Page 63 of The Bookbinder's Guide to Love

“He is?”

“You sound as shocked as I was. Yeah, I invited him thinking he’d turn me down, but he’s on his way. He’s staying at Grandpa’s tonight with us.”

“Are you sure you want me there?” she asked.

“Yeah, I do. If you don’t want to, it’s okay,” he said.

They had been inching toward a relationship, even though neither of them really knew what that should look like. But letting his brother know they were a couple... How was that different from her friends knowing? This was another big step for them.

Or was she making it into something it wasn’t?

“I can almost hear the gears in your mind clicking as you calculate the pros and cons,” he said.

She lightly punched him on the shoulder. He was getting to know her so well. Not even things she’d told him, just habits he’d observed. “Stop it. So do you think Oz is here to find love or get over a broken heart?”

“I’m not sure my brother has a heart,” he said.

“Do you?” The words slipped out and she immediately wanted to call them back.

But Wes simply lifted her hand and pushed it under his sweater until it rested over his heart. “You tell me.”

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and leaned into him, tipping her head back so their eyes met. She had to stop waiting for him to leave. She had to stop doubting he was going to stay. She had to start believing she was worthy of love.

Easier said than done.

Wes loved the way Sera looked in her red leggings and watched her as she moved through the crowd at the party. Oz was parking and would be joining them in a few minutes. Sleeping over had added a new dimension to their relationship and Wes didn’t regret it. The more time he spent with Sera, the more time he wanted to spend with her.

She might be the first woman in his life he felt that way toward. He had invited Oz on a whim but also because Wes knew while he was alone in Birch Lake it was easy to pretend that he was making strides toward trusting Sera.

But he’d seen through that lie like it was a piece of old, worn paper. It was easy to trust her when he wasn’t in his real world. If things went well tonight, he was going to invite her to go with him to New York next week for a big book auction that he attended twice a year.

If things went well... He didn’t know how they wouldn’t, but it was hard for him to silence the anxieties in his head.

“Wes,” Oz called as he walked into the shop and made his way through the crowds.

Sera, Poppy and Liberty were circulating, so Wes was manning the register in Sera’s part of the shop. Just keeping an eye on the place and answering questions. He’d sold a good amount of the Charm, Curse, Confluence game after the ladies had led everyone in a round.

He one-arm hugged his brother. “Good to see you. How was the traffic on the way over?”

“Not bad,” Oz said. “Dad sends his regards. I think the old man had a date tonight.”

“No way.”

“Yeah. Not sure with who, because he just said he had to leave early and told me I could as well.”

“I can’t believe that.”

Oz laughed. “Maybe he’s finally mellowing.”

“Maybe. I think Grandpa’s death definitely affected him more than he let on. He actually talked to us in the car, so why wouldn’t he be going on a date?”

“Yeah. So...things are getting serious between you and Sera?” Oz asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you texted me declaring that she’s staying over and to be cool about it.” His brother arched one eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, things are going good. I’m not sure where they’re going, but I just don’t want anything to fuck it up.”