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“Because you like flowers,” he said, as if that explained everything. “Listen, I know this is all coming out of left field, but I need to talk to you about something important.”
“Okay.”
He glanced around. “Here? That’s fine, we can do this here.” He paused to take a deep breath. “Marigold, I think I’m in love with you.”
My eyes widened and I took an involuntary step backward. What had he just said?
“No, you’re not.”
“Hang on, I didn’t mean to lead with that. I don’t know what it is lately, but I can’t seem to think straight when I’m around you.”
“Zachary, you’re not in love with me.”
“No, that’s the thing. I am. When I was shocked in your salon, there was a moment when I thought I was going to die. And the first thing I thought about was you. My only regret was not telling you how I feel.”
I took another step backward, a sick feeling spreading through my stomach. “This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny.”
“Is this some kind of prank? You’re bored with messing with the Baileys so now you decide to mess with me?” I glanced around. “Is someone filming this to see my reaction?”
“No, of course not. Mari, I’m not messing with you. This is real.”
“We’ve known each other almost our entire lives, and for most of it, you’ve ignored me. You haven’t just ignored me, you’ve made it very clear that you hate me.”
“I never hated you.”
“Now I know you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying. I didn’t hate you, I just thought I had to avoid you. And once I started avoiding you, it was like I couldn’t stop.”
“You expect me to believe that? You’ve been treating me like I have a communicable disease since high school.”
“You’re right. I know.” He put his hands up. “I’ve been a jerk and it was stupid and I’m sorry.”
Did I believe him? Maybe he really was sorry. But that didn’t explain why he was sending me flowers and claiming he was in love with me. That, I couldn’t believe.
“Okay, well, thank you for apologizing and I forgive you. I don’t need to hold a grudge over it. But you’re not in love with me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I really am.” He raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t you hear the part about my one regret when I thought I was dying? Because I thought that was pretty good. And it’s true.”
“That’s not love, that’s a traumatic experience.”
“A traumatic experience that made me realize how I feel.”
I stared at him for a moment. Zachary Haven was standing outside my house, claiming to be in love with me. Once, this might have felt like a dream come true. And I knew with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I would have fallen for it. I would have believed him because it was everything I’d secretly wanted to hear.
But I wasn’t falling for it now. A guy didn’t go from constantly ignoring someone for so many years to being in love with her just because he got shocked and fell off a ladder. That was ridiculous. I wasn’t going to let myself be so naïve.
I wasn’t going to let him hurt me again.
“Zachary, you can’t just come over here and claim you’re in love with me like this. I just started dating someone.” As soon as the words left my lips, I grasped what was really happening. He knew I was dating Preston. He wasn’t in love with me, he just didn’t want someone else to have me. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”
“What?”
“I don’t know why you would choose now to pull this stunt and not when I was dating someone else in the past. Maybe you realize Preston could be the one and that’s why you’re doing this.”
“I don’t even know who Preston is.”
