The thought hit me like a ton of bricks.Why was I even thinking about that?
“Atlas?” Tegan’s voice pulled me out of my stupor.
I cleared my throat. “Yes?”
“I asked you if you like living here.”
“Oh yeah. I do. I liked it from the moment I first visited. It has a small-town feel, but there are enough businesses in town and cities to visit nearby. It reminds me a lot of where I grew up, actually.”
“And where was that?” she asked.
“Pinewood. A tiny town in upstate New York.”
“Hmm. Never heard of it.”
“I would have been shocked if you had. There’s not a lot going on there. When I was a teenager, I was in such a rush to get away from it, but after going to college and a few years working in the city, I was ready to get back to the pace of small-town life again—if that makes sense.” I conveniently left out the parts about Jade, and how everything fell apart after my move here. That wasn’t something I needed to share with someone I’d just met, especially not someone I was interested in.
She nodded. “It makes total sense.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“My family has been here for generations. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
A slight breeze blew by, rustling the leaves of the trees around us, making her shudder again.
“Tegan, you’re freezing,” I said, noticing the goose bumps pebbling her bare skin. In our rush to get out of the reception hall, she’d forgotten her coat.
“I’m—”
Before she could tell me she was fine, I was already taking off my jacket. I draped it around her shoulders and it practically swallowed her whole.
She pulled it tighter, snuggling into it. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” I shimmied closer in the hopes that some of my body heat would radiate into her.
Or maybe I just wanted to be close to her.
I’m sure it was because Briar Glenn was a small town, but it was twice now that we’d run into each other. It felt like more than just a coincidence. Or maybe I was just trying to convince myself that was the case.
“Tell me the truth. Did you really want to see me again?” I asked because I needed to know how she felt. I wanted confirmation that whatever this was between us, she felt it, too.
Tegan looked up at me through her lashes, making my chest feel tight. “Yes,” she whispered.
I leaned in closer, until I felt her breath flutter against the tip of my nose, and—
A loud voice boomed through the garden, shattering the moment. “Tegan!” It was a man’s voice.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she huffed, peering through the trees toward the venue.
I leaned over her, following her line of sight. A guy paced back and forth on the terrace, the glow of the reception hall catching his fiery red hair.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“My idiot brother.” Tegan sighed. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.” She grabbed my hand, gently dragging me along with her. She was surprisingly strong for how small she was.
When we stepped onto the terrace, her brother stared at our joined hands. His gaze shifted upward, his eyes narrowing on me.
“Why don’t you come back inside? Aren’t you getting cold out here?” he asked, addressing her and ignoring me completely.
