Page 20 of Hold Your Breath

“Perfect.”

My bedroom door opens, and Micah strolls in, holding Jace’s jacket. “What are you two doing?”

“We’re picking Willow’s outfit for Easter lunch.”

“That sounds boring. I’m going to do whatever Zac is doing.” Micah smirks and throws the denim jacket at Jace. “You two have fun.”

Jace waves him off and I just blink like an idiot. I was sure he would snark some stupid, mean comment and tell me I’m an adult and can pick my own clothes.

“Put this on.”

Jace holds the jacket up, helping me into it, and I’m surprised that it fits reasonably well. Jace stares at me and grabs the scissors.

“What are you doing?” I ask him when he snips the material from in front of my stomach. He doesn’t answer as he does the same on the other side, creating a cropped effect. “Jace, you’re ruining your jacket.”

“Actually,” he says, helping me take it off. “I’m fixing it, and it’s your jacket now.”

“You don’t need to ruin your clothes for me. You don’t even know me.”

The look he gives me makes me feel like he believes otherwise, but then he just smiles. “Babe, you are Micah’s stepsister, so we’re family now.”

My stomach drops—of course he sees me as a sister.He’s Micah’s boyfriend, I remind myself, and that is why I have issues with men. I’m clingy and needy, according to my ex.

“How come you guys came in early?”

Jace finishes cutting off the bottom of the jacket and looks up at me with a raised brow.

You’re an idiot, Willow. You already asked him why he is here early.This man is making me flustered.

“Do you not want us here?”

“It’s not that... Micah just never comes in early,” I say, then slap my forehead. “Duh, of course he came in early! He brought you guys this year, which I am excited about. Maybe this year I won’t be the butt of everyone’s stupidity.”

“Is your family not nice to you?”

I snort. It’s not that they’re not nice. They’re opinionated, and they want things to run their way. “They are nice. They just think at my age I should be in a steady relationship, engaged, and wanting to settle down and have babies.”

“And you don’t want that?”

He holds the jacket out again for me to put on, and I shrug, then slip into it. “It’s not that I don’t wantit, but I’m barely in my mid-twenties. I only just found a job that I love, and now I don’t have a boyfriend, so being engaged and having babies is off the table.”

“I have no doubt you will meet someone and fall in love, Willow. And your ex is an idiot, by the way.”

I chuckle. “That I know. I’m still pissed about him leaving me tied to a chair.”

“I’m not. I wouldn’t have met you otherwise. Your little pep talk at the bar changed Micah’s mind about bringing us here.”

“At least something good came out of it. My embarrassment, on the other hand...”

He stands back and looks at me in the jacket, then smiles. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. The only shitty part was the hot girl tied to a chair wasn’t there for us.”

My mouth falls open, and I actually have no reply.

“The jacket looks amazing on you. Why don’t we go downstairs and see if anyone has started dinner? I’m starving.”

I slip the jacket off and throw it on the bed next to the dress. Jace holds out his hand and I take it, expecting it to feel weird, but he intertwines his fingers with mine and pulls me from the room. I can already tell that Jace is fun to be around—his presence makes you feel good, and I could really use that in my life. Ihope now that we have met, Micah will be okay if Jace and I stay friends.

Jace and I find Micah and Zac out on the back patio, each with a beer in their hand. Micah turns his head as we walk out and his eyes dip to our hands. I try to release Jace’s hand, but he just squeezes it tighter.

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