Aurora, who’d shown up in Medford with a plan.
Aurora, who was supposed to be here for a few days, wrap things up and go back to her life in the city.
And now?
She wasn’t sure.
Ethan looked down at his whiskey, then let out a slow breath. “I didn’t expect that.”
Mason shrugged. “I don’t think she expected it, either.”
Ethan’s fingers tightened around his glass. “So what does that mean?”
Mason ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, man. But it means something.”
The three of us sat there, letting that settle.
Aurora wasn’t just some fling passing through town. She wasn’t a temporary distraction.
She was considering staying.
And maybe she was consideringus.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Aurora
Lucky’s was packed.Laughter and the twang of music filled the air as Samantha, Morgan, and I pushed through the crowd toward the bar.
The place smelled like whiskey, fried food, and cheap cologne. Exactly what I expected from Medford’s favorite watering hole on a Friday night.
I adjusted my little black dress, suddenly feeling like I’d overdressed for the occasion.
Samantha had insisted on dragging me out for a “girls’ night,” and Morgan had backed her up, claiming I needed to stop being a “reclusive bookstore goblin.”
Their words, not mine.
I almost regretted letting them talk me into it. Until I walked through the door and sawthem.
Ethan. Mason. Owen.
Sitting at the bar, drinks in hand, looking like trouble wrapped in flannel and denim.
My stomach flipped.
They hadn't seen me yet.
Mason leaned forward, elbows on the bar, talking to Owen, who was nursing a beer. Ethan sat back, his fingers absentlytracing the rim of his whiskey glass. The weight of something heavy lingered between them.
Even when they weren’t speaking, they filled the room.
I swallowed hard. Why the hell did they have to be so…
“Earth to Aurora,” Samantha teased, bumping me with her hip. “You just completely spaced out.”
Morgan smirked. “Uh-huh. Let me guess. Has something to do with theveryfine group of men at the bar?”
I cleared my throat. “I don’t know what you're talking about.”