Page 60 of Catch and Release Groom

After a minute or two, Lexi straightened and wiped tears from her eyes. “Lawd, I didn’t think Addison Murphy was afraid of anything.”

Addie launched a deadly glare at Lexi. “Yeah, and if anyone in town discovers my secret, just know I’ll be comin’ for you.”

“Good. Then together we can hunt down whoever narc’d.” Lexi strode up to Imogen and linked elbows as though they’d done it a million times. “Bless you for that. I didn’t think I’d laugh again, and I needed the reminder that I can and I will, even in the midst of sorrow.”

The blonde directed her beauty-queen smile outward. “Look at what I have to celebrate tonight. Dear friends to share both the ups and the downs, as well as a new friend who Easton’s miraculously allowed us to meet.”

Imogen caught his gaze, and he shrugged a shoulder and gifted her with a sappy grin. She didn’t have time to pull out her phone and capture it—and he’d go all grumpy-old-man if she did—but she did take a mental screenshot for later.

“On top of that,” Lexi said, lightly bumping her hip to Imogen’s, “we spotted a giant gator and lived to tell the tale.”

Embarrassment heated her cheeks, but she recognized the good-natured teasing for what it was—evidently it was how Easton and his friends conveyed affection, and hope bubbled within her, so tempting with its empty promises. “Yeah, and I have a personal bodyguard who jumps, like, boats and rivers and shit to protect me.”

“I noticed that, too,” Lexi said with a pat. Then she reached out that arm and linked it through Violet’s, forming a three-person chain and traipsing them back toward the houseboat.

Imogen cast a quick glance over her shoulder, checking that Easton was okay and thattheywere okay.

Her breath caught at the passion in his eyes and the adoration in his features—he was looking at her the way she’d always dreamed the person she fell wildly in love with would.

For a while, she’d done her best to convince herself it didn’t exist.

But there it was, exactly what she’d been missing.

It seemed like a cruel joke that when tomorrow evening came, she’d have to bring herself to leave it behind.

…

Halfway to the houseboat, Addie placed a hand on Easton’s chest and held him back a few paces. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Seriously, dude? I should’ve made a bet who’d be first to pry for more details, you or Ford.” Easton jerked his head at the retreating profiles of the rest of the group, smug as he rubbed it in. “Ford won, by the way.”

“Or did he lose because he probed you first?”

“No one mentioned anything about probing,” Easton said with a snicker.

“Deflecting,” Murph retorted, much like Lexi had the first time he’d uttered a word about Imogen.

“I’ll tell you the same thing I told the rest of the guys. She and I started out as an arrangement that became a little more. But we live completely different lives, half a country apart, so it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters. This is the happiest I’ve seen you inmonths, Easton. So it really fucking matters.”

For the third time tonight, his throat constricted. While he’d acknowledged he and his friends needed to get more comfortable discussing the uncomfortable, he detoured on instinct, desperately trying to avoid a crash. “Tonight was supposed to be just a fun way to say goodbye. Then things turned super serious, and now I’m remembering why I don’t do relationships, even if that’s anything she would potentially want.”

“Well, only you can decide how those pros and cons shake out.” Murph’s eyes locked on his. “But it’s a waste of time. Because even if you end up with only one item in the Pro Column, and it’s that she’s the right person for you, there aren’t enough cons in the world to surpass that.”

“It’s too soon to know, and we don’t have the time or space to decide.” Pressure built within his chest, seeking a way out. “That’sifwe didn’t already scare her off.” He took a step, only for Murph to bar his path again.

“She’s still here,” Murph pointed out. “That says it all.”

Easton adopted a pensive expression. “You’re right, it does.” He clapped Murph on the shoulder as they renewed their walk to the houseboat. “It says that I drove her here and she doesn’t have another ride.”

Addie backhanded him in the chest, shaking her head as their footsteps echoed against the wooden planks. “If you wanna run scared or wait till it’s too late, that’s your choice. As your friend, I’m just obligated to point out that’s what you’d be doing. And that you might not get another opportunity.”

As they settled at the poker table and continued their game, Easton observed every interaction with Imogen and the dynamic between her and his friends with a new lens. While also allowing himself to contemplate what it’d be like if he hadn’t given up on romantic relationships…

If each exchanged glance held a promise of the present momentandthe future.

If the affection pumping through him was due to lust or the other L-word he couldn’t bring himself to finish. Not yet.

---