t bolting, and I’d be able to lock myself in my hotel room and stare at the ceiling for the rest of the night.

Sheila approached with a smile, her cheeks flushed from dancing. “Son, you’re not leaving yet, are you?”

I dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Not yet. Need to let Emmett buy me one more beer first.”

She laid a hand on my arm. “You know, I have someone I need to introduce you to. She works for your sister, and she is absolutely darling. You’d love her.”

“Mom,” I warned. “No more. Greer’s already tried to set me up with every unmarried woman she knows. She brought three women over to my table before I’d had a single bite of dinner.”

“It’s just an introduction.”

I gave Sheila a long look. “Is it?”

She got that stubborn glint in her eye that made my stomach twist uncomfortably. Because it meant I was fighting a losing battle. “Her name is Kenzie. She’s just your type.”

“I’m sure Kenzie is lovely?—”

“She’s right over there.” She gripped my arm. The kind of mom death grip that scared the absolute shit out of me. It didn’t matter that I faced down linebackers every day during the regular season, they had nothing on Sheila Wilder when she was on a mission trying to pawn off her last single child while in the throes of an emotional wedding high. “Parker, just come say hi.”

“I can’t.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

It was time to lie. Time to lie to this sweet woman who I loved to the ends of the earth. “Because I’m getting her a drink.”

“Who?”

A quick sweep of the bar showed me approximately three options, and holy hell, if Kenzie was one of them, there’d be no escaping. But the woman I saw directly in front of me had blond hair and a long, lean body encased in a glittering gold dress wrapped around her curves.

That one. A flicker of interest caught fire somewhere under my ribs.

“In the gold,” I said, eyes on her for a long beat. When I finally dragged my gaze back to Sheila, she watched me with interest.

“That’s Emmett’s cousin, Anya.”

Of course she knew who it was. “And?”

“She’s beautiful,” she answered smoothly. “Very beautiful.”

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