Page 63 of Spreading Her Wings

“The beginning.”

We took mirrored breaths and gulps of our wine, and I tucked my legs up underneath me. “Okay, so he came over to fix my dryer,” I started, noticing the way she stiffened before forcing herself to relax her shoulders. “I owed him a favor.”

I giggled, telling her between gulps of wine that I had pretended to be Auston’s girlfriend for one night. “When I had a bad day, he came over and brought me pizza. He remembered all of my favorite things, as if we hadn’t picked at each other for the last decade. Things just… got kind of carried away, and at some point fake stopped feeling so fake.”

She stared at me in silence, wearing an expression I couldn’t define. It looked like she was relieved and angry at the same time, and part of me wanted to hug her while the other part was glad she didn’t have great aim if she were to punch me.

“I didn’t mean to fall in love with your brother,” I whispered as tears burst from my eyes, soaking my cheeks. “Especially not without telling you. I’m really sorry if I hurt you.” I would never want to hurt my best friend, and even as disappointment filled her eyes, the guilt lifted from my shoulders now that she knew.

“So you’re, like, actuallyreallyin love with him, then?” She swirled the last gulp of wine nervously in her glass.

I nodded, smiling when I thought about him walking through the door later. I thought about him walking through that door every night and about him waking up in bed with me every morning. “I’mreallyin love with him.”

My hands trembled when I reached to place my glass on the table, leaning forward to take Andy’s. She didn’t fight it, handing me the glass, and she didn’t stiffen when I leaned against her and wrapped my arms around her. “Andy, I’m really sorry.”

“I know. I can forgive you, but just not right now. I’m really upset you hid this from me.” She kissed the top of my head, unfolding her legs, and I sat up so she could get off the couch. “I just had to hear the truth from you too.”

Had Auston already told her the story? I chewed nervously at the inside of my cheek, wincing when I tore a piece of the skin. She hovered in the entryway, close enough to reach the handle on the door but far enough away that she’d have to stretch a little to do so.

“Just so you know, he loves you too,” she said, taking the last step and pulling the door open. “I don’t know how I feel about it, but I know you can’t always control who you fall in love with.”

My chest fluttered, and I tried to hold back a grin. “I know.” Andy nodded, waiting a second before taking the last step over the threshold. Before she could close the door behind her, I hollered, “Andy, wait!”

She hesitated, pausing but not stepping back inside. I jumped up from the couch and hurried to the door, throwing myarms around her. Andy didn’t wrap her arms around me at first, but when she relaxed her stiffened back, I squeezed. Eventually, she looped her arms loosely around me with a gentle hold.

“I’ve never loved anyone or been loved by anyone the way I am with Auston, but I really am sorry we hid it from you. I never wanted to hurt you.”

Andy nodded, stepping back from me and moving down the stairs. She got into the car in my driveway and drove off. Would she ever forgive us?Would she ever forgive me?

“Where do you think she used to wear this?” Katie asked, sliding out of June’s walk-in closet wearing a purple-and-red feathered hat that covered most of her face. Her giggle when she lifted the brim made my chest flutter and my shoulders settle with relief.

June had only died a little over a week ago, so I had expected her to be devastated by cleaning out the house. There had been plenty of tears packing up the kitchen, mostly when I carried her stand mixer out to Katie’s car. She said it would get used if she took it, and she didn’t want it to rust.

Cheryl and the twins cleaned out the living room and office, sending Katie and me to June’s bedroom to go through her closet. Since Katie had stepped into the space, she had tried on two pairs of heels she swore her aunt had never worn one time, a dress she called June’s man magnet, and now a gaudy purple-and-red hat that emphasized the blush in her cheeks. Even with the skin under her eyes still puffy from the tears, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen when she laughed.

“I don’t know, but I think you should take it home.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her, a smile tugging at my lips when she giggled again.

She tipped the floppy hat off to the side and shot a forced glare my way. “There’s no way I’m bringing this back to our house. I know that look in your eye.”

Our house.

I hadn’t thought about what it would mean for us to be married. I was at peace when I walked through her front door. If I was where she was, I was at home. For the last week, I’d lived in her house with her, but it was still alwaysherhouse.

Our house.

My chest fluttered, and she raised an eyebrow. “You’re staring…”

“It’s the hat. It’s unbelievably sexy.” I chuckled, stepping towards her. She squealed when I grabbed onto her hips and tugged her towards me. “If this weren’t your aunt’s bedroom, I’d fuck you silly wearing nothing but that hat.”

The blush in her cheeks spread to her neck, and I imagined it spread to her chest beneath her T-shirt too. I licked my lips, following the movement in her throat when she swallowed. Katie giggled.

“Okay, when you look at me likethat,I think maybe weshouldbring this hat home.” She winked, and I crashed my lips against hers, nearly knocking it from her head.

Katie rested one hand on the top of the hat, looping the other around the back of my neck. A sweet hum left her lips, and I held her closer. She stared at me, her dark-brown eyes glistening with need but tinted with shame, likely because she was so aroused in June’s bedroom.

Behind us, a throat cleared, and Katie spun around, the hat still wobbling on her head. The pink under her skin darkened to red. “There’s someone at the door for you, Auston,” Randy said with a chuckle and raised eyebrow.

“For me?” We looked at each other, and my stomach sank. Anybody who knew I was here would have called me unless it was an emergency. Why would anybody be looking for me?

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