Elliot, Song of the Soulmate (Love Austen 5)

“My hands are quite all right.”

Wentworth paused and buckled him in. He didn’t meet Elliot’s eye. “Where’s Honey?”

Louisa fed Honey into the car and Wentworth settled the pup on Elliot’s lap.

“Hop in, we’ll drive you and Louisa to her car.”

Wentworth drew back and straightened. “No, thank you. We’re not far. I’m happy to walk. Louisa?”

Elliot caught her smile. “I’ll join you.”

The entire drive home, Elliot’s body tingled. Every place Wentworth had touched.

He might not particularly like him, but he still cared. He couldn’t bear to see Elliot hurt. His impulse to help was a reminder of how they once were. How protective of one another, how they would have done anything for each other. How deeply loving their relationship had been.

That door had firmly closed; Elliot had no expectation they’d ever pick up where they left off. But maybe . . . maybe there was hope for an understanding between them? For closure. Maybe when they parted again—and they would, in a couple more weeks—they could do so no longer carrying the pain of the past.

Friends might be asking too much, but forgiveness . . .

Elliot cradled the hope in his heart and petted Honey on the head, softly, oh so softly.

“What do you think, Elliot?” Cameron asked.

“Hmm?”

“Would Wentworth and Louisa make a good match?”

“I—I suppose it depends on your definition of good.”

“My definition of good,” Henry said, “Is seeing a beautiful man hiding out at his own party, conning him into dancing with me, and falling in love I daresay right away.”

Cameron stared fondly at Henry. “Not many people believe in love at first sight, Henry. Elliot might not believe anyone who falls so quickly can be so happy together.”

“No, I believe it,” Elliot murmured. “Hold on to it with all your hearts. It’s not something you ever want to lose.”

Ethan and Finley hosted brunch, Elliot and Noah sharing a car to Mansfield where they met a picnic by the river. They contemplated the seating plan for the wedding reception over waffles and the first of the season’s pears, then stripped to their swimming trunks and jumped into the cool water. Finley noticed Elliot’s limp on the way back out. “Kei te pehea koe?”

“Kei te pai.”

“Really?”

He found his towel and stretched himself out on it. “Noah drove us over, so the foot’s not bothering me much.”

Noah met Ethan and Finley’s curious eyes with a look and Elliot braced for an inquisition. “He didn’t say much about it in the car.”

Elliot didn’t. He couldn’t, really. He’d barely slept the night before trying to figure out what it meant now that Wentworth knew. He was tired. Confused.

“I was hiking around the hazel grove. I fell.”

Ethan hissed. “Dangerous up there.” He swivelled, showing off the scar at his hip. “Fell from the lookout.”

Finley tucked his head against his fiancé. “I’ll never forget.”

Elliot hummed. Yes, he wouldn’t forget either.

A lull in conversation followed, broken by Noah blowing out a long breath toward the speckled light coming through the canopy of leaves overhead. “How nonsensical is it to wish for a Josh Lucas in my life?”

“Josh Lucas? The guy the girl from Clueless falls for?”

“Played by Paul Rudd. He’s such a solid guy. Down to earth, clever, good humoured.”

“So . . . this is a blast from the past.”

Noah sighed. “Zachary made me watch a dozen romance classics the last week. He seems to believe building unreasonable expectations will help me get over my breakup.”

Elliot laughed. “Let me know if it helps.”

“You know, comparing the heroes to my ex . . . well, it does show up a few missing key qualities I’d prefer in a long-term commitment.”

“Like love?”

“Or even like.” Noah sighed. “Though I suppose every relationship has its challenges.”

“True that,” Finley said, trading a heavy glance with Ethan.

Elliot closed his eyes, recalling Wentworth’s fluctuating frustration and concern. His back thrummed where Wentworth had braced him. His foot twanged.

He sighed loudly, and three pairs of eyes turned to him.

“What’s that about, then?” Finley asked. “Wait, let me guess. It’s Wentworth related.”

“Ohhh, yes. The return of Wentworth.”

Elliot rolled his eyes at their nosy enthusiasm. “I should never have told you lot about him.”

A joke. In reality, he’d been thankful for his friends. They knew what he’d been through after he let Wentworth go. They’d seen him fail at every relationship since. They’d been there when his mum had died. Ethan and Finley, and later Noah, had become the foundations of his support system.

“Gonna explain or will we have to torture it out of you?” A friendly wink and the threatening lift of iced tea.

Laughter eased Elliot’s tension.

Ethan swooped in and saved him, stealing the bottle of tea. “Fin, I made that from scratch.”

Finley’s nose wrinkled. “I know. Two birds with one stone.”

They tussled for the bottle, and Ethan’s shirt went from white to a transparent orange. Finley eyed him, eyes dancing. “Now I wouldn’t mind drinking it.”