Page 53 of Tangled in Vows

“Hey, baby.” I inhale deeply, trying to calm these exhausting thoughts.

Usually, I’m in an excellent mood after visiting the Hideout. And I was okay until my brain took over and went down a different path, through some dark woods, throwing me off a cliff without any kind of safety net.

Holden appears in the wide archway that connects the living room and kitchen, casually leaning against the wall. He watches us with a somber expression. “I thought you might have gone to bed.”

If he only knew. “Just took a bit longer than I expected.”

I can feel his gaze on me, but I purposefully avoid it. I feel strangely exposed, which is probably the worst time to talk to him about my suspicion.

“I made us some popcorn.”

That gets my attention, and I peek at him. “Kettle corn?”

He grins. “You know that’s the only good one.”

The words catapult me straight into the past.

“Hurricane, pick a movie while I make the popcorn.”

My ears perk up at that. “Popcorn?”

Holden pops his head out of the pantry. “You don’t want popcorn?”

My head buzzes every time I think about the past, although it’s become less pronounced each time. I stare at my feet. “No, that’s not it. I like popcorn. It’s just been a while since I’ve had it. My aunt wasn’t a fan of snacks.”

Holden’s footsteps approach, and he forces my face up with two fingers under my chin. “That sounds like an unfortunate life to me. Good thing I’m known to make some mean popcorn.”

The weight on my chest eases, and I hold his gaze. “What kind?”

He gives me a lopsided grin. “Kettle corn, obviously. That’s the only good one.”

Stormy licks my face, and the memory disappears.

Holden stares at me. Did he remember the same conversation?

The past versus the present. The warm feelings for him versus the cold ones. The old part of me that was so happy around him, and the latest part of me that’s broken yet still yearns for him.

He raises a brow. “I also ordered some of your favorite kombucha with the last grocery delivery. It’s chilled, waiting for you.”

“Are you trying to butter me up? Next thing I know, you’ll whip out some Mentos too.”

“I guess you have to come and see.”

His smile wraps around my heart, trying to find a gap to slip in. I fear if it searches long enough, it’ll find a spot I patched up badly.

“Well, let’s see this feast.” I follow him to the kitchen with Stormy hot at my heels.

Lo and behold, there are two bowls of popcorn on the kitchen island, one on each side. I assume Holden’s bowl is the one with the protein shake next to it, while mine has the roll of fruit Mentos and a tall, empty wine glass waiting beside it.

I glide onto one of the barstools while Holden grabs one of the mango passionfruit kombucha bottles from the fridge. He pours the contents into my glass, and I watch it fizz and bubble before taking a sip.

The cool liquid goes smoothly down my throat, and I let out a happy sigh and smack my lips at the delicious taste. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He pauses, brows pulled together. “So . . . uh . . . what did you want to talk about?”

A lot of things. So many, many things, starting with why the fuck did you leave me?

But I don’t say those words out loud, suddenly unprepared to hear the answer. What if he told me he’d had enough of me? That he regretted saving me, or helping me took up too much of his life, after all.

---