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But I’d never get rid of the Harley. That was mine and Emily’s spot. Our place. On my bike, riding through the country. Wind in our hair. Our spirits carefree.
Annie had never liked the bike, but Emily, she lived for our rides together.
“Ready?” Emily said, all smiles and sweet looks. I liked her like this. But don’t get me wrong, I loved her fire, too. I’d walked through it enough times now to know it wouldn’t burn me.
When she had shown up at my house a week ago, I’d been relieved to see her face. There had been too many times in the weeks leading up to that night that I’d almost gone to her house. Demand that she give me a chance. But I knew Parker was on my side and working on her.
And I also knew that Emily needed time and I was more than willing to give her that. It had been all worth it. I’d spent almost every moment I hadn’t been at the station with her and Parker. It felt good to have people to go home to. Someone waiting on me.
Because here we were now, finally together, really together, and I certainly wasn’t going to let Holden change any of that.
We rang the bell and a man with dark hair and a girl with blond, curly hair answered. I’d never seen them before in my life and it didn’t look like Emily had either.
But they absolutely knew who she was, hugging her right away and introducing themselves as Ainsley and Adrian, Miranda’s childhood best friends.
They were polite and eccentric, artsy types, for sure, but they seemed nice enough and Emily warmed up to them right away.
I was busy listening to a story Ainsley was telling about a little girl she gave violin lessons to when I saw Holden across the room. He did not look pleased to see me.
In fact, he looked surprised and pretty pissed off, but I chose to ignore it. I wasn’t going to make a scene in their home in front of all their guests.
When Miranda came from the kitchen and spotted us, she gave us both hugs and told everyone to head out to the back porch where they were going to serve dinner.
We walked out onto a screened-in lanai where a long wooden table was set up with autumn décor since Thanksgiving was right around the corner. They had two lone standing heaters set up on either end of the porch to warm it, but it was a nice sixty-degree evening, not too uncommon for the South in November.
The six of us sat at the table with Miranda and Holden taking the ends. We ate our weight in delicious Italian food that Miranda and Holden had made and when the meal was over and we were gorging our already full bellies on cheesecake, Miranda stood up and said she had an announcement.
Emily didn’t look surprised by this by the look on her face, so I assumed she already knew the good news.
Miranda placed her hand on her stomach, pulling the black baggy shirt she had on tight at the bottom so everyone could see the bump there. “Me and Holden are having a baby, y’all,” she announced, a giant smile on her face.
“I knew it!” Ainsley shouted from the other side of the table and Adrian stood up to hug Holden in congratulations.
Emily just watched on. Her eyes shone with happiness for the couple.
“Oh my God, how far along? Is it a boy or a girl?” Ainsley asked, so very happy for her best friend.
Miranda sat back and everyone settled down. “It’s a boy. We are about twenty-four weeks.”
“How exciting!” Ainsley said, leaning over the table and placing her hand over Miranda’s. “I can’t wait to be an aunt,” she finished, squeezing her best friend’s hand. “What will you call him?”
“Andrew,” Holden interjected. “After my best friend.” He looked at Emily. “And Emily’s husband.”
Leaning over the table, Emily placed her hand over Holden’s like Ainsley had Miranda’s, pride bright in her brown eyes, tears shimmering in their depths.
“Congratulations, man,” I said, placing my hand on Emily’s thigh under the table. And I meant it. He and Miranda deserved good things. They were good people.
He gave me a sharp nod. “Thanks.” That was it.
Looked like Holden wasn’t changing his mind about me anytime soon.
I told myself I just had to make it through the evening.
As soon as the big announcement and dinner were over, I made my way inside the house to use the restroom. It was when I was coming out of the restroom and passing the kitchen that he finally cornered me.
“I see you’re not very good at following orders, soldier,” Holden said.
He was leaning up against the counter in the kitchen, a can of Coke in his hand. He looked relaxed, but I could tell by the tick in his jaw, he was anything but.
