Free My Unexpected Forever by Heidi McLaughlin Page A

dance floor. I shake my head.
    “I haven’t danced in such a long time.”
    “It’s like riding a bike,” Harrison says. I turn to find him gazing at me with such intent in his eyes. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen a similar look. When Mason would look at me like that from across the room, I knew what to expect, but not so much when Harrison does it.
    I look back at Liam and Josie, who are watching us like hawks. Liam shakes his head and whispers something into Josie’s ear. Whatever he says makes her beam with appreciation. I’ve never seen her happy like this, at least not with Nick. She was always content and just went with the flow, but now, she’s bouncing off the walls with excitement all the time. I want that.
    “So the reason we are here tonight, besides having an adult night, is that Liam and I have a very important question to ask you.”
    I pick up my Cosmopolitan and tip back the glass. I should probably sip the sweet liquor, but I need something to take the edge off. I’m so tired of feeling like I’m about to fall off the side of a building.
    “What is it?” Harrison asks as he tips his beer back.
    “Well, we’ve set a date!” Josie squeals. My mouth drops and Harrison starts laughing. He reaches over the table and high-fives Liam. I scramble to get out of the booth so I can hug Josie.
    “I’m so happy for you,” I say into her ear as we hug. I wish Mason was here to see this. He wanted nothing more than for her to be happy, even if it meant she was marrying Nick. I’d like to think he’d be happy that she’s marrying Liam because they are meant to be together.
    We sit back down and I wipe a few happy tears that have fallen. I can’t wait to see Noah in a tux. He’s going to look so handsome and dapper.
    “When’s the big day?”
    “We want to get married right after Christmas, but we’re keeping this among friends,” Liam answers without taking his eyes off of Josie.
    “Well that doesn’t give us a lot of time to plan, doesn’t it?” I say as the waitress sets down our dinner. Liam and Harrison dig right in. I shake my head and pick up my fork, twirling a piece of pasta.
    “Will you be my matron of honor?”
    “Of course,” I say as I cover my mouth in that awkward you caught me with my mouth full moment.
    “What about you man, can you stand up for me?” Liam asks Harrison.
    “Yeah, man,” Harrison says with a nod. Why does everything have to be so simple for them? They didn’t even look at each other. It hits me like a ton of bricks that if I’m the matron of honor and Harrison’s the best man, that means we’ll be walking down the aisle together. We’ll have to share a dance. Is that why they brought us here tonight, to test our ability to dance together? I pick up my drink and finish it, signaling to the waitress that I need another. Liam catches my eye. I shrug. I don’t need any comments from the matchmaking duo that can’t take a hint.
    As we eat, we talk about the wedding. Josie wants something outside and Liam wants a big party afterward. They both agree that 4225 West will not play at the reception. Liam says he wants to enjoy his bride and not worry about putting on a performance for anyone.
    Harrison returns his arm to its previous position, resting comfortably on the back of the booth. I feel myself shifting. My body wants to sit in the nook he’s created, and for the life of me I don’t understand why. I’m not attracted to him. We are opposites and the tattoos… I can’t. I try to slide away from him without drawing too much attention to myself, but he notices. He shakes his head and removes his arm. My heart pounds and tension fills my body. I shouldn’t care.
    “I’ll be back,” he says as he throws his napkin down on his half eaten plate of food.
    “Where’s he going?” I ask. Liam turns his head as we both watch Harrison walk away from the table.
    “I don’t know,” he says with a shrug. He picks up his beer and takes a