Page 96 of Holding Penalty

It’s weird. I never cared all that much about how Bridgett’s family felt about me, even though she was supposed to be my real wife. But when it comes to my fake wife, I want the people who are important to her to like me. To approve of me.

“I still remember the first time Piper mentioned you to me,” Hallie says after taking a sip of her drink.

A grin hooks on my mouth. “Oh, really?”

“She ranted about how much of a jerk you were when she tried to welcome you and introduce herself.”

“I did not rant,” Piper says. “I mentioned how much of a jerk he was when I tried to introduce myself.”

I tilt my head thoughtfully. “Hm. Sounds like something you’d rant about.”

“She definitely ranted,” Hallie chimes in.

Piper presses her lips straight, though I can see her trying not to let them twitch. “It feels like your jerkiness should be the point of consideration here, not my method of expressing myself.”

I chuckle, even though I still feel a pang of regret at how I acted back then. “Fair enough. At least I got my favorite mug out of it.”

“The interesting question is, when did it become your favorite mug?” Hallie asks with an instigating glimmer in her eyes.

It feels like I shouldn’t answer truthfully. Piper and I might be sleeping together now, and as a result of that, we might have let our guard down a lot when it comes to accepting that we enjoy spending time together, but I shouldn’t give away the fact that I’ve been attracted to her from the moment we met, despite my asshole-ish behavior back then.

But lately, I’ve lost the will to even be careful around Piper anymore. I just let it all out.

“Probably a couple minutes later, when I drank out of it for the first time, and she was next door ranting to you about how much of a jerk I just was.”

I slide my gaze to Piper and find her returning my grin, an affectionate look in her eyes.

Something a lot too close to hope tugs in my chest. Hope that maybe she’s finding her feelings running away from her just like mine are.

Hope that, when she gets her inheritance in a couple months, it doesn’t have to be the end of us.

Hope that maybe, one day, I’ll get down on one knee in front of her for real?

Fuck, how much have I had to drink already? Awareness jolts through me of just how irresponsibly I’ve let my thoughts stray.

Luckily, Noah pulls my focus out of my own head.

“Oh!” he exclaims excitedly, looking at his phone. “Mollie just got here. I’m gonna find her at the entrance and show her to the table.”

Noah’s childhood best friend is visiting Austin for the first time since he moved here, and he’s been excited about it since he told us. There have been more than a couple teasing remarks about just what kind of friends they are, but he’s been adamant that they’re totally platonic.

A song I don’t even recognize comes on that makes Piper and Hallie chirp with excitement. Apparently they have some kind of thing where whenever it plays, they have to dance to it. I watch them disappear into the crowded dance floor, feeling glad that they’re having a good time.

Vaughn returns with his drink. His neck is oddly stiff, and he seems to be making a concentrated effort not to look in the direction of the two girls I can’t take my eyes off of.

Noah comes back to the table, a smile brimming on his face, his arm slung around a cute girl who glances up at him with stars in her eyes. If I were the meddling type, I might question just how platonic they are.

But I’m only the meddling type when it comes to making sure drop-dead gorgeous bakers who I’ve suppressed crushes on for way too many years don’t go through with marrying cheating assholes. So I sip my drink and keep my commentary to myself.

But judging by the look Hayden and Adriano are sharing as Noah introduces us all to Mollie, they don’t share my position.

“Where are you visiting from, Mollie?” Adriano asks.

“Seattle,” Mollie answers, not making a move to sit down and get out from under the weight of Noah’s arm draped on her shoulders. Almost like that’s the one place in the world she wants to be.

None of my business, I remind myself.

“She’s the lead software engineer for this massive startup company up there,” Noah explains, brimming with pride.