Page 25 of Never Going to Care

I won’t lie and say it didn’t hurt when she walked into the reception and straight into her brother’s arms. Am I jealous? Maybe a little bit, but I won’t admit it out loud. I know it’s her brother and I’m an ass for feeling that way, but, damn, I wanted her to come straight to me.

She’s been avoiding me all fucking night and I’m about at my damn limit. I know I’m attracting some looks from the guys I work with because I look like a rabid beast as I watch her. I can’t help it. I don’t have enough control to not look at her and not sweep her up into my arms to kiss her again. I can only do one of those things and since I get the feeling she wouldn’t want me kissing her in front of everyone, I have to be content with watching her.

“You shouldn’t keep hiding from her,” a deep voice says lowly next to me, and I almost shout but keep my reaction under wraps. It’s not every day someone is able to sneak up on me.

I look to my left to see Blake Higgins and Sebastian. Blake Higgins runs a security firm in Denver, and he needed help with something in our neck of the woods a few years ago. That case was how he met his wife and we’ve worked together on some other cases since then. It’s nice to know you can rely on someone else in another location if need be.

Sebastian used to work with us at SP, but I always got the sense it wasn’t the right place for him. Still, when he got the opportunity to move to Denver, he wrestled with the decision. I didn’t know it at the time because it wasn’t something he talked about, but he wasn’t sure about leaving his son.

Now, though, he’s in Denver and he met his wife while working a case. His son, Drake, now lives with him and Trix there. I’m glad they, along with the rest of their big family, were able to come and celebrate Landon’s wedding with us.

“He’s right, you know,” Sebastian adds when I’m quiet for too long.

I open my mouth to tell them I don’t know what they’re talking about, but they glance my way, and I can see in their eyes they won’t buy it. Maybe it’s an understanding of having found the women they’re meant to be with or something else. Maybe it doesn’t matter why they know or understand.

“I’m not hiding,” I go with instead.

“Sure,” Sebastian scoffs with a sly tilt at the corner of his lips.

“I’m not.” I let out a sigh. “I’m giving her some space.”

There’s an incredulous note in Blake’s voice, “Space?”

“Yup,” I pop the p. “I’m giving her space.” I lower my voice so only they can hear me. “I kissed her when the guys and I showed up at Piper’s bachelorette party.”

Both men smirk at me and chuckle. Blake takes a sip of his drink and nods slowly, his eyes tracking his wife, Margot, who grew up from a child actor into a Hollywood sweetheart with some bumps on the road in between. You can see how much he loves her by the look in his eyes.

“We’ve been known to show up where we aren’t supposed to from time to time,” there’s a note of pride in Blake’s voice.

Suddenly a woman loops her arm through mine on my other side and laughs. She snorts, “From time to time?” She shoots Blake and Sebastian a pointed look and both of them have the grace to look a little sheepish. She looks up at me, “Hi, Hale. You look very nice tonight and I’ve been noticing you watching the maid of honor all day today.”

I open my mouth, but a man steps up to the woman’s other side, a growl in his voice as he wraps an arm around her shoulder, “Did you just tell him he looks nice tonight?”

She lets out an exasperated huff and looks up at me expectantly. I can’t help but smile down at her. “It’s good to see you again, Amelia.” She beams up at me. “You look gorgeous as always and yes,” I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I’ve been watching Celeste. She’s mine.”

Her eyes light up, but the man’s voice interrupts her, full of warning but there’s no real heat behind it, “Amelia.”

“Beckett,” she growls back but she lets go of my arm and snuggles against his side and winks at me. She directs her question to me, “Does she know she’s yours?”

Sebastian teases, “How could she not? She’s had to feel his damn laser beam eyes pointed at her this entire time.”

Amelia giggles, but I just shrug one shoulder. I give a chin lift to Beckett which he returns, a smile on his face. They might play sometimes, and Beckett Banks is definitely a possessive man, but there is so much love between the two of them that it’s clear to see without any effort. He’s a tattoo artist in Denver and part of Blake and Sebastian’s cobbled together family.

“I’m giving her some space,” I explain again. “I don’t want to freak her out and I can already tell that she’s gonna run if I come on too hard.”

Amelia makes a humming sound. “Why would she run?”

I wince and begrudgingly admit, “I might not have made the best first impression.”

When I glance down at her it’s clear she’s fighting a laugh, but I know it’s not at my expense. Amelia’s just not that kind of person. She scrunches her nose up a little. “Did you snap at her?” My jaw clenches, telling her all she needs to know, and she sighs. “You Neanderthal men. There are a few ways it can go which I’ve seen so far, that first meet, you know?” She pats Beckett’s shoulder, and his eyes turn wary. “My husband,” she emphasizes the word, I’m not sure if it’s for him or for me, “also snapped at me the first time we met. It wasn’t a good look and he apologized almost immediately, but I had my own baggage which influenced my reaction.”

Beckett leans into and whispers, “I’ll be making it up to you for the rest of my life, Baby.”

Her voice is light, “Not necessary, as we’ve already covered, Beck.” She tips up on her tiptoes and kisses the underside of his jaw before looking at me again. “My point is that first impressions can be lasting, but they don’t have to indicate what happens after.”

“I had to lie to my woman while I was working a case,” Sebastian adds.

“Well,” Amelia announces brightly, “looks like you’re in good hands with the guys here.” She leans into me and whispers, “Maybe listen to Blake most of all.”

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