When my hand grazes her upper arm as I help her into the car, I notice the goosebumps, and a thrill runs up my spine, knowing I affect her. “This old thing?”
That gets me a smile.
I’m already dressed in my best-man tux so I can have more time with Blair and be available to help Jake with whatever he may need without worrying about when I can get ready.
I slide into the driver’s seat and fasten my seat belt before looking over at her.
“All ready?”
I reach out to squeeze her hand and am relieved when she doesn’t pull away.
“Before we go, we should talk about the other day in my office.” She hesitates but then turns slightly in her seat to face me.
“Sure. We can talk about anything you want.”
“I think I just got caught up in the nostalgia of everything, and I’m sorry. It was unprofessional, and I don’t want to lead you on at all.” She’s twisting the bracelets on her wrist as she talks, avoiding direct eye contact.
I don’t respond immediately, giving her space to say more. I regret nothing, and I’m willing to wait if she needs time to work through her confused emotions.
“It’s obvious we have an attraction to each other, or had an attraction, but we are completely different people now. You know nothing about me, and I know nothing about you.” She finds her confidence and meets my stare.
“You admit there’s an attraction?” I say, attempting to lighten the mood a little, but I understand what she is saying. As much as I want to ignore our working relationship, she’s not wrong that we should remain professional. At least for now.
I place my hand on her thigh. She looks down at it and then back up at me with heat in her eyes. There’s no denying wehave a connection. I pull my hand back and focus on the road ahead. “I understand what you are saying, but I’d like to think we could be friends. I enjoy having you back in my life, and I’ll take whatever I can get.”
As soon as I say it, I hate how it feels. I don’t want to be just friends.
When I look over at her, she’s smiling, but there’s something in her eyes that looks like she might hate that label just as much as I do.
“Friends, then.” She shifts back to face forward in her seat and then turns her head toward me again. “So, friend, tell me about this wedding.”
I fill her in on Jake and Lauren, how they’ve been engaged forever and most of us weren’t sure if it would ever happen. Lauren surprised all of us, including Jake, with a last-minute decision on a wedding date only two months ago.
When we arrive, I leave the keys with the valet. I can already see my mother through the lobby doors, walking toward us with her arms stretched out, ready to hug me.
“Come here. Oh, I’ve missed you so much!” She has quite a death grip for such a petite woman. “Stop making excuses and come home for dinner soon.”
“Hi, Mom. Missed you, too,” I say while wrapping my arms around her.
“Here, I want you to meet Blair. She’s Sophia’s?—”
“Blair! It’s so nice to see you again. Sophia shared that you two reconnected!”
Blair doesn’t escape the hug from my mom, but the smile lighting up her face tells me she doesn’t mind one bit.
My mother leads us through the lobby and toward the wall of windows where the setup for the ceremony is underway on the beach.
“Hi again!” Sophia says as she hugs Blair. They spent the morning together with hair and makeup artists. Seeing both her and my mother embracing Blair gives me a sense of calm. It’s like she belongs to me. This is what it would feel like if she were mine.
Before Blair can respond, my father arrives through the back entry, and I stiffen. Blair glances at me and moves in closer, noticing the change in me. I relax a little and appreciate the protective move.
“Wyatt, son! I didn’t know you were here already.” He reaches out for a handshake and pulls me in for a quick, one-handed tap on the back.
“We just arrived. This is Blair.”
“Nice to meet you, Blair.”
Blair reaches for his extended hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”
