Trade It All(44)
He thought back to how badly things had gone the first time Kenzi brought Dax home and said the same thing about him. Asher and Ian had been the classic asses they often were. They wouldn’t be like that to Willa, though. They already cared about her.
As they stepped onto the park grounds, he took Willa’s hand in his, and it felt like the most natural thing to do. Yes, the attraction was still there and pulsing between them, but there was also an easiness with her. He didn’t worry that she was after his money. She wasn’t using him for his connections. He could be himself with her, the man he was with his closest friends.
The day went too fast. They strolled through the booths learning about each other as they explored all forms of artwork. They marveled at the creative possibilities of blown glass, then laughed as they challenged each other to find the most offensive T-shirt in the place.
They were still laughing over one when they ran into two of his close friends. Thomas was a corporate lawyer who had married his high school sweetheart, Kathryn, right after college and now had two children under the age of five. Kathryn was a pediatrician and Thomas’s political polar opposite, but somehow it worked. Neil was a gifted pianist who, if the woman on his arm was anything to go by, was still dating women who looked exactly like Linda, the woman who’d broken his heart a few years earlier.
Introductions were quickly made and Thomas asked if Lance and Willa would join them. Willa seemed okay with the idea, so Lance said, “We’d love to.”
As they walked around the fair, Lance watched his two friends with their women. Thomas and Kathryn had a naturalness to their relationship. Even while they bickered, their respect and love for each other was clear.
In comparison, it was a little sad to watch Neil with . . . What did she say her name was? I guess it doesn’t matter as long as I don’t accidentally call her Linda.
He wondered if Neil was telling himself the same thing.
The day flowed into the six of them going to a casual dinner, which led to drinks at a terrace bar overlooking the Charles River. Lance loved watching Willa with his friends. She could debate everything from politics to what survival items everyone should have on hand in case of a zombie apocalypse. After a few drinks, her opinion became more heated, but, even while she was disagreeing with someone, she still had them smiling.
When Willa excused herself to go to the ladies’ room, Thomas said, “I like her.”
They’d all had a few too many drinks, evidenced by how the usually reserved Kathryn leaned toward Lance and said, “Me, too. You’ve been stuck on her since college. I hope you close the deal this time.”
Neil drank down a gulp of his beer. “If you love her, don’t let anything come between you. After you lose something like that, nothing and no one can ever compare.”
Love? I don’t . . . Lance barely had time to deny it to himself before the brunette beside Neil threw down her napkin, grabbed her purse and stood. “That’s just great.”
She stood there looking at Neil as if waiting for him to say something that would make her stay. He shrugged awkwardly. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
Hitching her purse on her shoulder, the woman raised her chin proudly and said, “The problem is, you did.” She walked away without another word.
Neil finished his beer in one swig. “I could go after her, but you know what, I don’t care enough to. That’s what I’m saying, Lance. When it’s wrong, it doesn’t matter. When it’s right, the thought of losing her hurts like having your testicles shoved into a blender.”
“That’s a disturbing image,” Lance said in an attempt to lighten the mood.
“Easy, Neil,” Thomas said with a nod toward the ladies’ room. “Willa’s coming back.”
Kathryn patted Neil’s back with sympathy. “Let’s get him home, Thomas.”
Thomas stood. “We shouldn’t have done the tequila shots. He can’t handle them.” He held out his hand to Neil. “Phone.”
Neil stood and made a face at Thomas. “I’m fine.”
Kathryn turned him around and took it out of the back pocket of his jeans. “You can sleep on our couch tonight, Neil, but we’ll hold onto this.”
Thomas added, “Friends don’t let friends drunk text anyone. Come on, buddy.”
Willa returned just in time for all of them to walk out of the bar together. After his friends left, Lance looked down at Willa and thought about what Neil had said. He understood how Neil felt more than he cared to admit.
Losing Willa a second time . . .
Right there on the street he pulled her to him and kissed her simply because he couldn’t hold back a moment longer. Her mouth opened eagerly to his, and her hands were in his hair while his ran boldly over her curves. He pulled back, gasping for air. She went to kiss him again, but he jerked his head away.