Page 179 of Wait for Him

"It's lovely to finally meet you."

"You too."

"I've heard a lot about you."

"I'm sure."

Every word arrives perfectly polite and completely empty while the entire party pretends not to watch our little zoo enclosure.

Blaire has frozen halfway through pouring a drink. Jenn is whispering something to Joseph without moving her lips. Jade isn't even pretending not to stare, because subtlety has never interested her. Bennet is looking directly at me with an expression I refuse to translate because I'm fairly certain it says the fucking look, asshole.

Excellent.

Glad everybody's having fun.

Rian survives another thirty seconds before giving Rose one final, "So nice to meet you," that convinces absolutely nobody in the building and excuses herself to the bathroom.

I watch her go, then I look at Rose.

Nope. Can't do that either.

I just head for the kitchen. Beer is not going to cover this shit.

Chapter Eighteen

Jackson

"It was fucking embarrassing, Marcus."

Rian has her arms wrapped around herself, one shoulder pressed to the guest-room wall, and the worst part is that she isn't wrong. She is entirely, catastrophically right.

I've been standing here for the better part of five minutes trying to find a version of this conversation that doesn't end with her knowing exactly what she already knows. So far, I've got nothing.

I hadn't seen Rosalie in over a year. Twelve fucking months. A year isn't even that long in the grand scheme of things, but when you're used to seeing someone every week for most of a decade, it feels like forever. Rose was part of everything for so long that I got used to living around the fact that she wasn't there.

Then she walked through the door, and every bit of progress I thought I'd made packed a bag and left the building.

I didn't know she'd be here. She hasn't come to any of the major nights since she left, so I never expected it. And if I had known...

Fuck.

Fine.

If I'd known Rose was coming tonight, would that have played a role in asking Rian to come with me?

A small role.

A moderate role.

Jesus Christ.

A significant role.

Which makes me a bastard. I'm aware. Rian deserves better than being deployed as emotional body armor while I prove to myself and everybody else that I've moved on.

Then Rose walked in and I stared at her like I'd never seen a woman before.

I could not get my fucking eyes to cooperate. Every thought in my head was telling me to pull it together. Rian's hand was literally on my arm, and I still sat there watching Rose hug Bennet like the rest of the room had ceased to exist.