Wish You Would (Haven Harbor #4)

Chapter 1

ONE

I MAY BE CELIBATE, BUT I’M NOT BLIND.

H olden

The high-pitched sound of a woman’s pleading echoes off the walls when I slide open the patio door and step into my best friend Tucker’s house.

“What do you mean? You can’t be serious! Where am I supposed to stay?”

Tucker and I just finished a 5-mile run, and I had agreed to a quick beer at his place before heading home. From the sound of it, we’ve interrupted something.

Tuck’s wife Daisy is sitting at the kitchen counter, her chin cupped in her hands as she watches a very upset woman pace a hole in the tile floor. She holds her cell phone out in front of her, her platinum hair swinging as she shakes her head vigorously at the guy on the other end of the call.

“It’s out of my control,” says the man, who is on speaker. “It is what it is. It’s an inconvenience for me too.”

“ It is what it is? I don’t think you understand. I have nowhere else to live.” She emphasizes each syllable.

Daisy waves us in, a grimace on her face as she returns her attention to the phone call. Tucker heels off his running shoes and then crosses the kitchen to where Daisy sits, placing a kiss on her temple.

The corners of my lips quirk in a smile. Tucker is such a giant mush around his wife. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my best friend is a married man.

Daisy has been the best thing to ever happen to Tuck. They’ve actually known each other since birth— they even share the same birthdate—it just took 25 years or so for them to actually get together. There was always an undeniable tension in the air whenever they were in the same room, but I always assumed it was because they hated each other. It turns out the exact opposite was true, and they finally realized that. I’m happy for them, and Daisy has become one of my closest friends. But things are just different now.

Tucker and I were roommates for four years, but he moved in with Daisy when things between the two of them got serious. I’d never admit it to him, but I miss having him around the house. We used to do everything together, now I’m lucky if I see him once a week.

One by one, every one of my buddies have gotten hitched. Tuck married Daisy, Jake married Everly, Grayson married Jake’s sister, Sierra. I’m the last one standing.

Watching these guys settle down has forced me to take a long, hard look at myself. There was a time not too long ago when all I was interested in was hooking up and no-strings sex. That all ended when I met Aubrey, and well, that ended in a huge fucking disaster.

So, here I am on a self-imposed detox. I’m focused on work and on myself. No one-night stands. No women, period. I’m celibate and committed to keeping it that way for the foreseeable future .

“How could this happen?” the woman wails into the phone, pulling my attention back to her.

“Is everything okay?” Tucker whispers into Daisy’s hair. She shakes her head in response.

“You told me the place was newly renovated. You said it was in mint condition. Those were your exact words. Mint condition. ”

I feel like I’m intruding. I should probably just turn around, jump in my truck and head home. I catch Tucker’s eye and nod toward the door, but he waves me off. He grabs a couple of glasses from the cupboard, fills them from the tap and then hands one to me. I chug it back, realizing how thirsty I am after our run.

“I’m sorry again, ma’am,” the voice says on the other side of the call. “I promise you’ll be the first to know when everything is fixed. You have first dibs.”

“ Wow, thanks, ” she says, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “I signed a freaking lease. I gave you a deposit.” The blonde stops pacing and stands with her back to me. My gaze wanders to her heart-shaped ass. I may be celibate, but I’m not blind. “Isn’t there another unit I can stay in while you work on mine?”

“I’m sorry, I’m full.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“I will keep you up to date on the repairs. I need to go. I’m sorry again.”

The line goes dead as the blonde huffs out a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Daisy’s face is sympathetic.

“No, I’m not okay.” She stuffs her iPhone into her back pocket and then turns around. She looks up to me, and my heart seems to stop beating in my chest.

Emerald-green eyes. Platinum-blonde hair that falls in waves past her shoulders, the strands so shiny they shimmer under the kitchen lights. A perfect nose, and lips that are glossed in pink and look as soft as pillows.

Goddamn … she’s beautiful.

It’s been a long time, but I definitely remember her. Briar Moore is hard to forget.

What is she doing back in Reed Point? Last I heard, Daisy’s best friend had moved back home to Vancouver to be closer to her mom and she had no plans to return to Reed Point. That was at least a year ago.

“The apartment I just rented had a flood. The whole place is two inches deep in water. The landlord says it’s unliveable.” She drops her head into her hands and groans. “I was supposed to move in right away.”

“Oh, Briar. I’m sorry.” Daisy gets up off her stool and gives her a hug. “But we’ll figure it out. You can sleep on our couch. Right, Tuck?”

Tucker chews the inside of his cheek. I know why he’s hesitating. Tuck is the kind of guy who would give a friend the shirt off his back, but he and Daisy are in the middle of a major renovation. The upstairs bedrooms have been stripped down to the studs and the two of them have been sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the family room for the past month.

“I love you, Dais, but I can’t crash at your place for two or three months. I have too much stuff, I have a cat. Besides, you two are newlyweds. The last thing I need is to listen to you go at it like wild animals.”

Briar slumps down into a chair at the kitchen table. It’s then that I notice the small crate in the corner of the room, and the orange-and-white-striped cat crouched inside. It fixes me with a lethal glare before arching its back and turning away .

“What about The Seaside?” Daisy turns to Tuck. “You can call Jake, ask him to talk to Liam. I’m sure he could get Briar a deal on a room at the hotel.” Jake is a good buddy of ours, and my neighbor on Haven Harbor. He’s close friends with Liam Bennett, whose family owns a boutique hotel chain that is headquartered in Reed Point.

“Dais, you’re sweet,” Briar says. “But one, I doubt they accept pets and two, I could never afford weeks on end at a luxury hotel… even at a discount.”

Daisy frowns. “It’s okay, Bri. We’ll figure something out.”

“Well, I could call Braxton.”

Daisy fixes Briar with a pointed stare. “You are absolutely not calling Justin’s best friend.”

“Who else am I going to ask?”

“Over my dead body are you asking him.”

Leaning back against the kitchen counter, I look to Tucker to see if he’s following the girls’ back and forth. When I catch his eye, he shrugs in response.

Who the hell are Braxton and Justin? And why is Daisy so adamant that Briar not get in touch with them?

The gorgeous blonde collapses onto the kitchen table, resting her head on her forearm with a sigh. “I know, you’re right. I just don’t know what else to do. The apartment is perfect. Or it was perfect. It’s close to the beach, it has a cute little white kitchen. You saw the photos, Dais. Wasn’t it perfect?”

Instead of answering, Daisy turns to me suddenly with hope in her eyes. “Holden has a spare bedroom! Maybe Briar could stay with you?”

“What?” There’s no chance I heard that right.

“Your place has two bedrooms. And now that Tucker’s not living there anymore…”

“But— ”

“It would only be temporary,” Daisy quickly continues, obviously not understanding that this is a terrible idea. “And as her former roommate, I can vouch for Briar. She’s tidy, she’s quiet… well, most of the time she’s quiet. She’s the best. I bet you’d actually enjoy her company.”

I’m sure I would enjoy Briar’s company, on her back for me with her long legs and her smooth, creamy skin. But that doesn’t mean I want a roommate. Especially a roommate that looks like her— a girl straight out of my fantasies. Briar is Daisy’s best friend, which makes her a no-go for a night of fun. Not that I can remember the last time I allowed myself to have fun .

“Holdey, please. She just moved back from Vancouver, and she has nowhere to stay.” Daisy’s expression is all sad eyes and pouty lips. I’m familiar with that look; I’ve seen it aimed at Tucker more than a time or two. “It wouldn’t be for long.”

I look to Tuck for help, but the smirk on his face tells me that he’s enjoying watching me squirm. Briar’s shoulders drop in frustration and her bottom lip begins to tremble. Dammit, don’t cry. Please don’t cry. I won’t be able to handle it if Briar’s green eyes turn glassy. When she blinks back a tear, I feel my resolve begin to crumble. When a second tear falls down her flushed cheek, I give in immediately.

“You can stay with me,” I tell her. “Until your apartment is ready.”

Briar wipes the tears from her cheeks as the corners of her pretty lips turn up. Damn, she is beautiful.

She drops her gaze to the cat carrier. “What about Bear?”

“The cat can come too,” I say. “But I’m not a cat guy, so keep it in your room.”

I’m not a cat guy is an understatement. They’re not cuddly. They don’t listen. They pee in a box. And worst of all, I’m deathly allergic. If this cat gets too close to me, I’ll be covered in hives within five minutes.

“I’ll keep her in my room. I promise. No lecture needed. And Holden—”

Briar pushes up from her chair and walks across the kitchen to where I’m standing, then wraps her arms around my neck. “Thank you.”

The moment our bodies touch, tingles race over my skin. I wonder if she feels it too. She smells like sugar and lemons, and for a second my brain seems to scramble. Her ample chest is pushed against my ribcage, her small hands rub back and forth over my shoulders. Thankfully, she unwinds her arms from my body and takes a few steps backwards, putting some much-needed distance between us.

“Briar is a great cook,” Daisy says, motioning towards her best friend, her eyes sparkling. “And she’s really good company when she’s not reading her smut books.”

“They’re called romance novels,” Briar corrects her as she crouches in front of the cat carrier and pulls out Bear. She squishes her face into the cat’s neck, scratching its ears before holding the thing out to me. The cat hisses.

“Not a cat guy, remember?” I hold my hands up in defense and take two steps backwards.

“I don’t think Bear is a fan of yours either,” Tucker mutters with a smug smile. I flip him off.

“Don’t feel bad. She hates most people.” Briar snuggles the fur ball into her chest as my eyes begin to itch at an alarming speed.

“Way to sell him, Briar,” Daisy deadpans

Briar stuffs the fleabag back into the carrier as I use my T-shirt to wipe at my watery eyes.

What the hell have I gotten myself into ? I just hope I can put up with living with the two of them for the next couple of months.

“I am so happy this all worked out! I know you two are going to like living together. You’re the best, Holdey.” Daisy squeezes my bicep. “And I love you, Briar, which means Holden is going to love you too.”

“Here’s hoping,” Tucker mumbles with that same shit-eating grin across his face.

I try to ignore how much my best friend is enjoying watching my misery as I slowly come to terms with the fact that I won’t be living alone anymore. Forget walking around in my underwear or blasting whatever music I want to on Saturday mornings. She’d better not make a mess or move any of my things around. I like things the way I like them. Neat and organized. In their place. As much as I’ve missed having Tuck as a roommate, I’ve gotten used to living on my own. By my rules only.

Fuck.

Scrubbing my hands through my hair, I try to fight off the intense feeling of regret. I came here for a fucking beer, and I’m leaving with a roommate.

“Why do you look so grumpy?” Tucker shoots me a sideways glance after the girls have gone upstairs to look at how the reno is progressing.

“Is that a serious question?”

Tucker laughs. The fucking guy laughs.

“If I knew I was going to be swindled into living with a woman I barely know, I would have stayed home.”

“Oh, come on, Holdey. You’ve been in that house all alone for a year. She’ll only be there for a few weeks. Besides, it will be good for you to have some company before you turn into a grumpy old man. ”

A long stretch of silence lingers between us as I stare at Tucker with my eyebrows raised.

“ A few weeks ? Try months. Thanks a lot for the help, by the way. You’re supposed to be my friend. Where were you when your wife gave me her please, Holden eyes?”

“You’ve met my wife. She’s the boss. I am no match for Daisy Collins.”

It’s true—Daisy calls the shots. Normally, I would give Tucker a hard time for handing his balls over to his wife, but I’m too distracted thinking about my new roommate.

Briar is beautiful. Stunning. Different from the rest.

Shit, I’m in trouble.

“Hey. Be nice to her, okay? She has a lot going on.”

“Obviously. I’m always nice.”

“No, but you are particular.”

“ Particular ? What the hell does that mean?”

“It means you can be an uptight asshole sometimes,” Tuck laughs.

Daisy and Briar arrive back at the kitchen before I have a chance to respond, so instead I just roll my eyes. Okay, I might be a little Type A. When Tuck and I were roommates, he learned what would set me off. He put his shoes away in the closet, he did his dishes, he didn’t leave his shit lying around.

I scrub my hand over the back of my neck.

“You okay, Holdey?” Daisy asks. “Another one of your headaches?”

“Nah, I’m good. Just a little tight.” I stretch my neck from side to side.

“Well, just so you know, Briar gives great massages. I’m not sure how, but she gets in deep. For being as tiny as she is, the girl can really get in there.”

Fuck my life. I know what she said, but that’s not what I heard. I may be a nice guy, but I’m also a healthy, red-blooded 28-year-old man. I really need Daisy to stop putting thoughts in my head about Briar’s hands on my body.

“You keep saying things like that and I might get a big head over here.” Briar smiles.

“See, Holdey… this arrangement is going to work out well,” Daisy assures me. “Nightly massages sound good to me.”

Briar laughs, and it lights up her entire face. Her gold-rimmed green eyes shine, and her cheeks turn the softest shade of pink to match her lips.

Well, damn.

Moving her in may not be my finest idea, but it’s too late now.

“So, do you have a car here?” I ask Briar. “Or do you need a ride?”

“I have my car.”

“Great. I guess I’ll see you at my house then,” I answer, clapping Tucker on the shoulder before leaning into Daisy for a hug. “It’s the first one on the right when you drive down Haven Harbor.”

“Got it.” She smiles, and fuck, is it gorgeous.

On the drive back to my place, I’m not surprised to find that my mood has turned to shit. Whether I like it or not, I’m getting a new roommate. And I’m going to need to learn how to keep her at an arm’s length.

And I can already tell that’s going to be really fucking hard.