Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
“Because I’ve missed him for eight years,” she blurts. Then, softer, she says, “I’m sorry.” She folds her arms, hugging herself tightly. “I want you to choose how we handle this.”
I cock my head to the side and study her. “You know his game, right? This doesn’t end with him sweeping you off your feet. He steals you away, and then once he ruins us, he’s gone.”
“Alec, there is no us. I keep trying to tell you that. There can’t be an us.”
“Because of him.” She doesn’t reply. Maybe because it’s not a question. “Have you asked yourself where he was all these years if he really wanted you? Have you stopped to wonder if he would’ve bothered coming to town and being the mysterious outsider if he didn’t believe you were my girlfriend?”
She stares at her lap. “Of course I’ve wondered that.”
“This is what he does, Savvy. He was so fucking wounded by the way our father abandoned him when he was a baby—and let me be the first to say that was total shit behavior on my dad’s part—but you know who’s gotten to pay the price for his bitterness? I have. From the moment he swept into our high school and took my fucking place as the starting running back to the moment he got my girl pregnant in college. And after all these years, once I finally think he’s living his own life and not just trying to ruin mine, I find out he’s the reason you never let us have a chance. And now that he thinks we’re engaged, he’s here. Rescuing you from a broken-down car and showing up at your house before my sister’s wedding. He’s seducing you when he thinks you’re mine, but you better be careful, because the second that ring comes off your finger, he’ll lose interest. You’ll be nothing to him all over again.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
I flinch at the pain in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to be honest because I don’t want him hurting you.”
“So you’re saying you want me to keep the ring on and keep pretending we’re getting married. If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.”
“I’m saying that just once I want him to think I won.”
“That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? You want to pretend I’m yours so you can shove it in his face. Is that why you were so determined for me to give you another chance? To prove that you can win?”
I feel like I’ve been slapped. “I want you to give us a chance because I want you. Taking something Oliver lost is just the icing on the cake.”
She’s quiet for a long time, studying me. “For the record, I think you have him all wrong.”
“How can you say that when he hurt you like he did? When he bought you like he did?”
She digs in her purse and pulls out a tissue before flipping down her mirror. “Because I knew him once. Better than he knew himself—despite all his efforts to keep me at a distance.” She wipes at her face, clearing away the smudges of makeup beneath her eyes.
I sigh. Why do women fall for Oliver like this? “I’m right about this. And I hate that you’re determined to learn that the hard way.”
SAVVY
Rose and Jared’s ceremony was short but so sweet. I love the way they look at each other. The way the rest of this day seems unnecessary to them, and they only care about each other.
Unlike the simple elegance of the ceremony, the reception is over the top. We were serenaded by a string quartet while served a five-course meal with wine pairings. Brinley and The Patio staff truly outdid themselves.
Now that the tables are cleared and the toasts are done, couples are swaying around the dance floor, and I find my gaze drifting to Oliver, who’s kept himself on the periphery throughout the festivities. He catches my eye before sweeping his gaze over me. Hungry. Proprietary. Knowing. I yank my attention away.
Whatever animosity Alec and his mother feel for Oliver, it clearly didn’t rub off on Rose. From the moment we walked in the door of the rehearsal dinner last night, they were side by side. She even kept him close at dinner, taking the spot between him and her fiancé. Tonight, she’s more distant, but she checks in with him every so often.
I wonder if he realizes she’s protecting him? Either way, I can’t help but like her even more for it.
“Will you do me a favor?” someone asks behind me.
I turn and see Jared’s mother. “What’s that?”
“Will you go and get Alec on the dance floor? Cheryl didn’t think anyone would dance with so few guests, and I’m desperate to prove her wrong—for Rose’s sake, of course.”