“Oliver.” The word croaked as it escaped me.
And it was that little croak that saved me in that moment.
Why was I running away from him at my friend’s wedding?
I wasn’t a naive nineteen-year-old anymore! And I no longer felt inferior to this man. Whoever he was now. Whoever he had been. I wasn’t sure I even knew.
Throwing my shoulders back, I smoothed my expression. “What are you doing here?”
“So we have met?” He stepped into my personal space, smiling curiously.
Renewed anger burst over me.
The bastard didn’t even remember me.
Okay. Take a breath and count to ten. Do not deck him and cause a scene at your best friend’s wedding.
“What’s going on?” Vaughn appeared, pushing Oliver out of my personal space. He stared at the man like he wanted to kill him.
The blonde stood at his back.
Well wasn’t this nice and confusing?
No.
It wasn’t confusing.
Determination flooded me.
This was a wake-up call.
“This is Oliver Spence.” I gestured to my ex.
Vaughn stared at me, bewildered. “I know. He’s a friend from New York.”
Oh my, what a small world. That was a first for me, sleeping with men who were friends. And the fact that Vaughn was friends with him said everything I needed to know about this man who had tried so hard to get under my skin these last few months, and almost succeeded.
“How do you know each other?” Vaughn demanded of his friend.
Oliver studied me, and his brow cleared. “Hartwell!” He threw his arms wide and hugged me.
I extricated myself immediately.
“Oh, Hartwell . . .” Understanding passed across his face. “No hard feelings?”
“None.” I shrugged. “I just don’t hug strange men.”
“Well, I’m hardly strange.” He winked at me.
I made a face. Was he always this irreverently annoying?
Vaughn stepped between us. “Wait, what is going on? How do you know him?”
This was the moment. This was the moment when Vaughn Tremaine would finally get that I would never fall for his smoldering, longing looks again. “Oliver is the one I told you about. The asshole summer boy who told me he loved me when he didn’t.”
My revelation stunned Vaughn into silence, and I walked away, satisfied.
“That sounds like hard feelings to me!” Spence called after me.