Page 53 of Yours to Keep

I’d never thought about marriage seriously and one closet blowjob didn’t exactly equal a relationship, but still. This woman did stuff to me no one else ever had. She’d occupied my brain long before I’d ever touched her.

Purely because she had this unique fire in her soul, the flames somehow unbearably soft and blazing hot at the same time.

As I watched her laugh with Liana, seeing the way she kept one hand anchored on my sister’s arm like it was a silent promise she wasn’t going anywhere, I kept having one annoying, reckless thought.

She could be something real. Long term. Not just a fling.

I scowled into my drink. This was exactly why I usually avoided weddings. If anything, today should’ve been a cautionary tale. Exhibit A for why marriage was for fools, optimists, and men who didn’t notice red flags until they were strangling them.

My sister had loved someone who couldn’t even show up. Literally. That should have cured me of any notions of stepping into that same trap, but then Bree looked over at me.

It was just a smile, but I had the absurd, terrifying thought that I’d like her to smile at me like that for the rest of my life. I drained my glass.

Eventually, the party wound down and Liana sagged a little, the adrenaline finally bleeding out of her. “I’m tired. So tired. Emotionally. Physically. Spiritually.”

“Let’s get you to bed,” Bree said. “You’ve had a day.”

“A character-building day,” Liana corrected, then squinted at us. “You’re both coming upstairs with me. I don’t trust myself not to spiral alone.”

Neither of us argued. We just took the elevator up to the hotel’s bridal suite—still bridal, even if the groom had turned out to be a coward. Liana kicked off the heels she’d reclaimed for the walk, groaning in relief when her feet hit the soft carpet.

“I’m going to shower,” she declared. “Do you think I can wash Neil out of my soul?”

“Take your time,” Bree said. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Liana paused, her watery, unfocused eyes flicking between us, and a slow smile spread across her face. “I know.”

She disappeared into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her. Bree moved further into the suite and sat down on the couch, exhaling as her shoulders finally dropped.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. Of course. You?”

“I’m fine.” I sat beside her, but I very deliberately did not touch her. “That was just… a lot.”

She breathed out a gentle laugh. “That’s the understatement of the year.”

I turned toward her at the same time that she turned toward me, and the space between us just seemed to vanish without either of us making a decision about it. Without that urgency or the frantic edge, the kiss was slower this time, and I felt my heart skip a beat as we made out like teenagers on my sister’s couch.

God help me.

When the bathroom door opened, we jumped apart like we’d been jolted with electricity. Liana emerged with her hair damp, wrapped in a hotel robe. Her eyes immediately narrowed when she looked at us. “Really?”

“This isn’t—” Bree started.

“Don’t even,” Liana said, waving it off. “I’m happy. Do whatever you want. I’m going to pass out for twelve hours.”

She crossed the room, hugged Bree hard, then pulled me in next. “Thank you. Both of you.”

“Always,” I said.

She yawned. “The liberation party was a ten out of ten, but my review on weddings is definitely would not recommend.”

Bree and I looked at each other once Liana had gone into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I stood immediately, offering her my hand. “Come on.”

She arched a brow. “Where are we going?”

“My suite is just down the hall, and I came prepared for… contingencies.”