Page 68 of Make Your Save

“I will,” Beau tells me, inclining his head at me. He remains for an extra second, his eyes hovering over us as Hadley silently slides her palm against my own, her fingers tangling with mine as they tighten in a gentle caress.

My brother turns around, leaving the two of us as he heads off in the direction of the parking lot behind the coffee shop. Holding Hadley’s hand, I walk her over to the passenger’s side. She reaches for the door with her free hand, but I stop her, spinning her around as I pin her against the side of the SUV.

My hand finds the side of her face, my fingers trailing along her jaw as I tip her head back. I lower mymouth to hers, our lips melting together as she kisses me back with a tenderness that snakes around my soul. I kiss her until she’s breathless, pulling away and kissing her forehead.

“What was that for?”

A smirk lifts my lips. “Because I wanted to.” I stare at her, vigor seeping into my bones. “Thank you for pushing me to do this. I’m not sure I would have talked to him or tried to forgive him without you.”

“I didn’t push you to do anything,” she says softly, her eyes burning holes through me. “I only helped to guide you. This was all you, Rowan. You chose to take a chance and try. You chose to find forgiveness.”

My breath catches in my throat, my chest constricting around the emotion that builds inside, and my lips find hers once more.

She might not believe it, but she’s the voice that drifts in the back of my mind, assuring me anything is worth trying.

She’s always there . . . She's everywhere.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

HADLEY

“Did that guy just buy us a round of drinks?”

I look over at Riley, seeing where she’s pointing to a man in a suit over at the bar. Riley and Nova asked me to come out with them for a girls’ night and we’ve done a little bit of bar hopping. We ended up at the Lucky Frog to end our night with one more drink before the guys come pick us up.

Nova and I direct both of our gazes over to the man as he lifts his glass into the air in silent cheers. A smile dances across his face and Riley lifts her glass up at him. He looks to be in his early thirties and he’s quite handsome. Strong jawline, perfectly pressed suit, and styled, black hair.

“Ry, what are you doing?”

She takes a sip of her drink, looking at Nova with a shrug. “Being polite.” She giggles softly, a sheepish grin on her face. “Trust me, I have no intention of going home with anyone other than your brother.”

Nova makes a fake gagging sound. “Okay, we can just leave it at that.”

“Drink up, girlies. The boys will be here soon to ruin our fun.” She laughs again, the sound carefree as she tips her head back. “It’s not every day that some random guy is offering to buy us drinks.”

“This is true,” I tell her, following suit as I lift my glass to the man and take a sip. “Let’s just hope no one slipped any drugs into it.”

“Oh, shit,” Nova says in a hushed voice as she stares at the drink. She contemplates her choices and drinks it anyway. “The bartender knows Lincoln, so he knows better than to slip anything into our drinks.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” I tell her with a laugh. “I already know I’m going to be hungover tomorrow morning, so that eliminates a worry I didn’t have until half a minute ago.” I take another sip, swallowing down the liquor before letting out a sigh. “Thank you, guys, for including me in your girls’ night tonight. I don’t know the last time I’ve had something like this and it’s been refreshing.”

Nova reaches for my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as she smiles at me. “You’re one of us now. Whether you’re still in Aston or another state, you’re part of the girl gang now.”

“And once you’re a member, there’s no out,” Riley says with a grin. Her words are a bit slurred from the alcohol, but I can still make out what she’s saying. “I know you don’t plan on staying, but I wish you would reconsider.”

“I’m sure Rowan wouldn’t object to it,” Nova adds,something unreadable passing through her expression. She sounds almost exactly like Riley does and that’s when I realize how drunk the three of us actually are.

“You guys know the engagement isn’t real,” I remind both of them, the words tasting bitter as they roll off my tongue. I wave my hand dismissively, the movement making my head momentarily feel like it’s spinning. “We’ve been playing house, knowing all along that this would eventually come to an end.”

“But it doesn’t have to,” Riley interjects, just before she’s cut off by the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, ladies . . .”

The three of us whip our heads to the side, the man from the bar walking over to the circular table as he stops at the empty side that is across from me. He’s between Riley and Nova and they’re both looking at him with curiosity.

“Thank you for the drinks,” I tell him, a smile lifting my lips as Nova lifts her drink to her mouth, shaking her head at me in disapproval. She mutters something indistinguishable, her glazed eyes finding mine.

“It’s not every night an attractive man in a suit pays for our drinks,” Riley chimes in. Her speech is slurred, but she tries to hold it together.

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