Page 67 of Holden’s Resurrection

“So beautiful,” he whispered before he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me.

Not a brush, not a skim of his lips against mine. But an honest-to-goodness kiss that included his tongue sweeping my bottom lip. Sweet baby Jesus, I was a sucker for that tongue swipe and he knew it. In the past, that had been a promise of good things to come. It’d been his way of telling me when he couldn’t otherwise verbalize what he was going to give me, but there were good things on the horizon.

Shit.

I wanted those good things. I wanted all that he had to offer. I wanted to jump for joy and throw caution to the wind and go for it. But I had to be smart and think of Faith. Slow and steady was a better option. Faith needed consistency, she needed to be eased into this situation. I needed to know Holden was all-in and serious about finding us again.

But my body had other plans.

“It’s still there,” he murmured.

“What is?”

“Us. That need to whisk you away and worship you. Soon, baby, I’m gonna remind you what it’s like to be breathless.”

With that, he walked away to help Faith, leaving me…well, breathless. I wanted to call out and tell him I didn’t need to be reminded—I’d never forgotten.

“Whoa, Nelly. I know that look.”

I twisted and found Bobby standing next to me with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. She looked like an older version of Hayden Panettiere—petite in height, blonde wavy hair that brushed her shoulders, and a smile that could win awards.

God, why do I have to be surrounded by beautiful women?

“What look? I don’t have a look,” I protested.

“Girlll…” Bobby drawled out the word, her Tennessee accent more pronounced than normal.

“What are you girling about?” Evie joined.

“Charleigh here’s denying she has the look,” Bobby offered and Evie took me in.

“You so have the look.”

“What look?”

“Like you’re happier than a dead pig in the sunshine,” Evie returned.

“What?”

Both women looked like they were fighting back a laugh when Evie dropped her voice and unleashed the full drawl of her Southern twang. “Girl, you look as happy as a tick on a hound dog.”

“I think you’ve gone crazy,” I noted.

“That’s right,” Bobby started. “Fat and sassy, makin’ plans to eat that boy up.”

“Yeah, both of you have lost your minds.”

Evie got close and hip-checked me, making me stumble to the side before I regained my balance. “We’re joking with you. What we’re tryin’ to say is, you look happy.”

“Maybe that’s what you’re sayin’, but I’m sayin’ she looks like she wants to get that man into the nearest bed and give him a go. Not that any of us would blame you for dragging him off. That man is fine. Please tell me he’s as good as he looks.”

My mouth dropped open at Bobby’s forwardness and Evie busted out laughing. The sound rang out in the room and my cheeks heated.

“You don’t have to answer that,” Kennedy said as she entered the conversation. “Bobby has no concept of basic decency.”

“I take offense to that. I’m decent.”

“You’re nosy.”