Page 5 of Make You Mine

I wasn’t sure what to make of her, but I had the oddest feeling that maybe I was glad I had decided not to go home.

I eyed an empty booth in the corner and guided her through the crowd toward it, my hand hovering at the small of her back, so careful not to actually touch her.

Chapter2

Piper

Ren was my best friend’s brother-in-law, but I had only met him a few times over the years. He lived in Portland and was always busy with work. Even Violet, my lifelong bestie, hardly knew him until recently. He was the toughest divorce attorney in Oregon. He’d managed to get Violet’s douchebag ex out of her life and had done the same for Paige.

I’d always found him fascinating, in an abstract way, with his extreme good looks, successful career, and seemingly relentless drive. He’d always struck me as standoffish and broody. He was intimidating but never in an asshole way.

He seemed different tonight—gone was the usual suit and tie perfection. His collar was undone, his shirt slightly wrinkled, and he seemed approachable.

Paige seemed to adore him. I knew he had gotten her everything she wanted and then some from her divorce, but obviously, she’d worked her magic and turned him into a friend, too.

This version of Ren washot.

He looked down at me, and I shivered. Yeah, he was hot for sure. He’d always been the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, and that hadn’t changed. But tonight he was magnetic with his towering height and broad shoulders. His hair had always been perfectly styled, with a sophisticated look. Now, he was a bit windblown and tousled, and it was sexy as hell.

Those eyes, though—his eyes were the bluest I had ever seen, piercing and intense, as if they could see right through anyone.

As we walked towards the booth, I couldn’t help but shiver when he looked down at me. He was hot, and not just in the physical sense. There was a depth to him, a complexity that made him all the more intriguing.

“Is your name Lorenzo?” I asked to get the conversation rolling as we approached one of the circular booths.

“Uh, no. Just Ren.”

“Come on. Ask him what his middle name is,” Paige shouted.

I stopped at the booth and sat down, looking up at him with my eyebrows raised in expectation and a grin lifting the corner of my mouth.

“Thanks a lot, Paige. It’s McCormack,” he informed me with a shake of his head as he sat across from me. “I managed to keep my middle name a secret for nearly my entire life. But that sister of yours is nosy as hell and very persuasive; she got it out of me during our second meeting.”

“Oh yeah, there’s no keeping anything from her. So you’re Ren McCormack Moretti. And I know from Violet that your brother is Jake Ryan Moretti. Could the two of you be more adorable? Your mom was clearly an eighties movie fan.”

“She was.”

“Mom, were you a fan of the Ark, or animals traveling in pairs?” My nephew, Noah, shouted over his shoulder as he approached our table with a plate piled high with cheese fries for Ren and me to share, along with my favorite peach iced tea.

“Thanks.” I took the tea and sucked back a huge sip.

“Oh, you’re so funny. You can thank your dad for that,” Paige shouted back. “Maybe I should start calling you J.C., or what about Justin? I could never choose between the two of them.”

“No thanks.” He huffed a laugh. “Noah is fine.”

“How are you doing tonight, Noah?” I stood up to hug him. Paige’s kids were having a tough time after the divorce, and I had vowed to support them in any way I could.

Noah was a handsome boy, er, man. He had just turned eighteen and worked as a cook here. He had always dreamed of becoming a chef; he would start culinary school the following year, and I couldn’t be prouder.

“My therapist says I’m grieving the man I thought Dad was versus the man he actually turned out to be.” He pulled away and shrugged. “I mean, I guess I’ll be okay.”

“You will be. And he can still be that dad to you again someday.”

“You mean, how Grandpa isthatdad to you?”

“Fair, but ouch.”

“I’m sorry. I’m supposed to dial back the sarcasm. And also stop deflecting.” He rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t replace my feelings.”

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