STEPHANIE. ARCHER

The Queen's Cove Book Three

IN YOUR DREAMS, HOLDEN RHODES

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She was so pretty, and I was so, so fucked.

Hannah looked up at Wyatt with a private, hesitant smile, and he winked at her. It was that silent communication thing Emmett and Avery did all the time. I looked away.

I missed my friend and my old neighborhood with the coffee shop where the barista always gave me a free cookie. I missed the energy of the city, buzzing and bustling.

“If she doesn’t want to get married, we wouldn’t be a good fit.”

She snorted. “That’s narrow-minded.”

Narrow-minded? I thought back to last weekend at Katherine’s celebration of life, surrounded by all the happy, married couples.

“Why would anyone go for Holden when they could have one of his brothers?”

My throat worked and I stared at the condensation on my water glass. “I want someone to choose me.” My shoulders lifted in a shrug and I glanced back at her. “I like the idea of a commitment.”

The reality of this dating thing became clear. I’d have to talk to people. Socialize. Smile. Be friendly. I couldn’t work as much. I hated that she was right about that. I’d have to talk to person after person, making awkward conversation, until one person could stand me.

“Those magazines you read were garbage. I saw the covers. They were designed to make you feel bad, like you weren’t enough.” He glanced at me before his gaze returned to the coast. “I didn’t want you to think you weren’t beautiful.”

“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”

In my home, with a partner who I loved and who loved me. A couple kids, and a dog or a cat, whatever my person wanted. I didn’t care, as long as she was happy.

Why spend time with anyone else when you can hang out with the love of your life?

She tasted like the fucking antidote to everything bad in the world.

My arms wrapped around her back and my soul evaporated into the atmosphere.

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