Page 10 of Feels Like Love
“Okay.” I took a breath as the profile screen came up. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. “That’s easy enough.” I filled in the information, hoping the rest would be as simple.
“Now, the bio can be a little tricky,” she said.
I gulped…write a bio about myself? Gag. I was already dreading it. Plus, there was an extended questionnaire to try to find the most relevant matches. I was surprised the service was free, considering how thorough it seemed. Though it would only be free during beta testing.
I lifted a shoulder. Whatever. I’d give myself a few months to use the app. If I met someone, great. If nothing came of it, then I’d delete my account.
The door opened, literally saving me by the little bell that rang any time someone entered the studio. A woman walked inside, hand on her belly. She had a cute little baby bump.
“Hi.” I jumped up from my chair, eager for any excuse to stop working on my bio. “Can I help you?”
“I was passing by and saw your sign. I’m interested in maternity shots.”
“Well, you’re in the right place.” I held out my hand with a smile. “I’m Wren.” We shook hands, and then I gestured toward Harper. “And this is Harper.”
I offered her a drink, and then we got down to business. My dating profile could wait. If Mr. Right was even out there, I wasn’t sure I’d meet him on an app like LoveBirds. Though, nothing else I’d tried had worked. At this point, what did I have to lose?
Chapter Three
“We missed you last week,” Tristan said, taking a seat next to me on a bench in Liam’s backyard. “Everything okay?”
“Aw, that’s sweet,” Asher snarked from his perch on an overturned bucket, and I lifted a shoulder.
I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Liam since last Friday, and I was afraid he’d hear about my dinner with Wren from someone other than me. It wasn’t like it was a date. Though, it sure as hell felt like one. I wanted it to be one. But it wasn’t. Just two friends out for dinner and some ice cream.
Even so, I was sweating bullets, waiting for Liam to find out. Waiting to see how he’d react. Waiting for him to punch me in the face. Or the balls. I honestly wasn’t sure which he’d go for, but I didn’t particularly want to find out.
It wasn’t the fact that I’d had these thoughts about Wren. That was bad enough. But that I’d almost acted on them. That I’d nearly kissed her…
“Yeah. Where were you?” Liam asked, tipping back his beer. “And why are you fuckers sitting when you’re supposed to be helping me tear down this piece-of-shit old pergola?”
We all stood, begrudgingly. Liam had always been the unofficial leader of our group. As usual, he was directing us on his latest house project.
“I—” I cleared my throat and put on some safety glasses. I’d been trying to figure out the best way to phrase this all week. I could nevereverlet on just how into his sister I was. He wouldn’t just end our friendship; he’d end me. “I went to pick up some dinner and ran into Wren.”
“Likely waiting for that douchebag,” Liam scoffed and took another pull before setting down his beer and picking up a sledgehammer.Shit.
I pulled at the neck of my shirt. “You mean the douchebagyoutold to stand her up?”
“It was a test. He failed,” Liam said and started beating the shit out of one of the posts.
“Right.” My stomach soured, and I went over to help Asher remove some debris. “A test.”
Liam had always been protective of Wren. But ever since what had happened with Kade, he’d been hypervigilant. He was so blinded by the past, he couldn’t distinguish a good guy from a bad one. In his mind, any man interested in Wren was a threat.
Tristan glanced between us. “What douchebag?”
“Lucas,” Liam said.
“Lucas, as in Mucus Lucas?” he asked, stepping up next to Liam.
“One and the same.” He shook his head, and Asher laughed.
“Anyway,” I said, knowing I needed to just get this over with and tell him. The longer I didn’t, the more suspicious my silence on the matter would seem. The guiltier I’d feel. “She seemed really bummed, so I asked if I could join her.”
“That was nice of you,” Tristan said.
It had been nice. The meal, the company, just getting to be with her alone. Without her family around, without interruptions from River, or under Liam’s watchful eye. Just the two of us—as if we were an ordinary couple out for the night.
