Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“That went well.”
“As expected. Well, almost.” Her eyes fluttered up to mine and back down. “Did you know that he’d be here?”
I had one guess who she meant. “Robert?”
She swallowed and nodded.
“No. Katherine sure is thorough.”
“She sure is,” Whitley grumbled. “I should have told him on my own.”
“I thought the same. But it has been three years, Whit. It’s not like it’s the summer after he found out about us.”
She bit her lip. “I suppose. I just never really talked to him about it after he laid you out at Fashion Week.”
I scoffed. “I was not laid out.”
“Fine,” she said with an eye roll. “After he punched you in the face.”
“I had a wicked bruise for two weeks after that. Very manly.”
She laughed. “You’re ridiculous. No punching today.”
“Of course not. I probably should talk to him though.”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “Probably.”
“Can I steal one more dance with my bride-to-be before I do the very manly thing?” I teased as the song came to an end and another started up.
She pushed me gently backward. “Go. Do the right thing. Try to come back to me with your face intact. I’m sort of attached to it.”
I grinned devilishly. “Is that so?”
“Oh, put your ego away, King,” she said, shoving me harder this time. “Go!”
I laughed as I backed away from her. She shook her head at me as I turned to survey the rest of the rooftop. People kept coming up to me to congratulate me.
One or two old flings didn’t seem too pleased about it. I got a round of, “Who knew someone could nail you down?”
But otherwise, everyone was friendly and less hostile.
Finally, I found Robert standing alone against the railing overlooking the city.
“Hey, man.”
Robert glanced over at me, and then he quickly straightened, letting a smile stretch across his face. “Gavin.” He offered me his hand. “Congratulations!”
I took his hand in mine and shook. “Thank you. I’m so glad that you’re here. Though I apologize that you found out this way.”
Robert waved me off, ever gracious. “How else did you expect to tell me? This seems like the perfect way.”
“With our history, I probably should have reached out first.”
“I don’t care about all of that. What’s in the past is in the past. I’m really happy for you, Gavin. I’ll admit that I didn’t think it would all happen this fast, but I’m glad it did happen to you.”
I wanted to tell him the circumstances that had made it happen this fast, but I couldn’t. Even if he was lying through his teeth, having his acceptance and congratulations made me feel a lot better. A lot less like a dick who had stolen his girl.
It hadn’t happened that way at all. But it didn’t help that he had actually laid me out at Fashion Week when he found out Whitley and I had slept together in Puerto Rico while they were on a break. A breakup to Whit, but apparently not to him.
“Thank you, man. I’m really happy for you and Harmony, too.”
Robert’s smile intensified as he turned to find his girlfriend standing next to my fiancée. Well, that was interesting.
“It’s been eye-opening, to say the least. You know when it’s right, don’t you?”
I nodded, my eyes on Whitley. I did. I did know.
20
WHITLEY
Robert was fake smiling. I’d seen his real smile, and that certainly wasn’t it.
He was diplomatic to a fault. It was one of his strong suits. He’d never make Gavin feel bad for what was happening even if he really wanted to. In fact, what he’d done at Fashion Week was so out of character that it was what had finally shaken me loose.
My eyes found Katherine, standing next to her husband, chatting with people I didn’t recognize. As if feeling my eyes on her, she turned and met my gaze. She arched an eyebrow.
You did this, I mouthed.
Her eyes traveled to where Gavin and Robert were currently talking. Yes, I’d sent Gavin over there, but only because it was a necessity. Normally, I walked away from a relationship and never had to deal with the person ever again. That was never going to be the case with Robert. Not when I was back in New York City and we had all the same friends. I didn’t mind burning a few dozen bridges on the way out. I never had. I just didn’t want to burn this one. Not when I was the one who had been in the wrong.
Katherine looked back over at me and smirked like the devil she was. You’re welcome, she mouthed back.
Damn, I loved her.
I laughed despite myself and turned my back on her. I’d been so focused on Katherine that I hadn’t seen who was approaching me.
“Hello, Whitley,” Harmony said.
“Hey, Harm,” I said with a smile.
Harmony and I hadn’t interacted that much before I left, but I always liked people who could ruffle Katherine’s feathers. It had been my mission for several years. What else were friends for? But we’d definitely be working on the wedding dress going forward. Harmony helped run her mother’s company, Cunningham Couture. Katherine had modeled for them in earlier years. In fact, so had Harmony before she moved fully into design.