As soon as we walked in, a woman I didn’t know recognized me and squealed. Fuck. I was somewhat accustomed to dealing with the attention of fame, but it was still a little surprising here in Willow Brook.
Brynn glanced in the woman’s direction, but shrugged it off, immediately ignoring the attention. I had her hand in mine already, and it felt exactly right. She hadn’t pulled away since we walked in, so I took that as a win.
We walked up to the counter. “I bet that can get old,” Brynn said, sotto voce.
I shrugged. “You get used to it. I do my best to ignore it.”
When we got to the counter, the woman there smiled at us. “Should we just have a seat?” Brynn asked. “Or do we order here?”
“Either works,” the woman said, her voice a little bright. Her eyes lingered on me.
Brynn leaned an elbow on the counter, completely ignoring the woman staring at me. She kept her other hand laced in mine. She squeezed her fingers slightly around mine, and that’s when I knew, maybe, just maybe, she’d give us a shot.
“Let’s just order here. Pepperoni?” She looked at me.
“Definitely.”
It felt as if sparks danced through the air between us when her eyes held mine for a beat too long. I brushed my thumb on the inside of her wrist, gratified to feel the rapid pulse thrumming along under the silky skin there.
Brynn
It was over when Caden said “definitely” to pepperoni pizza. That was my first indication that I was going to give in. I didn’t know what might come of us, but I didn’t think I could resist him. It was too good to see him again, too comfortable to be with him when I let myself forget he was a rock star.
Just like in high school, I ate two pieces of the pizza we ordered, and Caden ate the rest. We always got a medium. I would eat two pieces, and he would eat three. He still liked hot peppers sprinkled over the top and a little bit of Parmesan cheese. The pizza was, as promised, delicious.
He leaned back in the booth. When he stretched his leg over and I felt the brush of his calf against mine, it sent a sizzle of sensation up my leg. His eyes snagged on mine. He didn’t say a word, and I felt a little tug in my belly. I couldn’t look away. I reached for my glass of water, taking a quick swallow and futilely wishing the cool liquid could break the heat flooding through me.
“Can I persuade you to stay with me tonight?” he asked, his voice husky and low.
Oh. My. God. If I thought Caden was tempting back when we were in high school, the temptation factor was astronomically higher now. He wore his casual hotness easily. While I wasn’t counting his rock star status, it was as if there was a sheen clinging to him. His heavy-lidded gaze sent liquid need spinning through my veins.
By force of will and gathering up every ounce of my discipline, I shook my head. “Not tonight.”
“Does that mean another night, perhaps?”
“Caden, slow down. We haven’t seen each other in over ten years, and you’re sweeping into town. I don’t know what you’re doing. It is good to see you, but give me a chance to breathe. Please.”
He regarded me quietly for several beats. He leaned forward, dipping his chin. “Okay. I didn’t mean to rush.”
“What is this about for you?”
Caden
Brynn’s question played on a loop in my thoughts after I dropped her off. Maybe she wasn’t coming home with me tonight, but I did steal another kiss. It was just as good as the first one, maybe even better because it felt like I was relearning her.
I didn’t know how to explain to her that finding her card had galvanized something in me. I’d been feeling too cynical and jaded and too young to feel that way. After Wes’s accidental overdose, the rest of us in the band were shellacked. We’d known he’d gotten reckless, but it was still shocking and frightening. It wasn’t only that for me, though. I’d felt as if I were running on fumes and weary of questioning everyone who sought me out with the exception of my closest friends and my team.
Then my dad died, and memories had pummeled me. I wasn’t that old, and both of my parents were gone. My mom to ovarian cancer three years ago, and my dad to sepsis that developed after he had what was supposed to be a straightforward surgery on a hernia.
With a break in touring for the band while Wes went to treatment and worked on making some serious changes, I had time to think. I’d missed Brynn. I missed how real she was. If I was being honest, I didn’t know how I was going to feel when I saw her again back when I found that card. Yet now that I had, everything rushed back. I wanted her. I really wanted her.
I tossed my keys on the table by the door when I walked in my dad’s house. The space felt empty and echoing with memories. I contemplated stringing lights on the Christmas tree in the yard, like we used to when I was a little boy and before my parents hated each other.
Suddenly motivated to do that, I walked into the garage, aiming for the shelves at the back. It didn’t take me long to find the old plastic bin with the Christmas lights. I didn’t care that it was dark out. I started the SUV and aimed the headlights at the tall Spruce tree centered in the front yard. Within a half hour, I had the lights strung and plugged in. They glittered in the darkness, reflecting off the snow.
Before I went to bed, I sent Brynn a text. I decided to simply lay it on the line.
You asked what this was about for me. I miss everything we had, and I want another chance.
Brynn
“He said what?” Holly asked.
At the urging of Maisie and Holly, I’d come to this girls’ cards night. Apparently, they did this often. Somehow, the topic had turned to Caden.
I read his text aloud. “You asked what this was about for me. I miss everything we had, and I want another chance.”
“Wow,” Amelia offered, brushing a loose lock of hair off her cheek. “Gotta give him points for being direct.”
“What do you want?” Lucy asked.
I wasn’t accustomed to this many questions about my love life. I glanced around the table. “I don’t know. He’s a rock star, and I’m broke and divorced.”
“You also totally had a thing for him in high school. You were a cute couple,” Holly pointed out. As if I hadn’t known she was on Team Caden from the start when she called to tell me he’d mentioned me in an interview.
“Can’t hurt to see what might happen,” Amelia commented.
Lucy caught my eyes. While I’d only known Lucy for a matter of days, I liked her. “She’s a fan of the second chance thing. She and Cade made up, and now they’re happy as can be.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “As if there’s a problem with being happy. You’re totally happy with Levi.”
Although I hadn’t seen some of these women in years, it felt comfortable to be with them, and we’d fallen into the easy rhythm of old friends who’d grown up together. Lucy was a new arrival, as was Maisie, but everyone was kind and welcoming.
I surprised myself by confiding, “I don’t know what to think. Sure, maybe we did date in high school, but our lives couldn’t be more different right now. He’s famous and women probably send him panties in the mail.”