“Well, maybe you should come home a little more often,” Kaelin snapped. “I’m sure your parents miss you.”

Fuck. She had no idea what had happened. And he wasn’t about to tell her. “I doubt it,” he snarled.

“If I leave you two to go get us drinks, will another brawl break out?” Nick interjected.

Kaelin wrinkled her nose at him adorably. Sure, for Nick. “Of course not.”

Nick nodded and headed to the bar. Kaelin twisted her fingers together. Sticky silence surrounded them, there in the middle of a noisy party.

“That was about more than just my bugging you, wasn’t it?” He met her eyes.

She held his gaze but didn’t answer, and her pretty bottom lip quivered. And made him want to kiss it. “Fuck,” he muttered, dropping his head. His neck and shoulders were as hard as stone, that tight pain spreading up the back of his scalp. What could he say to her? How could he ever explain things?”

“It was a long time ago,” she said, her words clipped short. “It doesn’t matter.”

He lifted his head to look at her again. “Ah, Kaelin. You have changed.”

She lowered her chin. “You think?”

He smiled. “The Kaelin Daume I knew would never have slapped a guy’s face. Especially in the middle of a party.”

She licked her lips and it was so fucking sexy he forgot to breathe. “Well,” she said. “I don’t think that’s a good thing. And you’ve changed too.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I thought we just established that I’m still an asshole.” Her cheeks went pink and he shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”

She bit her lip and looked up at him through her eyelashes. “I mean you’ve changed because you actually apologized. And admitted you were acting like a jerk.”

His mouth twisted and he had to fight the urge to shut her up by slamming his mouth over hers.

Nick returned carrying three glasses, handed one to Tyler and a wineglass to Kaelin. “Here,” he said. “I think we can all use this.”

“What is it? More Scotch?” Tyler grimaced.

Nick grinned. “Sorry, bud.”

“Better make sure there’s gonna be beer at the wedding,” Tyler said and took a swallow. His eyes damn near watered. “Avery!” he called to his sister. She turned, gave him a look, held up a finger as she finished a conversation with Aunt Mona.

“There will be beer,” Kaelin said. “I should know, since I booked everything.”

Tyler slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “Oh, thank Christ.”

He hadn’t thought before he’d done it, just reacted, but the feel of her soft, warm body against his, the smell of her hair, a sweet, fruity, floral scent that filled his senses, almost took him out at the knees and stalled his breath. He wanted to press his mouth to the top of her silky head, wrap her up and… His eyes met Nick’s over Kaelin’s head, Nick’s steady, knowing gaze, and he released Kaelin and stepped back.

She blinked and tugged at the neckline of her dress, cheeks even pinker now.

Avery arrived and her gaze tracked over Kaelin’s flushed cheeks, and Tyler’s own face heated up. “What’s up?”

“I was going to ask if there’d be beer at the reception, but Kaelin tells me there will be.”

Avery laughed. “Beer. Gawd, Tyler. Come on, my other bridesmaid just arrived. Come and meet her.”

Nick and Kaelin followed brother and sister to the French doors into the house where Scott’s best man Hardeep and his girlfriend Maddie stood. Kaelin had met Avery’s new friend a few times. She liked her, but sometimes it was hard not to feel left out when she and Avery talked about all the things they now had in common that Kaelin wasn’t part of. Plus, with Maddie and Hardeep being a couple, and Hardeep and Scott being good friends, the four of them spent a lot of time together. Maddie lived in Avery’s new world, with other friends Kaelin didn’t know. Although Kaelin and Avery shared a history and they would always be friends, their relationship had changed.

Last time Kaelin had visited Avery in Los Angeles, Avery had suggested Kaelin move there. “Don’t be silly,” Kaelin had said. “I can’t move away from Mapleglen.”

“Why not? Seriously. Your mom and dad are gone now. You can easily get a job here at some law firm.”

Kaelin looked down at her wineglass now, remembering how ridiculous and scary that thought had been, and yet…her life in Mapleglen was not the life she somehow had anticipated living. She didn’t even know exactly what she wanted, but she knew there was a hole in her life, an empty dissatisfaction that shifted from mild discontent to aching loneliness.

Maybe she should think about that idea again.

“Okay?” Nick asked in a low voice for her alone.

She smiled at him. “Of course.”

He’d talked to her after she’d slapped Tyler, made sure she was okay, agreed with her that Tyler could be a real jerk, made her laugh. And then he’d hugged her and a warm rush of affection had flowed through her. Well, and a little tingle of something else. Nick was really buff, big and strong and hard.

And so was Tyler. She sighed, thinking about her body’s reaction to Tyler’s casual hug. Man, maybe she should go back to Brent, just so they could sleep together. She was obviously sex-deprived. But sadly, sex with Brent hadn’t been all that great.

Avery introduced people and fetched drinks, and the evening sped by in a blur of conversation and laughter, a lingering awareness sparking her nerves every time she and Tyler locked glances, or she and Nick shared a smile.

“We’re heading out now,” Nick murmured to her later. “Guess we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh. You’re not staying here at the house?”

Nick shook his head. “No. Tyler wanted to stay at the hotel.”

“At the Red Maple Inn?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. Well. That’s good, you’ll be right there for the wedding. And the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. Mrs. Wirth has booked a private room there for dinner.”

“I won’t be at the rehearsal dinner.”

“Oh.” The dinner was the one part of the weekend Kaelin hadn’t had a hand in planning. Avery had allowed her mom to do whatever she wanted for the rehearsal dinner. Kaelin licked her lips, and looked up at Nick. “I guess it’s just for the wedding party.”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “No big deal. I can amuse myself for an evening.”

“I’m sure you still have some friends here.” Nick’s parents had moved away a few years ago, she knew, which was why he had an excuse for never coming back even if Tyler didn’t.

“Yeah. A few.”

Tyler walked up. “Ready to go?”

“Yup.” Guests had started leaving a while ago and the party was winding down.

“I told Avery I’ll help with whatever she needs done tomorrow,” Tyler said. “Apparently there’s all kind of shit to do—picking up decorations and crap.”

Kaelin grinned. “Yeah. Avery will be busy having her spa day.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “I suppose you’re going with her.”

“Yes.” She sighed. “It’s not my thing, but Avery insisted on treating Maddie and me to manicures and pedicures and some kind of body scrub thing.”

Tyler eyed her body and heat followed his gaze.

“If you’re picking up the decorations, you can bring them to my place,” she said. “So I can take them on Saturday.”

“Where do you live, Kaelin?” Nick asked.

“Same place. My parents’ house.”

“Okay.”

“So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” she rushed on a bit breathlessly.

She watched the two men leave out the front door, her nerves twitching, skin tingling. Exhaustion fell over her like a heavy blanket. Wow, what a roller coaster ride of an evening. Seeing Tyler again had her emotions all over the place, leaving her both drained and excited.

Bad. It was so bad.

She’d been so focused on pulling off this wedding for her best friend, making it everything Avery wanted it to be, she’d barely even thought about what it was going to be like to see Tyler and Nick again. It added a whole other dimension to everything, an unexpected, unsettling dimension. She covered her face with one hand briefly and lowered it just as Avery approached her. Avery wrapped her arms around her and hugged her.