Page 22 of The One You Want

The easy smile came back. “My early morning is booked with work calls. Have brunch with me and we’ll talk.”

“Why can’t you answer me right now?”

“Because then I’d have to come up with another reason to see you tomorrow.”

“We’ll be seeing a lot of each other this week.”

He softly brushed his fingertips from her elbow down to her hand and linked his fingers with hers. “The more the better.”

She met his earnest gaze.

“Say yes.”

“Yes.”

He squeezed her hand and gave a soft tug to get her to move closer, but she stopped short when the men’s room door opened and Marc crowded into the hallway with them.

Marc’s gaze dipped to their joined hands, then met Gray’s annoyed face. “Sorry to interrupt.” He turned to her. “Maggie’s probably wondering what happened to all of us.”

Rose slipped her hand free from Gray’s and felt the loss of the warmth radiating through her, and the current of awareness between them dimmed, making her feel the need to move closer to him. “I’ll join her back at the table. It’s getting late. I’m going to head out soon anyway.”

“Don’t leave yet. I’ll walk you out to your car,” Gray offered. “We’ll finish making plans.”

She nodded and walked back into the blaring music, but still overheard Marc ask, “Plans? I thought you were here to be my best man, not get laid.”

“You’re an asshole.”

She smiled at Gray’s comeback, wound her way through the tables, and took her seat at theirs.

Maggie swayed to the slow song as she sat with her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm. “I love this song. Maybe I should add it to the playlist for the reception.” Maggie turned to her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Rose side-hugged her friend. “Me, too.”

“Where are the guys?”

“On their way back soon.” She squeezed Maggie tighter. “Gray asked me out to brunch tomorrow morning.”

Maggie sat up straight. “Really? That’s fantastic. I knew you’d hit it off.”

“You did? You never mentioned him on our calls.”

“Every time I wanted to set up a double date and get you and Gray together, Marc was either too busy or just wanted to spend more time with me because he’d been swamped at work.” She covered Rose’s hand on the table and squeezed. “But I’m so glad it’s happening now. It’s true what they say, love is in the air at weddings.”

“We haven’t even gotten to the day yet.” But Rose felt something happening between her and Gray, even if she wanted to play it off as no big deal for now.

As first impressions went, Gray had an impact on her.

But so had Marc. And look how that turned out.

She pushed that thought right out of her head because Gray and Marc seemed so different. Gray said what he meant. Marc tended to say what sounded good, and all too often what the other person wanted to hear, even if it wasn’t wholly true.

Rose pushed her drink away. “It’s been a long day. Do you want to get out of here soon?”

Marc joined them at the table. “Babe, no. Stay. Don’t send me back to my lonely hotel room. It’s still early.”

Maggie gave Marc a tipsy grin. “You could invite me back to your place.”

“Are you sure your parents won’t mind that you ditched them for me?”