She shook her head, smiling wistfully. “I wish I could. I’ll grab something to eat later. Go have fun.”

“Okay.” I glanced out the glass door and watched Josh and Sadie walking arm in arm next to his parents. “Hey, what about the dance stuff? My sister was bugging me about it at lunch today, and I told her you were going to help me.”

“Oh, right.” Her forehead wrinkled for a moment.

“Can I come back here later? How long will you be here?”

“A few hours, for sure. That could work.” She looked up at me. “You don’t want to go out with the wedding party?”

I gave her a look. “Are you serious? They’re like twelve. They’ll probably want to go drive go-karts or play paintball or something.”

April laughed. “Okay. Meet me back here after dinner. In the meantime, I’ll think of a song.”

“Something short, please. And not too fast. But not too slow either.”

She pushed me toward the exit. “Trust me. Sheesh.”

“I do trust you.” I stopped in front of the door and looked at her. “Thank you for this.”

“For what?”

“For everything you’re doing for my sister. And for me.”

She shrugged. “It’s my job. And you guys are like family to me.”

I couldn’t resist pressing my lips to her soft pink cheek once more. Her skin was warm, and I left my mouth there for a little longer this time. When I picked up my head, I saw that her face had gone full-on flushed. “I’ll see you soon,” I said, pushing open the door.

She raised one hand, looking a little dazed. “Okay. Bye.”

The cool air felt good on my skin as I walked toward my car. That girl made me hot all over, and I was growing concerned about my ability to stay in control when we were alone later tonight, especially if I had to put my arms around her.

But I couldn’t fucking wait.

Ten

April

I watched Tyler walk across the parking lot with his long, easy strides until I couldn’t see him anymore. Then I bolted for my office, snatched my phone off my desk, and called Chloe.

“Hello?”

“Are you still at work?”

“Yeah, but I’m about to leave.”

“Can you come over to the wedding barn first?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m afraid I’m going to make a really big mistake and I need you to talk me out of it—or into it. I can’t decide.”

“Okay, okay. Give me ten minutes.”

While I waited for her, I paced back and forth in front of my desk, even though there were a million things I should have been doing. But I couldn’t concentrate—all I could think of was that Tyler had kissed my cheek twice! And he was so handsome! And it had been so sweet watching him walk his sister down the aisle! And he was coming back later tonight and we were going to be alone and I’d promised to show him how to dance, which meant he’d have to touch me, and I wasn’t sure I could take it.

Which reminded me—I’d better start looking at songs. I had a few ideas, but I wanted to listen to them.

I had just perched on the edge of my desk, phone in hand, when Chloe knocked on my open office door. “Hey.”

“Oh, thank God.” I set my phone aside. “I need a voice of reason.”

“So you called me?” She cocked her head. “I feel like another sister might have been a better choice.”

“Well, they’re not here, so you’ll have to do. Come sit.”

She sat in one of the chairs in front of my desk while I resumed pacing. “So what’s up?” she asked. “Is it Tyler?”

“Yes.”

“How did it go last night?”

“Great.”

“Did he want to bang you after all?”

“Yes. But we didn’t.”

She made a face. “Why not?”

“Because he said he wanted to be a gentleman this time.”

“Like he was trying to make up for last time?”

“Exactly. He said he saw it as an opportunity to do the right thing, like a good guy would. He drove me home because I drank a little too much, and he said he’d promised me no detours this time, and he was determined to keep his word.”

Chloe sighed. “Can’t fault him for that, I suppose.”

I turned and faced her. “It’s not that I fault him, Chloe, it’s that I want him. I think I want him even more because he was such a nice guy last night. If he’d tried to put his hand up my skirt or something, I probably would have been mad. Tonight could be a different story though.”

“You’re seeing him again tonight?”

I nodded. “After the rehearsal dinner he’s coming back here. For a dance lesson.”

“A dance lesson?”

“He’s nervous about dancing with Sadie tomorrow. I promised to show him a couple easy moves. It’s not that I’m worried about—it’s what could happen afterward.”

“What’s the problem? If he wants you, and you want him . . .”

“But why do I want him, Chloe? It doesn’t make any sense.” I tapped my head.

“Uh, yes it does. He’s ridiculously hot. And you guys have history.”

“But it’s stupid—he’s only in town for two more days.”

She cocked her head. “How long do you think sex takes?”

I stopped moving and looked at her. “You know what I mean. I’m not interested in a weekend sex fling. At least, I shouldn’t be.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m supposed to be trying to find the one.” I threw my arms in the air. “I want the damn one! But if he could just hurry up, that would be great, because I haven’t had sex in a really, really long time, and I’m getting a little desperate!”

Chloe laughed. “That’s exactly why this attraction to Tyler makes sense. Even though your mind knows he’s not the one, your orgasm is like, ‘Hey, remember me?’”

“What’s an orgasm?” I asked irritably. “I vaguely recall one from 2015, but it might have been self-inflicted.”

“Exactly.”

I crossed one arm over my stomach and chewed the thumb of the opposite hand. “You don’t think it’s a terrible idea?”

“It’s a terrible idea if you’re looking for something deep and meaningful out of it. But if all you’re looking for is a good time, and it won’t mess with your head, maybe it’s part of the closure you’re looking for. Like maybe you need to get him out of your system once and for all. On your terms.”

I perched on the edge of my desk again. “Maybe.”

“But for the love of God, use protection if you do.”

I laughed. “I’m pretty sure Tyler would be all over that. The man does not want children.”

“No?”

I shook my head. “We talked about it last night.”

“Really.” Chloe crossed her legs. “That’s interesting. Did you guys discuss the adoption thing at all?”