The Favor

Blue never sought company, though. Unless it was Dane. She adored him and constantly rubbed herself all over him. She had purred for me, though. A little. Once.

Wyatt looked up from the armchair. “Hey, honey. Damn, you look rough.”

I gave him a dirty look. “And you no longer look crimson at the sight of all the lingerie,” I whispered, conscious of Junior, despite him wearing headphones while playing on his tablet on the sofa.

Wyatt glowered. “Hanna could have warned me.”

Melinda snickered and raised her brows at me. “Coffee? Tea?”

I flapped my hand. “I’m good, thanks.” Honestly, my stomach still felt a little queasy from the hangover.

Melinda gestured for me to follow her through the arch that led to the dining area and urged me to sit at the table. She crossed to her computer desk and rifled through one of the drawers. She pulled out a small, white box and then turned to me. “So, I called you here because … I was going to give you this on Monday evening, but I thought it would be better if we were alone.”

Intrigued, I sat up straighter. “Okay.”

She took the seat beside me at the table. “I know you have your old, new, borrowed, and blue covered, but … well, I was hoping you’d maybe still clip this to your bouquet for the reception, or maybe clip it to your clutch.”

“What is it?”

“See for yourself.”

I took the box from her and carefully pulled off the lid. My lips parted. Inside was a large safety-pin on which four small charms had been hooked—a sixpence, a horseshoe, a blue heart, and a photo frame that featured a picture of Simon holding me when I was a baby.

Feeling my throat thicken, I looked at her. “Melinda … thank you.”

“I was inspired by something my friend did for her daughter.” She bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry that I’ve been a little stiff with Dane since Travis told me about the trust fund. I just … I was so afraid of you getting hurt, and I made the whole thing about me. I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry. I’ve been watching you two together and … he loves you, Vienna. It’s in everything he says and does for you. That’s what’s important.”

He loves you, Vienna. How I wished that were true. Keeping my smile on my face by sheer force of will, I closed the box and said, “Thank you. I’ll most definitely clip it to my bouquet. Did Simon give you the picture of us?”

She nodded. “He thought the safety pin was a great idea. He’s really looking forward to the reception. Are the plans for it still going well?”

“Yep. I couldn’t have done it without Chris and Miley, though. I’m glad Dane hired them.”

“They are very good at—” She cut off when Wyatt yelled at the TV—or, more precisely, at the football players on the screen. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Melinda muttered. “Wyatt, can you keep it down?”

Wyatt leaned around his chair to scowl at her through the arch. “Can’t a man watch a game in peace anymore?” he griped.

Melinda rolled her eyes. “It won’t kill you to lower the volume and stop yelling.”

Just then, the front door opened. And since only one other person had a front door key to their house, it was no surprise when Heather breezed into the living room. But the sight of Owen trailing behind her? Yeah, that was new.

Heather said a brief hello to Junior, who gave her a quick wave and went back to his tablet.

Wyatt, looking kind of puzzled by my ex’s presence, flicked a concerned look at me. I hadn’t told my foster parents about what an ass the guy had been since I’d first begun “dating” Dane, but they did know how Owen had broken our engagement all those years ago.

Melinda’s brow furrowed. “Owen, is that you?”

He smiled. “It’s me. How are you?”

“I’m well, thanks,” she told him, casting me a brief worried glance.

His gaze cut to me. “Hi, Vee.”

Heather puffed out a breath. “I didn’t realize you were here, Vienna. Well, this is awkward. Then again, it’s probably best that you hear it from us anyway.” She briefly glanced at Junior, who still had his headphones on and was tapping the screen of his tablet like crazy. “Um, Owen and I are dating now,” she told me.

Melinda stiffened. Wyatt cursed beneath his breath. And I knew they’d both toss him out of the house if I gave them the slightest indication that I wanted him gone. Pfft. Like I’d give either Heather or Owen that satisfaction.

I smiled at her. “Good.”

She stared at me for a long moment. “Good?”

“Well, I was hoping there’d come a day when you’d date a guy who wasn’t taken,” I said. “That day has finally arrived.”

She blinked. “It … really doesn’t bother you?”