Page 193 of Rewind It Back

“Hey!” Hallie playfully cuts in.

“Don’t get me wrong. My house is beautiful and sold for way over the asking price, but this place? You outdid yourself, Hallie.”

She smiles proudly. “Well, thank you very much.”

“When do you hand over the keys?” I ask Wren.

“Tomorrow.” There’s an edge of sadness in her tone, but I know most of her is looking forward to moving home. “Cruz is in town to help me finish packing up the moving truck, and we’ll start the cross-country drive in the morning.”

“I’m going to miss you,” my girl says.

Wren’s expression turns a bit sorrowful as she looks at her former roommate. “I’m going to miss you too. You’ll come visit though, right?”

“Definitely. Rio and I are already looking for a good time that’ll work with his hockey schedule.”

“You’re welcome anytime,” Cruz cuts in. “You’re never going to get bad weather, regardless of the time of year. And our family’s property is pretty spacious. There’s plenty of room for you to stay.”

“You mean, forallof us to stay?” Ryan asks.

There’s a collective laugh among the group, though Cruz and Wren don’t pick up on it. And why would they? Who would expect Ryan fucking Shay to be a fanboy, but we’ve quickly come to learn that he’s a huge fan of the Wilder brothers.

“Absolutely,” Cruz says. “I’m pretty sure my brothers would freak the fuck out if Ryan Shay came to visit.”

“Let alone the whole town,” Wren adds.

Kennedy cuts in. “How close are you to San Francisco?”

“Not too far, but far enough that it doesn’t feel anything like a big city,” Wren explains.

“We live in a pretty small town,” Cruz adds. “But our family’s land is large enough that we each have our own slice of it. Soon, all four of us have our own homes there, but my brothers and I each have our own place in the city too so we don’t have to commute every day while we’re in season.”

“That sounds amazing,” Stevie says. “You all kind of live together, but separately.”

“Exactly.” Wren grins, turning to Hallie. “My house is the last to get built, so anytime you want to come decorate for me, you’re welcome.”

“I’d love that.”

“Do you need help getting anything into the moving truck?” Zee offers.

“Actually, yeah. That’d be great.” Cruz throws a thumb over his shoulder. “There are a few big items we could use some help lifting.”

All the guys move to head next door, but when I do the same, Ryan stops me. “Rio, it’s cool. You’re hosting a party. We’ll be right back.”

I narrow my eyes suspiciously. “Don’t do anything embarrassing, Shay. Wren is my friend. Please don’t go asking her a million questions about her brothers.”

He has the least innocent smile on his face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Ryan jogs off to join the rest of the group, and I turn to find Indy, who can’t stop laughing. “He sounds exactly like you when you’re busy fanboying over him.”

When the rest of the girls disperse, some chasing after their kids and others going for a drink refill, I take a seat, pulling Hallie onto my lap as the fire roars in front of us. The sun is starting to go down and the hanging bistro lights have just flipped on. It’s perfect.

“How’d it go with your mom?” she asks.

“Oh my God, Hal. You’re never going to believe this, but she and my uncle Mikey are together.”

“Well, of course they are, baby.” Hallie laughs, gesturing in their direction. “Look at them. Look at the way he looks at her. He’s totally in love with your mom.”

I wince before I school my expression, simply because it’s strange to think about my mother with someone. But then I note exactly what Hallie is talking about when I see the way Mikey looks over at her, watching her speak to someone. He watches her like she sets the sun.

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