Coming Home For Her

“Carey never dates. I heard even Coach Riggs got shot down.” Peter is right about that.

“No, no, no. I think everyone at the school has slept with him. I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.” I don’t get the appeal. He’s not only a manwhore, he’s also kind of dumb. “Even a few of the students' moms.”

“Megan. Yeah, he got her too.”

“No!” I gasp. Not Miss Perfect PTA Mom. She’s married! Peter has all the juicy gossip.

“Riggs is not tight-lipped when it comes to his bed partners. He’s gunning for you.” Gross.

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“That’s what friends are for.” Friends. Now that I could definitely do with Peter.

I wish there were more between us, but you can’t force these things. You can want a person so much so that it aches to think of a life without them. Yet that doesn’t mean they would reciprocate those feelings. A lesson I myself had to learn recently when it came to Beau.

“How about you be Carey’s plus one to my wedding?” Oh crap. She must have read me wrong or she’s up to something. I make eyes at Angel, but she keeps going. “It’s not a date. A plus one.”

Peter glances over at me, waiting for me to respond. He’s such a gentleman. He’s not going to force it.

“Okay.” The fact that he’s not pushing for it has me agreeing. He could have jumped right in and snagged an invite, but he didn't. It doesn't hurt that he called me a friend too.

“You ladies want to dance?” Peter asks, taking a pull from his beer as Lady Gaga fills the air. The place is starting to fill up. “Practice for the wedding.” He makes a good point.

“Yes.” I hop down from my seat, not caring we’ll be the first on the dance floor. The couple of drinks I’ve had are already brushing away any shyness I might have. I’m not big on being the center of attention.

Usually knowing everyone will be watching us would keep me seated, but it’s my best friend's bachelorette party. We’re not only celebrating that but the fact that she’s back in Rocky Hill. So I push aside all of my reservations and head to the dance floor.

“Bathroom and then I’ll join you.” Angel winks at me, darting off.

“She’s a brat,” I tell Peter as we start to dance. He gives me a spin before we start to really move together. One dance bleeds into another, and more people join us on the dance floor. Angel makes her way back and joins in.

“We’ve been busted!” Angel suddenly shouts.

“Busted for what?” I laugh. My eyes drift over to the back corner where I know one of Logan’s men has planted himself. If there was a problem, he would have stepped in.

“Oh, right.” She gets a goofy grin on her face, and I know she’s feeling the buzz of the drinks we had.

“Are you talking about the pissed-off guy?” Peter asks over the music.

“I’m getting married!” Angel shouts. Everyone around us cheers on the dance floor.

I follow Peter’s line of sight to in fact see Logan, but my eyes don’t stay on him. They go to Beau and remain there as my mind tries to process what he’s doing here. Peter is right; he does indeed look pissed.

I sway on my feet. Peter wraps an arm around me, thinking I’m going to fall. I’m not. I might have had a few too many drinks, but I also get this light-headed rush of emotions when I see Beau. There is a cut over his eye, making him look more menacing than normal. The straight hard line of his jaw is set. Does the man ever smile?

“Hands off, asshole,” he barks. My head jerks around to check on Angel to see who’s touching her. But there is no one near her. She’s standing alone and seems to be daydreaming with little hearts dancing over her head as she stares at her soon-to-be husband. Gah, she’s so in love. I want that.

“Excuse me.” Peter pushes me behind him.

“You do not want to do that.” Beau’s voice rumbles across the dance floor. I poke my head out from behind Peter. The music cuts off.

“What’s happening?” Angel tries to get between Peter and her brother, but Logan pulls her into him. He drops a kiss onto her, ignoring the fight that is about to break out.

“Move.” Beau takes another step closer to Peter. I’m not sure what to do, but I know I definitely don’t want to be in between the two of them.

Beau has more than a couple inches on Peter. That’s saying a lot because if I had to guess Peter is about six feet tall. Not only that, Angel hadn’t been joking about the Superman thing. I can see how built he is with the clothing he has on tonight.