“But did–”
Owen silenced Ava’s latest question by firmly pressing his lips against hers. Ava leaned into the kiss, letting it ease her nerves. His hand trailed down her exposed back until he reached the fabric of her red silk dress just above her ass. Ava shivered at his touch. When he pulled away, Ava chased after his lips for more.
With a last kiss to her nose, Owen straightened.
In his black suit and matching maroon tie to go with her dress, Owen was nothing short of stunning. Ava had convinced him to wearhis hair down, and she almost regretted it at how handsome he looked. She didn’t want the other women in town getting ideas.
“Why are you more nervous than me about my speech?”
Ava fiddled with his tie, adjusting it until it was just right. Owen circled her wrists to stop her fidgeting.
“I don’t know. I want everything to go perfect. You deserve it,” Ava said.
“That’s it?” Owen raised an eyebrow at her. He knew her too well.
“The whole town is going to know we’re back together when they see us out there tonight. It won’t be hard for them to make the connection between the name of the bed-and-breakfast and me.”
Owen traced a finger down the side of her neck and brushed her curls behind her shoulder. “Hate to break it to you, but the whole town knows about us already. Remember the rumor mill after the Fourth of July?”
“Of course I do. Summer’s still ignoring me. I’m kind of glad she’s babysitting Avery, so I don’t have to avoid her icy stare all night. This is the longest we’ve gone without talking.”
“Still not longer than ten years,” Owen said. He smirked to soften his words.
Ava pushed at his shoulder.
“Too soon?”
“Way too soon,” Ava said. “I’m overthinking this. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says or thinks. No one but me, you, and Avery.”
Owen cupped the side of her neck, forcing her to look at him. “Just me, you, and Avery. This is between us. Not the whole town of Cedar Falls.”
She held his gaze and nodded. The weight of her decision sat heavily in her stomach, waiting for the right moment to tell Owen.
After. After hisspeech, I’ll tell him.
Someone stuck their head through the curtain, giving Owen a five-minute warning he was about to be called on stage. Tori’s commanding voice boomed through the speakers as she thanked everyone for their attendance and gave the introduction.
“I’m going to find our table. You’re going to do great up there. Lo–” Ava cut herself off. “Let’s go,” she corrected.
If Owen caught her slip, he said nothing, but his eyes flared with heat. Ava avoided his gaze and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before hurrying away.
She exited the backstage area and found their table near the front of the room. Her name card was between Owen’s empty seat and Matt, who was tossing back his drink when she joined him. The two of them had spent little time together since she’d come to town, but she’d grown up alongside him, just like Owen and Summer.
Ava placed her clutch that contained both their phones on the table and settled the skirt of her dress beneath her. She took her first good look at the room. They’d transformed the community center for the evening's event, blending modern and rustic charm. Each white linen table had a bouquet of colorful local wildflowers and an album of pictures from the Cedar Falls archives that commemorated the town’s history. Several long tables holding tonight's auction items lined the room's right wall, which she had yet to browse.
She turned her attention back to the front.
Matt nudged a glass toward her. “Grabbed you a drink. Figured we needed it to get through this,” Matt said.
“Thanks,” she whispered back.
She took a small sip from the crystal tumbler. The bourbon burned her throat on the way down. She forced down her cough at the strong liquor, not wanting to make a scene. “This is straight bourbon,” she sputtered.
Matt grinned. “There’s ice too.”
She gave him an unimpressed glare, and his grin grew bigger.
“Oh, lighten up. I remember when you used to drink Fireball like it was water.”
