Page 182 of The Holiday Clause
“Remember when she and Haven took us swimming in the bay and Dad flipped out?”
Another lost memory surfaced. “He could never control her when Haven was involved.”
“Those damn Wildes!”Soren mimicked their father’s voice, and they both laughed. “I think he was always threatened by Haven’s independence.”
“She made Mom brave.”
“Yeah. The more time they spent together the less she took Dad’s shit.”
Greyson grinned. “Wren’s tough like her mom.”
Soren met his stare. “So, you two are...”
“Yup.”
“And it’s...”
“Yup.”
“No going back now.”
“Nope.” Greyson didn’t want to go back. Only forward. “You okay with it? With me?”
His brother drew in a long breath. “It was always going to be you, Grey. We knew it when you were fifteen.”
“Yet you still tried.”
Soren shrugged. “Hey, if you weren’t going to act, I wasn’t going to let a fine piece of?—”
“I dare you to finish that statement.”
“Fair enough.” Soren held up his hands. “I’m happy for you. I’m happy for Wren.”
He wanted to ask if he was making a mistake. “Do you think we stole something from her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think we disrupted her life or messed with her destiny?”
“It’s Wren, Greyson. She was never leaving Hideaway Harbor or Bodhi.”
“I know, but... What if she was meant for someone else? Someone better.”
“You’ve loved that girl since we were kids. There isn’t anyone who could love her more than you will.”
That’s not what he said the other day. “What if I’m like him?”
“What if you’re not?”
“But what if I am?”
“You’re not, Greyson. None of us are. We might have his name and features, but he wasn’t around enough for us to pick up his shitty traits. We choose who we are. Besides, you’re out of your mind if you think you could ignore Wren the way Dad ignored Mom. You’re totally whipped.”
Greyson scowled. “I am not.”
“Oh, please. You’ve been mooning over her for two decades. Disappear to the North Sea all you want. You’ll still come running back at the slightest finger wave.”
“Fuck off. I came home for holidays.”
