Page 122 of Stolen Moments

After a while, I zone out, and my mind drifts back to Emery.

Is she in L.A. with Chris or back in Oregon? Is she with her fiancé? What the hell did Jace mean when he said she’s been through a lot? And the question that bothers me the most …

Why does it feel like I’m missing a huge piece of the story?

Chapter forty

Emery

December

I finish putting thefinal touches to the center pieces for tonight’s dinner, ignoring my friend’s question. He knows about my and Mason’s story, and how Mason turned out to be Rylann’s soon-to-be brother-in-law, which is still a little shocking.

“Are you ready for tonight?” Graham asks again.

When the florist called to say their delivery van broke down and the other wasn’t nearby to deliver the order, I panicked. Luckily, I remembered Graham had rented a truck while he was here. He was quick to answer my call, easily offering to help me out. As a thank you, Jace and Rylann invited him to stay and join us tonight, as well as tomorrow for the wedding reception, effectively turning him into my date, after all.

Graham fit in quickly with Jace, Levi, and Rylann’s dad, as well as with Rhys as they all helped set up the room, while Rylann nursed Riah and Scarlett dealt with the twins.

I don’t know what I would have done without my friend. I’m just relieved this won’t be a problem tomorrow. We used a different florist—one closer to the venue—for the wedding center pieces.

“Well?” Graham asks for the third time, following me as I double-check the table setting’s centerpieces for the hundredth time.

“I think so,” I say, evenly, desperately trying to hide how nervous I am abouttonight.

Twisting the vase this way and that, I dare not look Graham in the eye. He’ll know I’m lying through my teeth. He’s good at reading people—it’s one of the many things I find endearing about him, and I’m glad to have formed a friendship with him.

“It’s no big deal, right? He’s here for the wedding, just like I am.”

I adjust the candles again. I haven’t been able to get the seed Chris planted in my brain out. Would Mason really act jealous? Is he really not over me yet? At the thought of him not being over me, butterflies flutter in my stomach and my pulse speeds up.

“You’re a terrible liar, Emery. It’s okay to be nervous to see him. Things were complicated when you two ended,” he says.

Last week we met up for dinner, and over a bottle of wine, we ended up spilling about our exes. He’s been supportive, helping me to understand where Mason is coming from while also understanding my decision to keep the fake engagement a secret. Graham has become a wonderful friend. He’s one of the good ones, that’s for sure.

Too bad he doesn’t make your nether regions tingle.

Ugh. Stupid brain. And traitorous hussy of a vagina who only weeps for one man. The same man I am currently freaking out about seeing tonight.

I don’t want a repeat of what happened on Labor Day weekend. My clit pulses at the memory of Mason taking me in the bathroom and pushing me up against the wall. Sex with Mason was never the problem. Our problem was opening up to each other. We talked constantly, but it was always about the present, never about our past or our families. In hindsight, we both held back.

“I know.” I sigh again, finally making eye contact with Graham. “It’s not just that. It’s something Chris said that’s bothering me.”

“What did he say?” Graham grabs the cardboard box the vases were in and breaks it down, waiting for me to answer.

I don’t know what it is about him, but he’s easy to talk to. Graham has such a calming presence. He’s never judged me orlooked at me in a way that made me feel like his friendship was anything but genuine.

Even though Graham wasn’t supposed to be here, in a way I’m glad he is, but it’s also got me freaking out. This is all Chris’s fault, with his stupid comment about Mason being jealous of my date. I can’t get the idea out of my head. What if he’s right?

“Chris said that if Mason acts jealous because you’re with me, then he’s not over me and is probably still in love with me.” I wince, noticing how ridiculous that sounds as soon as I say it.

“He’s not wrong.”

My jaw flops open, and my friend throws his head back and laughs, closing my mouth.

“Us men are simple creatures. There’s a reason we are called cavemen.”

“But—”

---