Wright Rival (Wright)

My eyes rounded in shock. He was going to go along with this?

Abuelita preened under his attention and put her hand on his. “Isn’t that sweet of you?” Abuelita looked back up at me with a wink. “Find yourself one of these.”

I shook my head as Hollin escorted my grandmother down the aisle. And they were actually flirting. Jesus Christ, strike me down for taking your name in vain inside your house, but who was this man? Hollin Abbey was acting distinctly like a gentleman, and I didn’t know what to think of it. It was quite unfathomable.

Abuelita sat down with a wide grin on her face. I hadn’t seen her look like that since Peyton had moved home. What kind of magic had he worked on my poor grandmother?

My hackles immediately came up. “What are you doing?”

He raised his eyebrows. As if he were innocent. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” I grumbled. Abuelita grinned toothily at the both of us. “Just leave us alone.”

“Piper,” Abuelita gasped. “Where are your manners?”

I straightened further, resigned to the fact that I could say nothing against Hollin while my grandmother sat there. Nothing at all. Abuelita was right anyway. Hollin wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was anticipating him doing something or having a motive that I couldn’t yet see.

Finally, I shot him a rare smile. “Thank you.”

He looked taken aback for a split second before grinning down at me. “Anytime, Medina. Anytime.”

He tipped his head at my grandmother again and then returned to his family. Campbell was sitting next to him. Wasn’t he on tour?

I didn’t have a chance to find out as piano music filled the atrium, signaling for everyone to return to their seat for the service to begin. I sat between Abuelita and my mother. Mom shot me a questioning look as soon as I sat down, but thankfully, I wouldn’t have to answer that until later. Hopefully much later. Or never.

When the service ended, I helped Abuelita back out into the narthex, where she immediately began to gossip with all of her friends. We wouldn’t move her from there for another half hour. I stepped out of the cross fire inside and outside, where it had begun to drizzle. There was possible snow on the radar for tonight. A late snowstorm always swept through Lubbock in March, blanketing everything just enough to be annoying. I was hoping it wouldn’t happen this year. But the rain was making me reconsider. Maybe I’d stop at the store on the way home for provisions just to be safe.

“So,” Hollin said at my back.

I raised my eyes to the heavens and sighed. “What?”

“Nina is nice.”

“Mi abuelita is the best of us,” I said automatically.

She was the strongest and bravest and the best cook. She was my entire childhood, wrapped up in one teeny package. She was only four foot nine, and we used to have a holiday when any of us got taller than her. We’d celebrate while she reminded us that she was still the smartest of us all. She’d looked utterly ridiculous on Hollin’s arm, considering he was easily six and a half feet tall.

“Surprised you were missing your other half,” he teased.

“Peter?” I asked in confusion.

My twin had somehow weaseled his way out of church this morning. Jerk.

Hollin laughed. “I was thinking Bradley, but yeah, it’s weird that Peter isn’t here either.”

“Oh.” I glanced down at the spattering of rain on the concrete. “We broke up.”

“Good,” Hollin said, hunger in his voice.

My chin jerked back up at his tone. “Good?”

“Yeah. You were way too good for him.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You do know that you’re supposed to show sympathy, right?”

“For what? A guy you were over before it ended?”

My glare faltered at his words. He wasn’t wrong. I had been over him. He wasn’t the only person who had noticed. But still, I hadn’t expected him to. “Don’t act like you know me.”

“Of course not, Pipes.”

“That’s my family’s nickname for me. You can’t call me that.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not family.”

He raised his hands in defense, but I could only see the predator scrawled on his face. He liked when I got defensive. He liked working my anger out of me. I needed to calm down, but he made it so goddamn hard.

“What do you want, Hollin?” I demanded now that no one else was around to admonish me for my tone. “You’re here, bothering me. I didn’t ask for this. I’ve had a very long weekend. So, get to your point.”

“My point can’t just be this?” he asked.

“No,” I snapped.

He laughed casually. “All right. Well, I’m glad that you and Bradley broke up. That makes this easier.”

I furrowed my brow as he pulled a lanyard from his pocket. “What’s that?”

“Campbell got me a bunch of backstage passes and the Owner’s Club for his Dallas show next weekend. Want to go?”