Page 74 of Waiting for Her

“You’re so transparent,” he chuckles. “I’m not with Kennedy or anyone else, Bri. One week ago, you were on my lap and we were well on our way to doing far more than just kissing when Drew interrupted us. I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen if I was seeing someone else.”

“I’m sorry I accused you of that. I know better.”

“Well, I guess if the situation was reversed, I probably would have reacted similarly.”

Is it wrong for those words to make the butterfly farm in my stomach start to riot?

“That makes you happy?” he asks me, and I realize my mouth has broken out into a smile. One I can’t seem to wipe away.

Leaning over the table, he reaches out, the tip of his finger drawing a pattern on the palm of my hand. Eyes zero in on the tattoo I had inked into my wrist. I silently cried the entire time the gun was buzzing, inking forever into my skin.

“Does it make you mad?”

“That it makes you happy or the tattoo?”

“Both.”

“I’d never be mad at you for feeling happy about something.”

“And the tattoo?”

He lifts one shoulder. “Well, we did have a plan.”

I absorb his words, let them wrap around me like a cozy blanket. “I didn’t think we’d ever…” My words trail off as the damn tears start up again. “Ugh,” I groan, “I can’t stop crying. It’s like I broke the seal.”

We share a quiet laugh then I’m not laughing because his lips are softly brushing against mine. Once. Twice. The kiss is unexpected and over too quickly. “Next time? Wait for me, too.”

“We don’t have to worry about that.”

His eyes bounce back and forth between mine. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?” he whispers.

“There won’t be a next time.”

Grady

Iwalk intoCole’s house without knocking or ringing the doorbell. We’ve had an open-door policy since well… always, and luckily, I haven’t walked in on anything that would make me need to bleach my eyeballs.

I hear voices coming from the living room so head in that direction. As it turns out, my luck has run out.

“Whoa. Sorry! Sorry!” I cover my eyes. The eyes that have just gotten a good look at Mia’s ginormous left boob. Good golly—she could milk a small cow with that thing.

Mia starts laughing, while Cole says, “Dude!”

“I’m sorry, okay!? I had no idea it would be out! You knew I was coming over, why didn’t you warn me? And what the hell happened to them? They’re huge! She’s going to poke someone’s eye out with the size of her nipple!”

Mia’s cackling at this point. “Stop! Seriously, I’m gonna pee my pants, and I can’t get up.”

My hand is still covering my eye, and I use the other arm to guide me to the couch. I sit down and turn so my back is to my sister-in-law and her gigantic porn boob.

“Seriously. Not that I spent a lot of time staring at your chest, because you’re like a sister to me, but damn. When the hell did that happen?” To drive my point home, I point in her direction, then out of the corner of my eye, see Cole smirk. “And are you covered yet? I can’t un-see that as it is, but I’llreallyhave a hard time forgetting if I look a second time.”

“I’m covered.”

I turn around and realize she’s a big fat liar.

“You are not! I still see boob!”

“Grady, I’mfeedingthe baby! What do you expect? Obviously, he doesn’t need to fit the whole breast in his mouth. He only sucks on the nipple.”

---