The humid evening air presses on me and I can’t quite pull in a full breath. I squirm on the branch and the scratchy bark irritates my skin. It’s as if he can see everything I try to hide, all my fears, all my hopes, my dreams. A drop of sweat trickles down my chest.

“I didn’t…” I say, but then trail off.

Because I think I see disappointment in his expression. Now, there’s been a lot of emotions between us in the past twenty years—antagonism, indifference, straight-up dislike, but never disappointment.

“He’s getting married,” says Will.

The sheen of sweat turns cold and my stomach drops. “What?” It comes out like a croak. That’s not possible. “He can’t.”

Will narrows his eyes. They go ice cold and not even the lines around them can soften his expression. “He can. He is.”

“He can’t…”

It can’t be.

Erma just confirmed Gavin is my soul mate, something I’ve dreamed of nearly my entire life. She told me Gavin was back in Romeo. It was like everything was finally, finally falling into place. William’s words crash over me like a bucket of ice. My soul mate is marrying another woman?

“Of course he can,” says Will. “He’s here for a week; his engagement party is Saturday. Then he’s getting married.”

Will moves to climb down from the tree, then pauses. I look at him, taking in his features. Sure, he’s Gavin’s identical twin, but I always wondered how two people who look so much alike could be so completely different.

Will has ice-blue eyes. Gavin, a happy blue. Will has a hard chin, a hooked nose and a full lower lip. On Gavin, that lower lip looks mischievous and inviting. On Will, it looks…wicked. The one soft part on a hard uncompromising man. Taste it and maybe it will unlock the rest of him.

“Look,” he says.

I look into his eyes. I can tell he’s about to say something I won’t like.

“I know you’ve always had this unrealistic little-girl crush on my brother—”

I blink. “That’s not true.”

He pointedly looks down at the binoculars and then back up at me.

I flush.

He continues and his voice isn’t gentle. “It’s time to come back to reality. And it looks like I’m the one who has to help you do it.”

“Not necessary,” I say. In fact, Will is going to feel like a fool when I marry his brother. My embarrassment shifts to anger. My love life is none of Will’s business.