Page 21 of Wish You Would

“Ooh, Barb and your dad are going to love this. Will you bring her to dinner next weekend?”

“Mom. Don’t make this a thing.”

“I thinkyoushould make this a thing.”

Shaking my head, I blow out a breath. “I’ll talk to you later, Mom.”

“Love you, Holdey.”

“Love you too.”

I arrive home a few hours later to find Briar in the kitchen. She’s leaned over the counter, scrolling through something on her phone. A bolt of lust hits me in the chest like it always does when she’s around.

She looks up and a smile spreads across her face when she sees me.

“Hey, welcome home,” she says, grabbing something from the counter, holding it up, still grinning. “This looks fun!”

In her hand is a cream-colored envelope tied with a satin bow, my name scrawled across the front in gold script.

SIX

THE OFFER STANDS

Holden

I change out of my work clothes into a pair of basketball shorts and a gray T-shirt, aware of the fact that Briar is waiting for me downstairs. I’ll have to tell her about the invitation, it would seem strange if I didn’t. I don’t know why the thought makes me so nervous. I know that Briar won’t just let it go—she’ll probably want to know all about Amy, and I’d rather not have to explain to her what a train wreck I am when it comes to relationships.

I’m probably worrying too much. Briar is an understanding person, that much was clear that night when we talked about my parents and their unconventional relationship.

Taking a quick look in the mirror, I run a hand through my hair and then head back downstairs. I grab a beer from the refrigerator and sit on a barstool, while Briar leans against the kitchen counter across from me. It feels too far away. I liked it better last night, when she was only inches from me in my bed, her hand in mine.

“How was your day?” she asks, a sweet smile on her face.

“Mine was good. How was yours?”

“Nothing exciting. I go back to work soon, so I ran a few errands today. I picked up your mail.” Briar motions to the pile on the counter in front of me, the invitation sitting on the top. “Looks like you’re invited to a wedding.”

I sigh. “Yeah. I won’t be going,” I answer, slipping the satin bow from the invite. Did Amy hand deliver every invitation? Why does that not surprise me?

“An ex-girlfriend?”

“You guessed it.” I look down at the invite.You are cordially invited to the wedding of Preston Stephens and Amy Nichols.She’s marrying a guy namedPreston.

“Sooo, how come you’re boycotting—” Briar leans over the counter between us, reading the invitation. “Amy’s wedding?”

“I’m not boycotting her wedding. I just don’t want to go. I think it’s a bit weird she even invited me, to be honest. But our families are close friends. It still feels weird.”

“Bad breakup, huh?”

“I guess.” I shrug. “She just loved her new life more than she loved me.”

Briar scrunches her nose like she’s thinking on that.

“We were young. She didn’t want to be tied down in college,” I explain. “Wanted to sow her oats and all that shit.” I leave out the part where I pushed Amy away first when I started to sense she didn’t want to be tied down to her high school boyfriend.

Briar leans in with her forearms on the counter, dropping her voice. “She gave up a good thing when she let you go, Holden. It’s her loss.”

Briar’s face is inches from mine, and her faint scent of bergamot hits me. Her green eyes seem to search every part of my face, making me breathless. She doesn’t move, andsomething fills the air between us. I watch her mouth part and her gaze drops to my lips, lingering there before her eyes return to mine. I want to kiss her. I want to know what it feels like to have her mouth on mine. My mind spins. I lean in a little closer, my body seeming to move all on its own… and the timer on the stove goes off.

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