Mine Would Be You (19)

I can breathe again.

“Of course. You look stunning, by the way. That dress is to die for.”

Emma lets out a soft laugh. “Thank you, I got very lucky.”

She pulls me in for an unexpected hug, and I freeze. It takes me a second before I return the gesture with a simple pat on the back. I see Harper’s eyes practically fall out of her head.

“You look stunning yourself. I’m happy Myles’s old friends could make it. It’s like a reunion, and I know he’s happy to see you all. Thank you for coming.”

Old friends.

I kind of want to laugh. I also kind of want to cry.

“Of course, I’m glad I could make it. You both look very happy.” I fake a smile as her eyes flicker to Myles. The joy is radiating off her like a space heater, and it eliminates some of the awkwardness. At least between us.

With a parting nod I make a beeline for the open bar, the smile falling off my face. Myles’s gaze burns a hole into my back. I’m thankful for the cool surface of the bar top, and the bartender greets me quickly with a smile.

“Three tequila shots, please.”

Luckily, I stress ate enough bread at the buffet that these shouldn’t have an immediate effect on me—just enough to make me feel better than I do. I close my eyes to take a deep breath before the bartender comes back. In and out.

Estoy bien, estoy bien.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

I open my eyes to see three tequila shots lined up and Jackson’s tall frame leaning against the bar next to me. His lips are pulled into a cheeky smile as he raises an eyebrow at me. The warm energy he’s always emitting surrounds me. A contrast to the dark city in the windows behind him.

“Yeah, what are the odds?” I mumble, knocking back two of the three shots as he watches me. I signal for one more and slide the fourth shot to Jackson. He picks it up, and the ring on his middle finger makes a tapping sound against the tiny glass.

“I should’ve recognized you.” He studies me, and I him. I like him like this. His suit jacket is off, with the sleeves rolled up, and the bow tie is much looser. He looks more comfortable. His eyes flicker to me after ordering his old fashioned.

“Why would you have?”

“Myles showed me a picture once or twice. After practice his freshman year, we all got drunk and he was talking about you. He talked about you a lot. You’re not someone I’d forget.”

Any other time it would be weird talking about an ex, but either it’s the liquid confidence flowing through me or that I feel comfortable around him. For a second, I almost forget that I’m at Myles’s wedding.

I lean my elbow on the bar top, trying to fight the flush crawling up my neck, and look up at him, because even in heels I don’t close the height difference much. “It doesn’t matter.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he says with a smile, and my heart flutters, but I keep my face straight as his eyes leisurely glide over me. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but he’s kind of an idiot. For letting you go.”

He pauses and picks up his glass, taking a slow sip as the words wash over me.

“Actually, I take that back. I’m happy he did.”

My mouth parts briefly before I recover, but internally my heart has dropped into my stomach. His eyes twinkle as if that was the exact response he wanted. Instead of responding, I use the moment to catch my breath and hold up the third shot, clinking my glass with his, and toss it back.

Finally, my words return. “You’re just saying that.”

He raises a brow as his eyes darken. “I don’t say anything I don’t mean.”

I open my mouth to respond, but I’m genuinely speechless, and my mouth closes only to gnaw on the inside of my bottom lip. Jackson smirks, giving me a fleeting glimpse at the dimples, and he holds out his hand after finishing off the old fashioned.

“Come on, let’s dance.”

My eye flickers between his hand, his face, and my friends watching this whole thing. “Why?” Harper has stopped talking to her wedding man briefly as her and Sloan both give me thumbs up with painfully obvious grins on their faces.

“Wasn’t it you who asked me to dance months ago?” He raises a brow, eyes twinkling.

I flush. “I was drunk.”

He doesn’t budge. “Well, I’m asking you now.”

I roll my eyes, but I place my hand in Jackson’s despite it. A slow song is playing in the background, but I barely hear it over my own heartbeat. A flash of heat goes throughout my entire body as he cups my hand in his. Palm to palm, we walk to the dance floor.

His hands immediately encircle my waist with all the confidence in the world as he pulls me close with no hesitation, and my breath hitches. My hands intertwine behind his neck, feeling just a brush of a blond curl on the surface of my skin. If I was an inch closer, our chests would be touching.

“So, I take it by the look on your face during the vows something was wrong?”

His voice is soft, and I take a deep breath. But I don’t miss the unsaid words that he was looking at me during the ceremony. The thought warms my entire body.

“You noticed?”

He nods.

“College was weird for us. We weren’t together, but we were obviously living different breakups. I guess. But it doesn’t matter. He met Emma, and he’s happy now.”