Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
And I would forever put that mask on each time he walked in the room if it made her happy.
The thing was, I wasn’t sure that she was happy.
Not with the way her eyes kept straying to the twelfth row, fourth seat in. Not with the way she kept her eyes on me more than she did her husband.
Not with the way this whole entire thing just felt like the worst possible idea in the universe.
“I do,” I said softly.
So softly, in fact, that the preacher had to strain to hear what I was saying.
Tegan reached to take Janie’s hand, and it took everything I had inside of me to let her go.
Janie frowned as she stared at me with worry in her eyes, causing me to take a deep breath and take a step back.
Taking another breath, I turned on my heels and walked to my chair, not looking up again until it was done.
***
Rafe
My gut felt like I had a lead balloon in it as I stared at Janie.
She had on a white dress—something I wouldn’t have expected from her. It wasn’t her style.
The dress was beautiful, yes, but she didn’t look the least bit comfortable in it. Nor did she look happy to be marrying the man at her side.
The man who looked as if he was holding onto her for dear life.
His hand was clenched around hers, and I could see her skin bunched up from where he’d gripped her hand so hard.
Janie looked at me twice, and each time she did my body felt like she was jerking at invisible strings attached to my heart.
She wanted me to do something. She was waiting.
I had a feeling, at least.
Each time I contemplated standing up. Each time I had to talk myself down.
She was marrying a cop. She was better off where she was going to be.
She’d have the picket fence, two-story house with the dog and the kids.
She’d have everything she ever wanted. Everything that I couldn’t offer her.
What did I have to offer that Tegan didn’t? Nothing, that’s what.
I had a car and a bike that were paid for. I had a few other safe houses that I never lived in—one that I hadn’t even been to in well over a year. Then there was my job—a job that continuously put me into dangerous situations.
I did stuff to some people that didn’t like me meddling in their business.
And mostly, I was just making fucking excuses.
It all boiled down to the fact that I was goddamn pissed.
I was pissed that she was hiding something from me. I was pissed that nobody would tell me what was going on and why I felt this connection with her.
I was upset that she was treating me like everybody else.
I knew we had something, yet I felt betrayed that she was hiding it.
My stomach roiled when I heard the preacher ask, “Are there any objections?”
I got up calmly, walked down the aisle, and straight out of the church, not once looking back.
***
Janie
It took one single look at him, seeing the betrayal in his eyes directed at me, that made me realize that Rafe was gone out of my life for good.
Chapter 13
Author note: I, Lani Lynn Vale, solemnly swear that there is NO CHEATING in this book...but looks are deceiving. So hang with me.
Rafe
A door banged shut one down the hall from mine, and I automatically looked up.
Then I froze.
Son. Of. A. bitch.
Seriously, could my life get any worse?
That, I thought, as I walked out of the wedding a few hours ago was before I heard Elspeth hastily clopping along behind me.
Now, I realized, that life could, in fact, get worse.
How, you ask?
By the woman that you couldn’t stop thinking about getting a hotel room not just in the same hotel as you, but also on the same floor. Right next fucking door to your own.
That would’ve blown big donkey balls if I’d had to hear them all night.
I would have to leave.
I couldn’t be on the same floor right next door to her.
I just couldn’t.
I took a step in her direction, then stopped myself.
Another step.
Two.
Three.
This was the worst idea I’d ever had. The worst.
Elspeth was in the hotel room that I’d rented for the night. Where was I?
Well, I was following the girl.
I’d seen her out of pure happenstance. I’d been in the hallway trying to get a hold of my sister. There had to be a reason that girl getting married to someone else hurt so fucking bad. Yet, again, my sister admitted that she knew nothing about ‘this Janie girl’ and to stop calling and asking the same question over and over.
And she was still in her goddamn wedding dress.
The only thing that had changed between then and now was the hair. It wasn’t up in the complicated bun that I’d hated. Now it was down around her face, cascading down her shoulders to about mid back. God, with her hair down? She was by far the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.