Page 61 of Tangled in Vows

Jax stays quiet and in the background, just like Luke was. Friendly yet very professional. More of a shadow than an active participant in my regular life.

Which is the exact opposite of Holden, who’s constantly near me. Too close. Too loud. Too much in my head. Too damn tempting.

“Olivia, did you hear me?”

Heather comes back into focus, and I rub my forehead. “I’m so sorry you have to deal with me today. I think my brain is still half asleep. What did you say?”

“Please don’t worry about it. You’ve got a lot going on.”

I snort. “You could say that. Things have been a bit crazy lately, that’s for sure.”

She plays with her long necklace, twirling the rose crystal between her fingers. “I still can’t believe you’re married.”

The moment the hushed words leave her lips, she clamps a hand over her mouth and stares at me with shocked eyes.

I chuckle. “I know what you mean. It’s crazy to have the whole world know about it now.”

I point at the tablet on her legs to save us more awkwardness. “Anything exciting going on?”

She clears her throat, probably grateful we can focus on work.

“Nisha said that Ian wants you in the studio next week, so I penciled that in on Thursday.”

I frown. “Did she say why? The album is all done.”

“Oh, um. One sec.” She clicks around, switching screens and reading something. “Something about an extra song to the album? She mentioned he was very excited about the lyrics you sent him. He talked to Wanda, and they convinced the higher-ups to let you add another song.”

I freeze because I didn’t send Ian an email with lyrics.

Dread and unease swirl in my stomach, and I’m concerned the coffee might come back up.

Her eyes go back and forth between mine, like she can’t quite decide which eye to focus on. “Olivia . . . are you okay? You’re as white as a sheet.”

I try to ignore the warning bells going off and nod. “Yeah. Sorry. I was just surprised. I’ll call him later.”

Her hand goes to her chest, and she lets out a shaky laugh. “I thought for a second I did something wrong.”

I shake my head. “Absolutely not. What else do we have?”

Her attention goes back to the screen, and she taps each day with the pen as she talks. “Nothing major. We have a lot of prep work for the festival in two months. Wanda and Nisha want to discuss the setlist, the setup, marketing, your appearances, et cetera. Harrison, Elise, and Eduardo are ready to talk about styling, hair, and makeup once you guys have the show figured out. Then, as mentioned, Thursday is studio time with Ian. Nisha blocked Friday, and you blocked Saturday, but neither says for what.”

My gaze zooms in on Saturday’s date—Holden’s sister’s birthday. Somehow, I never took it off my calendar.

I wonder why.

We hash out pickup times, locations, and other boring stuff until the door opens, and Holden and Stormy walk inside.

My crazy girl stops for the quickest ear rub in history before she sprints to the kitchen and her water bowl. She knows she’llget her breakfast in about forty-five minutes, and then she’ll pass out for her mid-morning nap.

Which sounds pretty dang good today.

Chilly New York spring temperatures bestowed Holden with rosy cheeks, and I can’t look away from him. His conversation with Jax is too low for me to hear, but Holden laughs at something, and it’s as though the floor beneath me shifts. I haven’t seen his carefree side in so long, and realizing how much I missed it pricks my eyes with tears.

Heather shifts around next to me, pulling me out of my trance. “Well, I better get going then.”

She grabs her things just as my phone buzzes with a notification. It reminds me that I need to find the email I supposedly sent to Ian.

I say bye to Heather absentmindedly and focus on my screen, only half registering that Jax escorts her out, and Holden sits on the other side of the couch.

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