Page 85 of Never Your Girl

“Buckle up, buttercup,” Holland mumbles. “Shit’s about to get real.”

Without thinking, my hand drops to her knee under the table, and I give it a gentle squeeze. She tenses for a moment before relaxing beneath my touch.

“Holland!” Her mom’s voice carries across the diner and people turn to stare. “I missed you, baby girl!”

“Hey, Mom.” Holland’s voice is steady, but her knee presses harder against my palm.

The older woman’s gaze lands on me. The wattage of her smile intensifies as her eyes dance with speculation. “And this must be Bridger! You weren’t kidding, Holland. This man is handsome with a capital H.”

A low groan rumbles up from Holland’s chest as I suppress my laughter before standing to offer my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

She holds on to me a little longer than necessary as her eyes twinkle. “And he’s polite too? You might want to keep this one.” She sends a wink my way. “Or maybe I will.”

“Mom,” Holland warns, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink.

“I’m Vivienne, by the way.”

The man besides her takes the opportunity to step forward and extend a hand that could probably crush concrete. “Jigsaw,” he says simply. His grip is firm but not challenging. It’s undoubtedly the best I could hope for from a guy named after a power tool.

“Bridger,” I reply, matching his tone.

The waitress appears, notepad in hand, and Holland’s mom orders a Bloody Mary without missing a beat. I glance at the girl beside me, who looks like she’s mapping out an escape route through the kitchen.

I’ll admit that I would be quick on her heels.

“So,” her mom starts, resting her chin in her hand. “How long have you two been dating? Holland tells me nothing.” She casts a glance in her daughter’s direction. “She’s so secretive about everything.”

“A couple weeks,” I answer quickly.

“Oh, I don’t know, has it really been that long?” Holland’s tone is honey-sweet but loaded with warning. “We’re still pretty new and taking things slow. Just one day at a time.” She side-eyes me. “Not really sure if it’ll work out in the long run.”

“Now, muffin,” I say, resurrecting my pet name for her, “I told you that we’ll deal with whatever life throws our way.”

Her eyes narrow as Vivienne sighs and leans forward. “I just love a man who’s all in.”

The tension filling my muscles eases as I flash a smile, making a big show of patting Holland’s hand. “When you find the right one, you need to hang on for dear life.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that I’m necessarily the right one,” Holland mutters between clenched teeth.

I tap her gently on the chin. “My girl here still needs a little more convincing. Don’t worry, I’m up to the task.”

Her mother nods. “Holland’s always been cautious when it came to relationships. She’s not like me at all.” Her mother grins, and I try not to focus on her gap-toothed smile. “I tell her all the time that she just needs to lighten up and have some fun. If you can’t do that at your age, when can you?” She glances at Jigsaw. “Right, baby?”

He nods before his stare returns to me. “Viv says you play hockey?”

“Yup,” I confirm, my gaze drawn to Holland like a magnet. “But she’s the impressive one here.”

Holland blinks, caught off guard by my response. Her mom coos, clearly eating up the moment, but I’m not doing this for show. It’s the truth. “Balancing eighteen credits a semester, working part-time, and still managing to keep her GPA nearly perfect while dealing with...” I pause, wanting to choose my words carefully. “Everything else. She’s pretty incredible.”

The words come out more honestly than I intended. Holland’s fingers find mine under the table, squeezing them once before letting go.

“I’m not surprised. Holland’s always been the responsible one,” she says with a smile that’s filled with pride. “I can be a bit flighty.”

Holland stares at her glass of water. “It’s fine, Mom.”

“I’m just being honest.” Vivienne takes a long sip of her Bloody Mary. “Remember that time in high school when I forgot to pay the electric bill, and you had to study by candlelight for your AP exams? Or when?—”

Holland goes rigid beside me. “I don’t think we need a trip down memory lane.”

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