Page 109 of Tangled in Vows

I let his words wash over me. No one but Holden has had my back before, not truly. And Archer’s right, they have been there for me. All of them in their own way. Not a lot of people would risk their lives to keep you safe or protect your career and other aspects without wanting something in return.

“What’s that?” I shift my attention to Archer but keep my hand where it is.

“I know you’re a busy hotshot.” He grins like he just told a joke. “But until we can figure out who the asshole is behind all of the shit lately, could you try and keep a low profile? For all of our sanity.”

My smile forms almost immediately. It’s hard to resist Archer’s smile when he’s so nice and caring. Holden truly is fortunate to have such a good friend in him. “You’re lucky all this is happening during one of my downtimes. A few months earlier or later, and we’d be in deep shit with my schedule.”

There’s a spark in his eyes that tells me something is coming. And he doesn’t disappoint.

“I was just thinking, your job looks pretty easy. I mean, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve seen you work at all in the last several weeks.”

I pick up a roll from the basket and throw it at him. Sadly, it doesn’t smack him in the face the way I’d hoped. Instead, he catches it and laughs.

On the other hand, Holden makes a low sound and pulls me toward him. “Leave her alone, Arch.” Leaning in, he kisses my temple and says, “Don’t listen to him, baby. I think you’re working way too much.”

Since I’m still focused on Archer, he witnesses the entire moment: the way my eyes widen comically at Holden’s verypublic display of affection, and the way the heat rushes into my neck and cheeks at breakneck speed to the point where I’m convinced I must look like a tomato. All the while, Archer’s smile never wavers. The opposite, actually. He seems happy as a clam.

Only reaffirming my earlier thought: he’s good people.

I clear my throat awkwardly and turn to Holden. Gosh, he’s incredibly close. I want to disappear in him. In his scent. His touch. His everything. I shake my head, trying to clear the fog in my brain. “Would it be okay if Ian came to work with me on my song? That way, I wouldn’t need to drive into?—”

“Absolutely.” Holden levels me with a serious look. “I know it might still feel early, but this is your place too. Right now, we need some extra security measures to vet people, but other than that, you can invite whoever you want.” His eyes narrow slightly. “Well, within reason, of course.”

I can’t tell if he’s talking about other guys or what, but I don’t want to ask either.

He leans even closer, resting his arm on the back of my chair. Caging me in and invading my space most tantalizingly. I get another whiff of his cologne and shut my eyes as a spark ignites in my chest. Whenever he’s around, the air seems to shift into something warming, wrapping around me like a soft blanket.

On top of that, this man is also the sexiest distraction I’ve ever had to deal with. And I’m not even mad about it.

Maybe it’s time to get a little distracted by life and Holden, to let this warm feeling that’s been expanding and multiplying ever since he reentered my life take over. We’ve always had a special connection, a connection I pushed away and tried to fight as best as I could. But now that it’s flared back to life and we’ve opened up to each other, it seems impossible to stop it from growing. To prevent us from turning into more. Into everything.

His lips land on my forehead this time, drawing out a sigh from me.

My phone buzzes and interrupts my peaceful moment, and I draw back to look at the screen.

“Nisha.”

I groan. I’ve never had an issue with my publicist, or any member of my team really, but now that the execs are breathing down my neck, I can never be sure what she’s contacting me about. I know she’s only doing her job, but anxious energy immediately flutters in my stomach. I hate it.

Since staring at my phone doesn’t help, I swipe the screen to open her message.

Nisha: There will be no outing this weekend. Focus on recording the song with Ian and stay under the radar. The bosses want you to attend a small charity concert in two weeks. I know this is super last minute, but it should bring lots of positive publicity.

I think Holden read the message over my shoulder, but I read it aloud anyway.

Archer sighs. “That means we have less than two weeks to find out who’s behind this, or we’ll have a total nightmare situation at the charity event.”

Holden glares at his friend before catching my gaze. “No matter what happens, we’ll make sure you’re safe. Okay? I don’t want you to worry about anything.”

I nod, because what else am I supposed to do? Am I terrified someone might try to harm me or Holden while we’re out in public? Definitely. It’s impossible not to be after everything that’s happened. At the same time, knowing these guys have my back eases at least some of that anxiety.

They have my back.

I’m not alone in this anymore.

The weight of that truth hits me straight behind my rib cage, tightening my chest. But not in the way it used to be when loneliness was causing the ache. This is . . . different. It feels somehow fuller but also lighter now.

I swallow hard, settling into this new, strange sensation of belonging. “So . . . what do I tell her?”

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