Page 15 of Pinky Promises

“Or…we could go together as each other’s dates. Humor me with a beautiful woman on my arm.” I wink, and she blushes. “Come on, it’s not like we’re going to be together all night joined at the hip anyway.”

“Touché, Murphy.” She smiles and holds her hand out. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a date, mister.”Bingo.

I look at her hand.Seriously? She wants to shake hands? Instead of shaking her hand, I pull her into my chest and kiss the top of her head. I twist her in my arms and wrap my arm around her shoulders as we head back into the living room to join the rest of the gang.

I like having her this close to me, so when she attempts to put space between us on the couch cushion, I tug on her arm and pull her back to me. She doesn’t fight me, and no one seems to mention anything since they’re used to our typical behavior.

“Hey, where’s my niece? I was hoping for some baby snuggles.” Damnit, I should’ve snagged that baby the moment I got here. Even at a few months old, Olivia still has that new baby smell—it’s downright addicting.

“I just laid her down in the pack and play for a nap in Asher’s old room.” Hadley settles on Asher’s lap. “You better watch it, Cal. I might end up stealing that baby whisperer right next to you.”

“Hands off, she’s mine.” I wrap my arms around Brynn and hold her tightly, wishing she knew the extent of those two words—she’s mine.

“So, Cal, I’m glad you’re here,” Ben remarks from his end of the couch.

“Umm, thanks? I’m glad to be here, too?” I’m not sure where he’s going with this.

“Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it. Maritime is putting on a bachelor auction in a few weeks.” I nod, vaguely recalling Lexi mentioning this before. When she first brought it up, all I could think about was some sort of Magic Mike show, but I’ve since learned it’s more of a classy event. “The proceeds are all going towards a local breast cancer charity.” My breath hitches for a moment.

“Oh, that’s awesome.” I steady my voice to not give away the emotion those words invoke in me—breast cancer. The same disease that took my mom from me as a kid. My body must tense enough for Brynn to notice, though, because she places her hand over mine and runs her thumb back and forth in a reassuring matter.

Ben pauses, and I’m not really sure where he’s going with this and what that has to do with me.

“Right, so what Ben is trying to say is that one of our bachelors backed out, and weneedyou to be his replacement,” Lexi interrupts. There was a lick of desperation in her voice when she said the word “need.”

“Yeah, sure, of course. I’d be happy to.”What the hell am I even doing?

“Really? That was easy. Why were you so nervous?” Lexi laughs and slaps Ben’s chest with the back of her hand.

“Well, it’s for an important cause, so I’d be happy to help.” It doesn’t even click in my head till now that it’s an auction to raise money, forcing me to go on a date with a stranger. But I’d do it to raise funds for this cause.

“Fantastic.” She claps her hands together in excitement. “I will send you over all the details tomorrow.” Of course Lexi is focused on work the week of her wedding.

“Sounds good.” I give Brynn a reassuring smile when I see her staring at me from the corner of my eye.

“You know, that seems a little sexist. You should include bachelorettes too,” Hadley says, kind of out of character.

“Hey, don’t make me put a ring on your finger, missy,” Asher teases before kissing her intensely.

“God, they have the weirdest foreplay. I bet they sneak off at some point and bang.” Brynn rests her head on my shoulder and I rest mine on top of hers.

I chuckle. “Nah, you know that’s more Ben and Lexi’s MO.”

“So true.”

“You doing okay?” I whisper, not that anyone is paying attention to us at the moment. Both couples are deep in their own worlds.

Brynn nods. “Yeah, I’m good. The girls and I spent the morning talking it out, but more importantly, I feel better thanks to you. Thank you for last night.”

I kiss her temple. “Always, B.”

She goes quiet for a moment. “At first, when I realized I was single again, I wasn’t looking forward to the wedding, but now I’m excited.”

I have no control over the smile that takes over my face. “Me too.” Who knows what the night will have in store.

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