Page 24 of Never Going to Care

“You look beautiful, sis,” he whispers in my ear.

I step back out of his arms and brush off the shoulder of the navy suit he’s wearing and wink at him. I tease him, “You’re not looking so bad yourself.”

When Ezra looks at Stella, his eyes track down her body and then back up and I swear there’s a hint of a blush on his cheeks. He pulls her in for a hug as well. When he whispers something to her, she stills, but I can’t hear his words over the sound of the damn butterflies flapping in my belly like they’re in the middle of their migration to Mexico.

Save the monarchs.

As we stand and chat, I let myself slip into the comfort of being around my brother and best friend. This is something I can do. It’s easy. It’s normal. It’s comfortable.

The way I feel eyes on me the entire time is hard to ignore, but I hold tight to the comfort of the shield my brother gives me. Right now, I’m not even a little bit ashamed about the way I’m using his protectiveness to my advantage.

Does Hale want to talk to me about the kiss? Does he want it to happen again? Why is he still staring at me?

I remember the way he talked to me the first time we met, and I can’t seem to get over it, even when I can still feel the ghost of his lips against mine right now. He was so cold, so closed off and grumpy. I don’t see him as the kind of man who can care about more than his job.

Maybe that’s not fair, but it’s the vibe I get, and I can’t seem to shake it off. Even if the warmth of his hands against my body changed my entire fucking life.

I don’t think I would survive him telling me it meant nothing to him. My heart feels like it’s cracking at just the idea of such words slipping from his lips.

When Piper and Landon walk in, we all turn, cheering while celebrating them. I don’t hold back in how loud I clap and whoop. Piper is fucking glowing. She looks even more beautiful than when I saw her before the ceremony.

They start making their rounds with the guests who are here to celebrate their love and their union. I watch them with a big smile on my face. My gaze doesn’t shift far, and I find Hale across the room, watching me, his dark eyes smoldering as he does.

It feels like I’m being pulled to him, and I even start to take a step in his direction, but Ezra’s voice cuts off my ridiculousness. “How about we head to the bar and grab a drink?”

“Yes, please,” I think I keep some of the neediness I’m feeling out of my voice, but the odd look Ezra shoots me along with the knowing smirk on Stella’s face tells me I fail.

Thankfully, neither of them pushes me and instead Ezra leads us over to the bar. I don’t even know what I’m drinking, everything inside me swirling and distracted, but I’m grateful as hell when I have a drink in my hand. I’ll cut myself off at two drinks, but I need this one, just to give me something to focus on other than Hale.

I let myself get swept up in the celebration and give the happy couple my congratulations when Piper and Landon make their way over to us. I make a point to introduce Ezra to Ella and her guys, giving her a hug as well. She’s so sweet and I’m able to ignore the little pang of jealousy in my chest when her guys look at her with stars in their eyes.

Owen has a big smile on his face as he shakes Ezra’s hand. “It’s great to meet you, man. You had a great season last year. Some clutch saves.”

“Thanks,” my brother’s voice is bright and full of appreciation. “Do you play?”

Owen flushes a little bit as he makes a noncommittal noise. “I mean, kind of. I have played, but nothing like what you do.”

I giggle and shake my head, sharing a conspiratorial look with Ella and Stella. My brother could talk about hockey for hours. As the guys get to know each other, I huddle with the girls, and we chat about the wedding and how happy we are for the newlyweds.

Ella sparkles and I know it’s a combination of her love for her brother, the way her guys adore her and her pregnancy. It looks great on her. My eyes stray to Hale to find him watching me. Still? Again?

The food is delicious, and the company is great, but it’s not exactly what I want. I know what I want, and he hasn’t stopped watching me all night.

I excuse myself after the cake is cut, needing to head to the bathroom and to get some air. As I slip through the doors, I let the melancholy I’ve been pushing away for a while now fill me up. Just for a moment.

I can feel it and then let it go. I hope. I think.

Because one thing I know from Hale’s kiss is that if my greatest fears about that man come true, I don’t know if I could survive it.

CHAPTER 9

HALE

No one is supposed to upstage the bride on her wedding day, but my Starlight has managed to do just that. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off her since the moment she walked down the aisle for the ceremony. She captivated me just like I knew she would.

I was supposed to be paying attention to my friend and boss marrying the love of his life, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Celeste. I couldn’t help but think about it being us standing in front of our friends and family making vows. Which, honestly, wasn’t something I even considered I would do, ever, with anyone, before Celeste popped into my life full of sass and determination.

It’s an odd topsy-turvy feeling to have your whole outlook on life changed. Even if I wasn’t willing to acknowledge it, it was pretty instantaneous. I did need some extra time to realize what the fuck was going on and accept it.

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