Free Holding Her Hand (Reed Brothers Book 15) by Tammy Falkner

nods, and I can tell he’s nervous by the way his eyes jerk around my face. “I’d like for you to meet my whole family.”
    “Why?” I look into his eyes, hoping I’ll find the truth there.
    “Because I like you a lot, and I want you to meet my mom and dad, and the rest of my family. If you want to, that is. Only if you want to.”
    “I wantto,” I say tentatively.
    “Are you sure?” He bends down to look into my eyes.
    “I’m sure. Thank you for the invitation.” I smile at him, and heat floods my face again.
    “You take my breath away on a normal day, but when your cheeks turn pink, I feel like you’ll never give the breath back.” He laughs.
    “I get points for blushing?” I ask.
    “You get points for everything.”
    Suddenly, something breaksin Wren’s room and I hear glass shatter. “I had better go check on her.”
    He nods, and then he bends and presses a kiss to my cheek. He lingers there a moment like he’s breathing me in. And I don’t want to let him go.
    He leaves, and then I look toward my kitchen counter and see that he left his baseball cap. I smile and start plotting in my head what I can do with it next that might give me anexcuse to see him before my appointment on Saturday to work on the tattoo.
    Ideas are running through my head when Wren’s door flies open and she steps into the living room. “Is he gone?” she asks.
    “Yes. Why?”
    She tosses a white cylinder on the counter. I look down and see a small plus sign in the window. “Oh,” I breathe. I look up and find her blinking back tears. “Wren,” I say softly, andI approach her like she’s a wounded animal, because that’s essentially what she is right now. She’s scared. And she’s fighting it.
    “He knocked me up,” she says over a sniffle. “I was going to tell him tonight, and I went to his apartment early, and I found him in bed with one of the girls he works with.”
    “Oh, Wren,” I say, covering my mouth.
    “He knocked me up. I ’ m pregnant.” She covers herbelly with her hand. “What the hell am I going to do?”
    “We’ll figure it out,” I tell her, although I have no idea what the hell we’ll do. “We’ll figure it out,” I say again, trying to convince myself as much as I’m trying to convince her. “I promise, we’ll figure it out.”
    She falls into my arms and starts to sob.
    My phone goes off in my pocket and she steps back from me, sniffling and wipingher eyes. “You should answer that.”
    I pull my phone out.
    Ryan: Everything okay?
    Me: Not really .
    Ryan: Want me to come back over?
    Me: I want you to come back over more than anything, but it’s probably not the best time for Wren. I’ll tell you more tomorrow .
    Ryan: Can I see you tomorrow?
    Me (heart thudding with joy): Maybe. You forgot your cap .
    Ryan: I didn’t forget it .
    A grin steals acrossmy face.
    Me: Good. Check with me tomorrow and you can see what kind of sticky situations I get it into .
    Ryan: Are you talking dirty to me?
    Me (laughter bubbling): Maybe
    Ryan: I am a happy man. Talk to you tomorrow .
    Me: Good night .
    Wren blows a big, snotty tissue full of boogers and says, “Was that Ryan?”
    I nod and shove my phone back in my pocket.
    “Are you glowing? ” she asks, her eyesnarrowing.
    “No, no, it’s not like that,” I rush to say.
    She puts her hands on her hips. “I got knocked up, cheated on, and you’re fucking glowing. You have to be kidding me.” But she’s grinning, so I know she doesn’t mean any harm. “Wait,” she suddenly says. “Where are your gloves?”
    “I took them off,” I say quietly. Then tears start to sting my eyes and I blink them back as fast as I can.
    “Oh, Lark,” she says, and she pulls me in to her. “I knew one day you would meet a man who made you feel safe enough to take them off. I just didn’t think it would a deaf tattoo artist who looks like he could shit nails and then eat them for breakfast. I expected you to fall for a guy in a sport coat