In the back of my mind, I hear my dad telling me it’s magic, and I’m not supposed to understand. I wish I knew. Is it the magic that my dad and brothers go on about all the time? Or is it the fact that Wren is amazing and her little girl is too? I like spending time with them, and when I’m not with them, I want to be.
“You may kiss the bride,” my dad tells Conrad.
I watch as my brother lays one hand on Aspen’s belly and the other cradles her cheek. He whispers something to her that has both Aspen and my dad smiling. Then, he kisses her. It’s nothing over the top, but it’s slow and intimate, and even though I know that I should look away, I can’t. I’m frozen still as I realize that I want what he has, what they all have. Pulling out of my fog, I glance over at Wren as she wipes a tear from her eye.
I want what my brothers have, and I want it with Wren.
Everyone stands and claps, and I join them, even though my life in the last five seconds has changed. I go through the motions, but all I can think about is that my brothers, and my dad, they might not be crazy after all.
The magic might be real.
What other explanation is there for what I feel for Wren and Madeline?
“Are you okay?” Wren asks me.
“Yeah, baby.” I pull her into my side and press my lips to her temple. “I’m good,” I assure her. It might not be the complete truth, but I will be. Once I process this new development, I will be.
Today was a great day. I didn’t expect to be attending my brother’s wedding, but it was perfect for Conrad and Aspen. I’m happy for them. Hell, I’m happy for all of my brothers. I glance over to the passenger seat and my mouth tilts in a smile. I’m glad Wren and Madeline chose today to be here. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her to stay at my place tonight. I have this urge to just… hold her. Fuck, I’ve imagined holding her in my arms all night long so many times.
I’m trying not to rush her. I know she’s been through so much the past few years, and I kind of just pushed myself into her life. She’s not casual. I’ve known that from the beginning. The more time we spend together, I don’t want her to be casual. I want her to be more.
She is more.
“I’ll walk you up,” I tell her when I park my SUV in front of her building.
“Thank you.” She doesn’t argue with me. She’s learned that on this, she will not win. I hate that she’s living here, sleeping on the couch, and with no damn elevator. I need to figure out a way to get her out of here. It’s not terrible, it’s in a decent neighborhood, but she deserves better. They both do.
“I’m going to put her to bed,” she says softly, lifting Madeline out of her car seat once we’re inside her apartment.
I nod. “Need some help?”
“No. I’m good. Thank you.” She smiles and disappears into Madeline’s room.
I take a seat on the couch, which is also her bed. Anger bubbles inside me. Life isn’t fair. This amazing woman and her daughter have been through so much, and this is what they have to deal with. I hate that I can fix this for her, but she won’t let me. I hope that the plan that my brothers and I have in place works. I need it to work.
“What’s wrong?” Wren asks, she’s standing in front of where I’m sitting on the couch.
“Nothing.”
“This…” she reaches out and runs her thumb over my forehead, “tells me that’s not true.”
“I was missing you,” I tell her, pulling her onto my lap.
“I was gone a couple of minutes at best.”
“Too long.” I smile at her. My hand slides behind her neck so I can pull her lips to mine. We start slow, tentative at first. When I feel her body relax into mine, I take the kiss deeper. My tongue pushes past her lips, and she meets my efforts stroke for stroke. Turning, I lie back on the couch with her resting on top of me. “This okay?” I murmur against her lips.
“More than okay,” she says, fusing her lips to mine once again.
I lose track of time as our hands are all over each other. I can’t seem to get enough of her. For every new curve my hands caress, I need more. She seems to have the same problem as her hands roam. I kiss down her neck, and she moans, grinding against my cock.
Fuck me.
I want her. I’m hard as steel, and the way she’s grinding against me, tells me she’s wet. I can only imagine sliding inside her heat. I need to win her heart first. I freeze as the thought filters through my mind. Holy shit. Wren is magic.