Page 50 of The Bridesmaid (Brides of Beaufort 3)

I pursed my lips. “Ouch.”

“Yeah. Anyway, don’t say anything about Beau.”

I zipped my lips with an imaginary key and then threw it away, and she rewarded me with a blinding smile. It was the kind of smile that made a guy willing to promise anything just for the chance to see it again. Man, she was gorgeous.

Layla waved at Lyndi over by the bar, then she tugged on my arm. “Come on, let’s go hang with them.”

She led me through the crowded reception area, nodding and smiling at a few people as we went. I may have been gone for three years, but I’d spent enough time in this town with these people to see more than a few faces I recognized. Then again, I was great at faces.

“Hey, everybody chill out,” Will said we approached the group. “PMO’s on scene.”

“Hilarious,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“He’s not here to arrest anybody,” Layla said with a laugh, squeezing my hand. She probably remembered this kind of thing was common whenever I showed up to a party, and she was always great at navigating the frequent digs. “He’s my date.”

“Date, huh?” Paul asked, quirking a brow. “I’m surprised he didn’t skip all that and propose.”

Layla and I shared a look. Clearly, I hadn’t been the only one to wrongfully assume we could pick up where we left off and judging by her expression—and the matching ones Aria, Shelby, and Lyndi wore—I was starting to think it was a guy thing.

“Nah, not yet,” I said, giving her a wink. “But we’ll get there.”

She shook her head and pointed a finger at me. “Let’s see how dating goes first.”

“Well, I’m happy for you guys,” Lyndi said, coming over and giving me a hug.

I returned her hug, surprised. “You are? I would’ve thought I’d need to win you over.”

“Eh, we’re not really like that around here. Layla’s a big girl. If she wants to be with you and work through your issues, who are we to be all grumpy about it?”

Paul and Will snickered, looking pointedly at me, and I bowed my head. Yeah, message received. The girls might be cool with trusting their friend and giving me another chance simply because she was cool with it, but these guys had their eye on me. I’d be the same way if I were them, so I understood completely.

Even so, Will ordered a beer for himself and then turned to me. “You ready for that beer yet?”

“Almost,” I replied, bumping Layla with my arm. “I gotta dance with my girl first.”