Page 123 of Attached At Heart
It was also the day I decided I couldn’t survive watching Delaney be engaged to Austin Long.
That was why I’d called Noah that day—to tell him I’d already lined up a job interview in Boston.
“This is ridiculous. I bet the two of you get nothing done. This definitely shouldn’t be allowed.” Noah tapped on the sign, still stuck on it even after Natalie had greetedthe Briggsesand introduced herself.
This was her first time meeting both of them. Noah had invited both our family and the Briggs family to share a suite at his playoff game last season, but Natalie hadn’t been able to attend because of work. I was there but hadn’t spent a lot of time with Julian and Juniper, too busy trying to get Theo to behave around the rest of the Briggs sisters so he didn’t get any bones broken by Gemma’s brother. Julian might be smiling right now, but his eyes had shot daggers that day, his normally pale skin flushing red as he did.
“Nah,” Julian replied, ignoring Cameron coughing his agreement with Noah beneath his breath. “It’s all very above board. Nothing like when you moved my sister in with you and didn’t tell me for three fucking months.”
Noah crossed his arms over his chest. “Are we not over this? I thought we were over this.”
“We’re over it,” Juniper pressed, patting Julian’s arm to placate him. “Considering how happy Gems is, right?”
Juniper glanced at her husband, and he caught her chin with two fingers, tipping it up. Juniper’s lips curved, and suddenly, we were in the middle of an intimate moment no one had invited us to. At least until Noah grunted, “Damn right. Also, if you get to marry your sister’s best friend, then she gets to marry me. We’re even, Jules.”
Julian’s brows shot way up—probably because this was the first time Noah had mentioned marrying Gemma in front of him. Or maybe at all. He’d definitely hinted at it but had never stated it so outwardly.
“I’d say so,” I cut in before anything else unraveled. “Glad to see everyone is one big, happy family now.”
Julian jerked out of the trance that Noah’s announcement had momentarily put him in and looked directly at me. “Speaking of happy families, I heard you recently tied the knot. Congratulations, man.” He beamed, clapping me on the shoulder.
“Thank you.” I couldn’t help but grin back. “It’s been a whirlwind of a month, but it’s been amazing.”
“Love to hear that,” Julian said genuinely before his eyes darted to Cameron. “Well, I’ll let Cam take it from here. You’re in great hands, Natalie.”
My sister blushed at Julian’s words.
Again.
Then she cleared her throat. “I’m sure I am.”
Cameron nodded. He ran a hand over his buzzed hair before he unbuttoned his suit jacket like he was suddenly hot. It looked like an expensive suit; the stitching and cut were precise, and the tan color perfectly complemented his light brown skin. If I ever got a chance to marry Delaney again—for real, this time—I might have to ask Cameron where he got his suits. “We’ll get this ex sorted out in no time,” he said. “I can promise you that, Dr. London.”
Cameron’s respect for her title did not go unnoticed by Natalie, who looked more warmly at the lawyer than I’d seen her look at any man recently. It was still slight, masked by her usual guarded expression, but it was something. And I knew Noah noticed it, too.
“Looking forward to it,” Natalie murmured before we waved our goodbyes tothe Briggsesand followed Cameron down the hallway to his office.
I hoped he was serious about his promise. Because there was no way in hell that Nat’s ex-husband deserved what he wasasking for in terms of Chloe’s custody. And Nat needed a lawyer who’d make sure this man regretted everything he’d done to my sister.
I walked through the door to our apartment after we’d finished up at the law firm, feeling more settled about having a plan for Natalie and also feeling ready to make good on what my sister told me to do in regard to my marriage.
I was going to ask Delaney out on a date. Tonight. Right now.
But then I saw her, and I stopped dead in my tracks.
She sat cross-legged on the couch, leaning forward over the coffee table, which she had pulled as close to the edge of the cushions as possible. Spread across the table were five hundred scattered puzzle pieces. Delaney chewed on her lip as she tried to find where one of the pieces fit. Her face was pale, nearly translucent. Her eyes, red.
My stomach turned. I walked on wooden legs toward her, dropping my keys and phone on the kitchen countertop.
She didn’t look up when I approached.
“What’s wrong, Lane?”
A single tear ran down her cheek. She bit down on her lip harder. Then, she tapped the puzzle piece on the table repeatedly, staring at the picture on the lid of the box as though it would magically jump out at her where the piece fit.
I crouched next to the table, willing her to look at me.
She didn’t. But she sighed.
