His expression softened. “Wren?—”
“No. Please let me say it this time.” At the library, he’d cut her off, stormed away without letting her explain. He deserved an explanation and an apology.
He nodded.
“Switching places with Lark at the wine festival was the wrong thing to do. Trying to fool you was wrong. We never meant any harm, but that doesn’t make it okay.” Regret tightened her throat. “I was trying to help her keep her job, and it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
“You’d do anything for Lark,” he said, no question in his tone.
“Yes, I would.”
He smiled. “I’d do the same for my brothers.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she forced herself to continue. “Regardless, it was stupid and unfair to you, and I should have come clean during your first visit to the library. You have every right to be angry. I mean, I let things go too far between us that weekend, and then, when we got home, I pretended not to know you. I let the lie stand even when I knew how much you hated being lied to. I shouldn’t have done any of that.”
The confession lay between them until he lifted one hand and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I understand why you did it.”
The knot in her chest loosened. “You do?”
“Yeah. It’s okay, Wren. I accept your apology.”
Emotion rushed through her so quickly, her eyes stung.
The song ended, then the deejay switched gears, playing something fast and energetic that had people jumping out of their seats and rushing to the dance floor. It immediately exploded into chaos.
Grayson’s arms fell away, and she felt that sudden shift like a physical blow.
Without his arms, her pulse quickened and the space around them closed in. It was crowded. Too crowded.
Grayson noticed the change in her instantly, and his expression sharpened. He cupped her cheeks, drawing her attention back to him. “Breathe, Wren.”
She sucked in a shallow breath, but it didn’t help. The pressure built as the sensation of being trapped overwhelmed her. Without thinking, she moved closer to him, and he embraced her, holding her tight.
He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Do you want to get out of here?”
Relief flooded her, and she nodded. “Yes.” The answer came out much faster than she’d intended.
“I’ll walk you home,” he said, keeping his arm looped around her waist, tucking her against him as they left the dance floor. He gestured to the table she’d been sharing with Lark and some of their friends. “Do you need to grab anything?”
She shook her head. “It was warm enough to walk here without a jacket. All I brought is my phone and it’s in my back pocket.” The Harvest Dance was a casual one, so most people simply wore jeans.
Together, they made their way to the exit. Halfway across the room, Wren spotted Lark at the edge of the dance floor. Their eyes met. The moment Lark noticed Grayson’s arm around her, her eyes widened. Then a huge grin spread across her face before she gave Wren a wink.
Wren giggled. Her sister was impossible.
Last night, Lark had shown up at her apartment immediately after getting out of work, demanding answers. Specifically, why Wren had neglected to mention that Grayson had kissed her at the wine festival.
She wasn’t sure why Grayson had told Lark about the kiss, but Wren didn’t ask, too busy scrambling for a plausible excuse for keeping it a secret.
She claimed she was embarrassed about making such a mess of the switch, but in truth, she hadn’t known how to explain what she was feeling.
How could she?
Everything involving Grayson felt too big and too important.
Her last therapy appointment with Sophie had occurred just two days earlier, and Wren had spent every second of it discussing Grayson, dissecting every detail of their confrontation and how she had reacted afterward.
