“You scared the bejesus out of me.” She seemed flustered.Not at all suspicious.
“Whatcha doin’?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me as I took a seat next to her on the couch. I was about six inches away. Not so close that we were touching, but probably not as much distance as I should’ve put between us.
“Just some, um, work.”Right.She was lying, and I wanted to know why. “How did bedtime go?”
“Great.” I grinned, leaning back and resting my arm on the back of the couch. “You know I’m happy to read to him—anytime.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that,” she said, setting her laptop on the table and pulling her knees to her chest. “And maybe every so often is fine, but…”
“But what?” I asked, glancing down at her feet as she shifted on the couch.
I’d never noticed how adorable her toes were. Dainty and painted a pretty shade of pink. I wondered if her pussy was a similar color.Stop thinking about her pussy, idiot. She’s your best friend’s sister!
“You’re going to leave in a few weeks, and I don’t want River to get too used to having you around.”
I nodded, contemplating her words. I could understand where she was coming from—I didn’t want to hurt or confuse River either. Though I couldn’t help but wonder if Wren pushing me away had more to do with her own fears than any concerns about River.
“Wren,” I said, waiting until she turned to look at me. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re only here until your house is fixed.”
“Yes.” I took her hand in mine. “But I’ve always been a part of River’s life. And I always hope to be a part of it—if you’ll let me.”
Her expression softened, shoulders relaxing. “I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’m just so used to doing everything on my own. It’s hard sometimes to relinquish control, especially now that I finally have it back.”
I squeezed her hand then released it. “It’s okay to let others help you, to rely on them.”
She nodded, but she didn’t seem convinced. “I have. Trust me, I feel like I could never repay my parents and Liam for all they’ve done for River and me.”
“That’s what family does.”
She leaned forward and picked up the remote as if she could change the conversation with the flick of a button. “We don’t have to watch this. I just put it on because I like having something playing in the background.”
“Well, whatdoyou want to watch?” I asked. When she shrugged, I continued, “What would you be watching if I weren’t here?”
She pursed her lips. “ProbablyTheGreat British Bake Offor another cooking show.”
“Let’s watch that, then.”
“You don’twantto watch it, though. Do you?”
I’m just happy being with you.But I couldn’t say that, so instead, I said, “Wren, I’m happy to watch whatever.”
“Okay, but you’ll tell me if you hate it, right? If so, I’ll never speak to you again. But we can totally watch something else.”
I laughed. “If you love it, I’m sure I will too.”
“Okay.” She navigated to a baking show, and the intro started to play. “I promise you can choose next time.”
The show wasn’t bad. I typically didn’t watch much reality TV, but I liked the format. Everyone was so cooperative and encouraging. And the desserts looked phenomenal.
But the best part was Wren’s commentary. She’d already watched most of the season, but she’d gone back to the beginning to give me “the full experience.” Hard as she tried not to spoil who was leaving the show, I could read her like a book. And even though she’d already seen every episode, she lit up when a new creation came out or when someone bombed the technical.
About thirty minutes later, when the contestants rolled out their showstoppers, Wren said, “Gah! Why did I choose this? It’s making me hungry.”
She had no idea.
I was hungry, all right. But for something else entirely. And she was sitting right next to me, tantalizing me.
