After a lull, I take a break to grab a drink at the bar. I’ve successfully dodged Asher and Kenzie, and I think they’ve left. After the initial shock of their entrance faded, Kenzie wasn’t getting much attention, and she’s never one to linger when the spotlight isn’t on her unless she has to.
“Wow, I really ignored it all, didn’t I?” I murmur before accepting a glass of wine from the bartender and thanking him.
Asher suddenly appears beside me, and I jump, spilling some wine onto the bar top. “Hey.”
“Hi,” I reply, slightly annoyed, grabbing the rag handed to me by the bartender to clean up the mess.
“How are you doing?” he asks.
“Really excellent. You?”
“I’m great,” he responds. “I’m marrying an amazing woman in a couple of weeks, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”
Yet there’s something in his tone, a flicker in his eyes, that contradicts his words. He seems to have forgotten our fifteen years together. I can read every shift in his expression, every nuance of his voice.
“If that’s the case, then why are you here?”
“It’s a party.”
“Yeah, but it’s my sister’s engagement party. I didn’t go to your engagement party.”
His eye twitches. “You weren’t invited to my engagement party.”
Oh, so theydidhave one. Fantastic. “You shouldn’t have been invited to Gina’s.”
“Our families are close, Harp. You can’t deny that. And Kenzie has always been like a second sister to Gina. She would have been crushed if Kenzie hadn’t shown up.”
I can’t help but laugh. Loudly. “If you only knew how untrue that statement is, you’d laugh too.”
Ford approaches and extends his hand. “You promised me a dance, remember?”
No, I don’t recall that promise, but I’m grateful for the chance to escape Asher.
Ford’s hands are surprisingly large as I take his outstretched palm and set my glass down on the bar. He leads me toward the dance floor, and a mix of horror and intrigue bubbles within me at the thought of what might be hidden beneath the fly of his pants. A flicker of excitement dances in my stomach.
Maybe I should consider some pity sex if he offers. It’s been over a year since I’ve been intimate with anyone.
As the song shifts to a slow ballad, Ford pulls me closer against his chest. I’m impressed by how well he moves, and I can’t deny the warmth of being enveloped in his strong embrace as we glide across the dance floor.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re keeping an eye out to save me when Asher shows up,” I tease.
His jaw twitches, a smile threatening to break free. “I might be.”
“Shouldn’t you have gotten Asher in the breakup?”
“What does that mean?” he laughs, locking his gaze with mine.
The intensity in his eyes nearly paralyzes me, but I push through it. “Typically, when a couple splits, there are sides. Best friends usually stick together.”
“Yeah? How’d that work out for you and Kenzie?”
“Touché,” I reply, chuckling.
The song plays on, and we remain locked in each other’s gaze. Our mouths nearly touch as we inch closer, almost kissing. Almost. Until Gina’s anxious laugh pulls me from the spell.
I turn to see her trying to negotiate her way out of a shot offered by her maid of honor. “Sorry, but I gotta save my sister,” I whisper, brushing a kiss against Ford’s cheek.
I walk over to Gina and Holly, doing my best to ignore the tingles lingering on my lips from Ford’s skin, and wrap an arm around Gina. “Hey! Oh, do you mind?”
