Ryan noticed them at the table. His gaze bounced between Blaze and Johanna before he muttered something low to Michael that made Michael grimace sympathetically.
Wonderful.
Leigh shook her head as she said, “You look like you’re about to either cry or climb that man like a tree.”
“Please stop talking.”
Paige whispered dramatically, “Omg! Jo, he’s coming over here.”
Johanna’s pulse stumbled hard.
Blaze started walking toward the table slowly, shoulders tense beneath the bomber jacket while every woman at the table suddenly pretended not to watch.
The restaurant buzzed around them with plates clattering in the kitchen, and laughter spilling across nearby tables from people completely unaware that Johanna’s entire emotional stability had just walked through the front door.
But the closer Blaze got to the table, the quieter Johanna’s world became. The noise of the restaurant faded beneath the sudden awareness of him.
Blaze stopped beside the booth, gaze settling on Johanna first before acknowledging everyone else. “Ladies.”
Mackenzie smiled sweetly. “Well look who’s here.”
“MacKenzie,” Ryan warned and planted a kiss to his wife’s cheek.
Blaze almost smiled.
Almost.
But it faded quickly when his eyes came back to her.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Simple question.
Soft voice.
No pressure.
Still, panic fluttered low in Johanna’s chest immediately.
Because she knew Blaze.
Knew if they were alone together, he’d say all the right things.
And the terrifying thing… part of her would believe him.
Johanna forced herself to stay seated.
“I’m eating.”
The response came out colder than she intended, and Blaze noticed immediately. His jaw tightened slightly before he gave a single nod. “Okay.”
That should have made her feel relieved. Instead, guiltspread slowly through her chest. There was no anger in his expression and no defensiveness, only the quiet pain of someone trying not to push too hard while clearly feeling every inch of the distance between them.
Ryan awkwardly cleared his throat somewhere behind him. “Uh… we can grab another table.”
“Go,” Blaze said quietly without taking his eyes off Johanna. “I’ll stay here.”
Paige looked between them nervously before sliding out of the booth. “I’m gonna go get another drink.”
