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thirteen

MIRA

Something’s up with Griffin. He’s quiet on the ride to the restaurant, and I don’t miss the frown lines marring his brow. I want to ask him what’s wrong, but I don’t quite know how to be in our relationship since we got drunk and married. Since he told me he wants to stay married.

Squirming in my seat, I steal glances at him, my stomach twisting.

Griffin played an aggressive game tonight.

I’ve never seen him throw so many hits, and even though fights and getting slammed into the boards are a part of the game I grew up watching, I’m surprised by how much it bothered me when it was Griffin taking the hit.

Griffin is my friend. It’s natural to be worried about him.

But this went beyond a friendly worry. Which is completely illogical because this marriage is a sham.

I agreed to Griffin’s six-month stipulation because the alternative was unthinkable, but that doesn’t make this a real marriage.

Neither do a few mind-blowing orgasms or waking up in his arms each morning, despite falling asleep as far away from him as I can get on his king-size mattress.

So why am I so worried?

I’m lost in my thoughts when Griffin pulls up to the valet and helps me out of his car.

“You look beautiful tonight,” Griffin murmurs lowly, his hand lingering on mine. “I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry.”

My gaze shifts to meet his, my cheeks heating. “I’m just wearing jeans and a jersey.”

His eyes smolder, and so do my panties. “You always look beautiful, wifey. But next time, I want you wearing my name on your back.”

“Griffin,” I hiss, scanning the surrounding area to make sure no one overheard him.

My temporary husband sighs deeply, and for a moment, he looks so tired . Tired or frustrated? Whatever it is, he takes a step back, and I immediately miss his warmth. Which is stupid. “No one heard me, Mir. Don’t worry. You won’t be forced to claim me.”

Fuck. The way he says those words has my stomach twisting. “I didn’t mean?—”

“Let’s head inside,” he says gruffly, cutting me off. His palm hovers over the small of my back. “It’s cold and you’re not dressed very warmly.”

“I’m fine.” I try not to shiver.

“Just humor me, Mira. For once, don’t fight me on every little thing.”

That makes my hackles rise. “I don’t fight you on every little thing.”

Griffin cocks one eyebrow.

Okay. Maybe I’ve been fighting him on every little thing since Vegas, but can he really blame me? He has backed me into a corner, turned my life upside down, and I feel like I have a bad case of emotional vertigo.

“Whatever,” I mumble, letting him lead me into the restaurant. He tells the hostess who we’re meeting, and I’m hyper aware of his palm against my spine. At least, until the hostess ushers us into a private room where we see Isla, Lexi, and the guys, and then Griffin drops his hand.

It’s what I want. I’ve asked him to keep this agreement between us a secret, but my insides still lurch when he takes a step away from me.

Get your shit together, Mira.

Luckily, I don’t have long to dwell on my roller-coaster emotions, because we’re soon enveloped in hugs and easy conversation. Isla’s best friends, Jess and Nevaeh, join us a few minutes later, and our server produces several bottles of expensive champagne.

When we’re all halfway through the appetizers and everyone is on their second glass of bubbly, Isla’s best friends are regaling everyone with the story of how they bid on my brother at the Rogues’ online date auction.

I crack up when Isla describes the truly awful dinner she shared with Maddox and scold my brother for almost running off my future sister-in-law.

I love hearing their stories. I wish I’d been around for more of them, but I’m here now.

No more missing important moments in my big brother’s life.

I’m back in the Twin Cities, I’ve made amazing new friends, and a year from now, when we’re all sitting around reminiscing, I’ll have been present for all of those stories.

“Oh my god,” Jess says, grabbing Isla’s wrist with wide, amused eyes. “Do you remember at the silent auction dinner when that girl was telling Griffin about all the kinky shit she was into?”

My back stiffens, my heart lurches, and Griffin’s attention swings to me.

“Ew.” Isla’s freckle-covered nose crinkles. “I do. What was her name? Some weird food.”

Griffin shifts uncomfortably in his seat beside me. “We don’t need to talk about thi?—”

“Quinoa,” Nevaeh nearly shouts. She shakes her dark curls. “I’ll never forget that name. Who the hell names their kid after a grain?”

Everyone at the table laughs. Everyone except for Griffin and me.

Isla’s blue eyes glitter with amusement. “That’s right. As I recall, she went into great detail about her favorite butt plug.” She turns her attention to Griffin. “You were so bummed that she left without giving you her number. You two had plans .”

Isla’s laughter sounds muddy and far away as something ugly and uncomfortable bubbles up inside of me and my ears ring.

Griffin clears his throat. “I was drunk. I don’t remember anything about that. Can we please change the subject?”

“Oh, come on,” Jess teases. “You looked like someone kicked your puppy. I wonder what would have happened if you’d gotten her number.

Maybe she was your soulmate. You could have been celebrating your own engagement tonight and picking your future baby names.

There’d be little Barley and baby Farro… ”

Jess trails off in a fit of giggles and everyone else joins in. Griffin shifts in his seat. He’s got a fake smile plastered on his face and he won’t meet my eyes.

“Ha-ha,” he forces out. “But like I said, I don’t remember her, and she certainly wasn’t my soulmate. Let’s talk about something else.”

Sebastian eyes Griffin thoughtfully for a moment before changing the subject.

Thank god.

“Have you two made any wedding plans yet?” Sebastian asks Isla and Maddox, glancing back at Griffin and frowning when he sees his friend glaring at the table in front of him.

Despite the acidic taste of bile in my mouth from Jess’s story about Griffin and the confusing cocktail of jealousy, disgust, and the knowledge that I shouldn’t actually care, because Griffin is my husband in name only, I still want to reach over and grab his hand.

And if we were alone, I would. But there are too many sets of eyes at this table, including my brother’s, who’s regarding his best friend with a frown.

So I do the next best thing. I press the side of my foot against Griffin’s beneath the table.

He sucks in a breath and peeks at me cautiously, pressing his full lips into a thin line as pink stains his cheeks.

Under any other circumstances, I’d find it adorable, but this isn’t the flush of happiness or pleasure.

This is embarrassment. And despite my annoyance with Griffin Wright and his half-baked plan to get me to stay married to him, he’s still become one of my best friends in the months I’ve lived with him, and I hate seeing him embarrassed.

I’m about to ask him if he’s okay when Isla answers Sebastian’s question about their wedding plans.

“Actually,” my future sister-in-law drawls, her blue eyes glowing with happiness,“we have made some plans.” She’s completely oblivious to Griffin’s emotional state and my inner turmoil. As it should be. This night is about them.

She reaches for Maddox’s hand, almost bouncing in her chair.

“I was really hoping that the four of you ladies would be my bridesmaids.” Isla’s cheeks must ache from how broadly she’s smiling.

“Jess and Nev, you two have been my besties for so long, and I never would have met Maddox if not for your meddling.”

Her two best friends chuckle as tears flood their eyes. They both give Isla emphatic yes es. She turns to me. “Mira, you’re the sister I’ve always wanted. You have been since that first day we met. Now we get to make it official.”

Now I’m tearing up, too. I love my brother and always have, but I can’t deny spending lots of time wishing for a sister when we were kids and Maddy was always away at hockey practice or some game. “I can’t wait,” I tell her honestly.

“And Lexi,” Isla says, turning to the newest woman in our group. “Even though we haven’t known each other very long, I am so glad we’ve become friends, and I just know we’ll be in each other’s lives for a long, long time.”

“I’d be honored.” Lexi gives Isla’s hand a squeeze, then beams at her boyfriend.

Maddox clears his throat. “You guys are brothers to me, you know that. You’ve always been there for me, and”—he turns to Griffin with nothing but gratitude written all over his features—“I wouldn’t have gotten my girl back if not for you.”

When I glance over at Griffin, moisture fills his eyes.

He nods at my brother and smiles softly at Isla.

He’s always been their biggest champion, and Maddy is right.

If Griffin hadn’t gone to speak with Isla and confronted her ex, my stupid brother would have believed a lie and never would have tried to win her back.

“Anyway,” Maddox says gruffly, “would you assholes be my groomsmen?”

Logan, Sebastian, and Ryder hoot and shout their agreement, but Griffin is silent for a beat. Only when my brother looks his way does Griffin’s expression clear and a huge smile splits his face.

“I’m the best man, right?”

Maddox rolls his eyes. “Obviously.”

“Then, hell yeah, brother. You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Griffin puts on a pretty convincing show for the rest of the evening, but I’ve lived with him long enough to know that he hasn’t let go of whatever was bothering him before the game.

Nor has he brushed off the story of his almost fling, Quinoa.

Even as he smiles and laughs and joins in with the conversations that flow around us, there’s a tension in his shoulders and jaw that won’t seem to fade.

And despite my happiness for Maddox and Isla and how much I enjoy the company of the people around me, I’m always hyper aware of my temporary husband.

As the night wears on, my thoughts are consumed with going home and figuring out what’s bothering him.

Not because I’m his wife. Because I’m his friend.

And I’m definitely not looking forward to curling up together in his big old bed.

Not even a little bit.