Page 3 of Feels Like Love
“Oh no.” She frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“We’ll take good care of her,” I said.
“I’m sure you will. What’s her name?”
“Destiny.” I smiled just thinking about her. I had a good feeling about this one.
“That’s a sweet name.”
“She’s a sweet animal,” I said. “But she’s been through a lot. I’m hoping she’ll trust me.” For a minute, I wondered if I was talking about Destiny or the woman sitting before me. Both had been through the wringer, and both were survivors.
“I’m sure she will.” She placed her hand over mine, her smile like a punch to the gut. Fuck me, I was such a goner for this woman. And she had no idea.
The waiter arrived with our food, and Wren sat back in her chair. For a minute, I didn’t move my hand. I wanted her hand back on mine, her smile directed at me. When had I become such a fucking love-sick fool?
Oh, right. About two years ago when I’d moved home and seen the woman she’d become. I’d always had a soft spot for Wren but seeing her again after being gone for a few years—I’d been struck dumb. Gone was Liam’s little sister, replaced by a woman who was smart, kind, and sexy. Fuck me, was she sexy with those outrageous curves and sass for days. She was also a talented photographer and a fucking amazing mom.
“That looks good,” she said, reaching over with her fork to grab a bite of roasted chicken from my plate.
I chuckled when she popped it into her mouth, flashing me a wicked grin.
“Thief. Though at least you didn’t try to order a salad and then steal my fries. Because that is not cool.”
She scoffed. “Please. You know me better than that. If I want fries, I order the damn fries.”
“Even on a date?” I challenged, taking a swig of my wine.
I watched her face fall.Fuck.Wrong thing to say. Backpedal. Change the subject. “What’s River up to tonight?” I loved that kid.
She smiled, and my chest eased. “Having a sleepover with my parents.”
“Sleepover, eh?”Did that mean… I gripped my fork and knife.Did that mean she’d been planning to have sex with Lucas? On the first date?
I realized she was looking at me expectantly, as if she’d asked me a question.Shit.“What was that?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be out with the guys tonight?”
“Yeah. Um…” I grabbed my phone from my pocket to see a few missed text messages in the group chat with the guys, most of them from over an hour ago.
Was that how long I’d been here? It felt like a minute. Though, any time I spent with Wren always passed way too quickly for my liking.
“Sorry,” I said to Wren, keeping my phone beneath the table as I typed out a quick message.
Me: Something came up. I’ll catch you guys next week.
Tristan: Hope everything’s okay.
I sent a thumbs-up emoji and powered down my phone. The less I said, the better. This wasn’t a date, but it certainly looked like one. Felt like one. And if Liam knew about this, he’d kill me. Then another thought occurred to me—what if this appeared inThe Vine?
“What’s wrong?” Wren asked, and I realized I’d been glancing around as if looking for the author of the gossip blog, though I had no idea who it was or what they looked like. No one seemed to, though everyone loved to speculate.
“I, um, nothing.” I smiled and smoothed my napkin in my lap.
We finished our meal, and the waiter brought the check. Wren reached for her purse, but I handed my credit card to the waiter before she could even glance at the bill.
“What? Wait.” She held up her card, but he was already gone. She turned her attention to me. “Bennett,” she chided.
“Wren,” I said, mimicking her tone.
