Which means she hadn’t told Hudson. Or her parents probably. And I wasn’t about to tell Hudson that his little sister had spent most of last Friday night in my apartment. Which made this even more awkward. “Yeah, maybe I shouldn’t go.”
“No, dude, I want you there. Erica hasn’t seen you in a couple weeks either and she’ll be there. Come on.”
With a defeated sigh, I shook my head and started walking out of my studio again. “All right. Let’s go.”
Reagan—August 25, 2010
I PULLED BACK from hugging Erica and looked behind her, my eyebrows pinching together in confusion. “Is Keegan not with you?”
“No, he came in a couple hours ago to hang out at his friend’s studio before dinner. So he’s meeting us here.”
My eyes widened, and I was glad Erica had turned to hug my mom so she wouldn’t notice my expression. I didn’t doubt she’d left Coen’s name out because of the way I’d reacted at lunch a couple weeks ago, and there was no way she could’ve known that I knew about Coen’s studio. Because she didn’t know about us hanging out.
No one did.
Keegan wouldn’t bring Coen with him, would he?
Of all the days for Parker to lose my phone in the apartment while it was on silent . . . why today?
“Mom, you okay?”
I looked down at Parker and plastered a smile on my face. “Of course I am. Why?”
He studied me for a second. I swear . . . six going on twenty. “You look scared.”
“I’m not scared, honey. Are you excited to see—”
“Uncle Keegan!” he shouted, and darted past me.
He won’t be here. He won’t be here.
“Duchess.”
Fuck, he’s here.
I turned and couldn’t figure out if I wanted to step away from him so no one would notice how badly I was craving him, or if I wanted to close the distance between us so I could feel the man whose warm voice had been the last thing to fill my world before I’d fallen asleep the last five nights.
“Have you not been getting my texts?” he asked hesitantly. “I tried warning you that I was coming.”
“Parker lost my phone in the apartment.”
I was losing the fight in staying away from him. My body was slowly inching closer to him, and it physically ached to keep my arms at my side instead of wrapping them around his waist.
How had this happened? Friday had been . . . well, it hadn’t been what I’d expected it to be when I’d gone over there. I hadn’t been expecting our kisses. I hadn’t been expecting to get so lost in him that I wouldn’t want to leave. But what I really hadn’t expected was for this arrogant man to somehow creep his way into my life to the point where I woke up excited for my morning texts from him. Or how I couldn’t wait for Parker to go to sleep at night because I knew I’d get to talk to Coen until I fell asleep.
“I know your brother doesn’t know . . . do your parents?”
“No,” I mouthed, and hated the flash of disappointment in his eyes.
“Hey!”
Coen and I moved away from each other and looked down at Parker.
“You’re the guy from the park with the cool arms!”
Coen’s face easily morphed into a smile as he held up his hand for Parker to slap. I was still as stone as everyone in my family and Erica eyed me curiously.
“How’re you doing, bud?” Coen asked, and bent down so he was closer to Parker’s height.
“Good. I’m still not old enough, you know.” He tapped Coen’s arm. “Mine would still wash off.”
Coen laughed and nodded before glancing at me. “Yeah, you’ve got a while for that one.”
I tried to smile at them. But my parents and Erica were still watching me. Keegan was now watching Coen and Parker. All of them looked confused.
“What’s your name?”
“Coen.”
Parker nodded. “That’s right. Because you’re Uncle Keegan’s friend.” Coen started responding when Parker added, “But you’re Mom’s friend too because you come see her at the park.”
Oh. Jesus. Christ.
Coen looked up at me with a questioning look that was borderline challenging. I just stared back at him, not knowing what to say or what to do since everyone was still watching both of us.
Looking back at Parker, Coen smiled. “Yeah, bud, you could say that.”
Erica looked confused, Keegan was glaring at Coen, Dad was now sizing up Coen, and Mom was staring at me with eyebrows practically up to her hairline.
“Your table is ready, if you all want to follow me this way!”
It took a few seconds for any of us to move, and even then, it was Parker who broke the spell we all seemed to be under. “Coen, sit next to me!”
Turning to follow him, I hadn’t walked two steps before Coen walked past me and whispered in my ear, “That is, unless his mom is embarrassed for her family to know about me.”
“Coen,” I protested, but didn’t say anything else as he caught up to Parker and the seating hostess.
“Am I missing something?” Keegan asked as we walked toward the table.
“Uh . . .”
“Because the last time the two of you saw each other, you got really pissed off and stormed out of the restaurant. Right?”
“Not exactly.” I don’t know why I felt like I was going to die. Keegan had tried setting us up, for shit’s sake, he’d given me Coen’s number!