Saved by Love (Willow Valley Book 3)(6)

Against her better judgment, she'd hoped he would come over and say hi since she first spotted him at the bar when they walked in. There was just something about him. He was so...captivating. It was the only way she knew how to describe him. Every time she saw him everything else seemed to fade away, to become muted in contrast to his presence. She couldn't even think clearly, much less carry on a decent conversation. She was still embarrassed over her erratic behavior that afternoon.

Obviously she was going to have to take charge of this issue or she'd be reduced to a stuttering mess in the next few seconds when he arrived at her table.

You can do this. He's just a guy.

A ridiculously hot guy. It wasn't as if she'd never seen a hot guy before. It had just been a really, really long time since one had been interested in her, and from the way he was smiling at her and not even looking at anyone else as he approached, she was pretty certain there was a bit of interest there.

Determined to get her act together and not appear as socially inept as she felt, she took a deep breath and tried to remember how she dealt with the panic attacks she used to have. Breathe in. Breathe out. Calmness in. Negativity out. She was relieved that it seemed to work just as well for her in this situation because now here he was and there was no more time to pull it together.

Feeling lighter, she tuned back in to the conversation going on around her.

"Ethan, it's been a while," Cassie was saying. "How are you?"

"Great, thanks." Ethan smiled as he handed her one of the drinks in his hands. "And you?"

"Feels good to be out with the girls for a change." Cassie had a sweet little girl named Sarah and a fairly new baby boy at home. Abby didn't think she'd been out without them since she'd had Carter.

"I bet. Here you go," Ethan said, turning his attention back to Abby as he came around the table and handed her an icy margarita.

She offered him a smile as she looked up at him. "Thanks."

Braden lifted his beer and clinked it to her glass. "Cheers. So you decided to join us after all, man?" he said to Ethan, a slight edge to his voice.

Abby didn't miss the look of challenge that passed between the two men. What was that about? Surely not her. But as Ethan grabbed an unoccupied chair from a nearby table and swung it around to straddle it backwards between Braden and herself, he received a glare in return from Braden. Well, maybe so.

It wasn't like she thought she was unattractive or anything, but to have two guys so obviously vying for her attention was an entirely new experience for her and she couldn't keep the laugh from bubbling up at the absurdity of it. Funny, she'd laughed more around him today than she could remember laughing in a while.

Ethan cocked a curious brow at her and grinned before raising his beer as well. "Cheers. And yes, my friend, I wondered why I was letting you have all the fun over here by yourself."

"Probably because this is girls' night, and you two are officially crashing it," Abby interjected pointedly, but her voice was full of amusement. Now that she was feeling a bit more relaxed, she thought maybe she would enjoy the night after all.

"Hmm," Ethan said, leaning in to bump his shoulder lightly against hers. "Isn't girls' night just a ruse for going out to meet guys?"

She pursed her lips in mock-indignation. "Certainly not. There is a long standing tradition of girls' night, and it absolutely does not involve meeting guys."

He made a noise in his throat that sounded like he wasn't convinced.

"Besides, in case you haven't noticed, my two lovely companions are married."

Braden leaned in and raised an eyebrow. "And where does that leave you? In search of Mr. Right?"

Abby's mouth fell open and Lissa laughed, saying, "You walked right into that one, hon. Sorry to burst your bubble, Braden, but I had to practically drag her out tonight."

It wasn't a lie. If she'd been able to come up with any excuse that her persistent sister-in-law would accept, she'd probably be watching a movie in her new comfy bed. But it wouldn't have given her a good enough distraction to keep from thinking about Ethan, one of the main reasons she hadn't put up a bigger fight when Lissa had called to remind her that she better be ready by eight.

And look where that had landed her. Mere inches from the guy. So much for a night of distraction.

Ethan lifted one corner of his mouth in a half-smile. "So you aren't in the market for Mr. Right?"

Not too long ago that kind of question would have sent her into a downward spiral that lasted for days, but something about the way he said it, light and teasing, no pressure, simply left her feeling at ease. That was the second time that day that she'd surprised herself with her reaction to him. Was she finally getting over Derek?

It wasn't something she wanted to think about. She just wanted to enjoy whatever this attraction was. At least for the moment. She could think about how she needed to watch herself around Ethan later. Right now she was sitting next to a guy who made her stomach do somersaults and she wanted to have a little fun for a change. Besides, she was surrounded by her girlfriends. It was perfectly safe.

So she did what any single, red-blooded woman would do when faced with a hottie of epic proportions. She flirted back.

"Mr. Right?" She gave him a saucy grin. "Why, do you consider yourself a good candidate for the position? Or perhaps your friend here would know better. Braden, what do you think? Does Ethan have what it takes to be someone's Mr. Right?"