Lover (Court University, #4) - Eden O'Neill Page 0,1

than one reason why I’d left town and decided to go to school out of state. A few of those reasons surrounded her in varied ways, but that decision would not only have been selfish but foolish. It’d be admitting to something that I didn’t want to admit. That the past was harder to put away than I believed.

That I still hadn’t dealt with this.

I held the bride close, being foolish for just a moment. December was all heat, all memories, and God, how I’d wanted her back then. Somewhere along the way, after she’d dropped into my life, she’d been everything. Had I found her first, that might have been our destiny. We were so good as friends.

But you lost.

I had been aware of that. Another man had gotten to her first and actually, was responsible for the reason December and I met in school. Prinze had this thing set up and on lock before I could even step foot in the game. I’d had no chance, my current reality with December already predetermined. She’d always been meant to be his.

“Ramses?”

December placed two fingers to my chin, doing the worst fucking thing by making me look directly at her. Tawny brown eyes sparkled in that snowy white dress of hers. This girl was Snow White from her fair skin to the ruby red tone of her lips. Her dark hair was nearly black, but make no mistake. December Lindquist was no fair maiden, no damsel in distress.

And I guess she was December Prinze now.

I held on to that as much as I had her secure in my arms, forcing myself to smile down at her. I had at least a foot on her up here.

“You’ve been scarce tonight.” Her hand moved to my shoulder, and I breathed. This location was okay, easier. Her lips parted. “You all right? I haven’t seen you since the bouquet toss.”

Oh, and how fun that’d been. I’d actually caught that shit, like she’d been aiming for me, and possibly had. My best friend had been known to meddle more than once in my personal life, and whenever we did see each other, it was like she was always trying to hook me up with someone.

I folded my hand around hers, chuckling. “Yeah, and thanks for that. You pissed off more than one single woman tonight, I’m sure.”

I mean, a dude catching the bouquet wasn’t ideal, and I got way more attention than I’d wanted. Like stated, I’d been trying to avoid action tonight, not be at the center of it.

December rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like you didn’t get a million digits.” She jostled me with a grin. “You’re welcome by the way. Pretty sure you’re getting laid tonight, and I’m totally responsible for that.”

“I didn’t ask to get laid.” Spinning her, I brought her back to me, the dance floor a mix of chill sways and swinging hips. I eyed her. “I was perfectly fine hanging out. Being single.”

“Hmm. And how’s that working for you?”

Not as fine as I would have liked, but I was in a good place now that I was back home and out of the fray of all that. I just wanted to chill. Having someone else in my life was not a huge priority.

Truth be told, I’d had my fill of a social life just trying to help her with this wedding. It was unbelievable how women did this shit every day. I considered myself a pretty good multitasker, but having to help her work through the minutiae that was her wedding planning hadn’t been easy. Especially since I had to book a lot of her appointments and man her bridal party, the epitome of awkward as fuck since I was a guy and like, her entire party I’d gone to high school with. I’d been given my fair share of handling from the other women, came with the territory since we’d known each other.

It’d been all worth it, though—a good time and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I’d do anything for this girl. Always.

“I’m okay.” I attempted to convince the bride now and needed to do a good job at that, too. Tonight wasn’t about me and my problems. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“But don’t I?” Our dance slowed in place. She squeezed my hand. “You still haven’t said what happened. Why you came home?”

Because I didn’t have to, and I was not talking about that here. And definitely not now. My choice to