Page 123 of Peaks and Promises

“I heard you. I’m just choosing not to believe it.” She winked. “I believe in love.”

“We’re not in love,” I said.

“Mm hmm. We’ll see.”

“At least we found the right dress,” Penelope said, clearly trying to change the subject. “And I don’t think either of you need alterations, so that’s even better.”

“No, these fit great,” Melanie said. “And they’ll look fantastic with the other dresses.”

I ducked back into the fitting room and changed into my regular clothes. Biting my lip, I logged in to my banking app to make sure my account had enough funds to cover it. The last thing I needed was the embarrassment of a declined debit card in front of my new friends. There was enough, although I wished it wasn’t quite so tight.

But at least I wasn’t flat broke.

I took the dress to the counter and paid. After exchanging hugs and goodbyes with Mel and Pen, I left the boutique and walked a block up the street to where I’d parked.

A large squirrel sat at a tiny picnic table feeder on the corner eating seeds. Smiling—it was so cute—I paused to watch it nibble. It looked up at me and chattered a warning.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to take your food.”

It chattered again, and I laughed.

“You’re very assertive, aren’t you? And you don’t look like you’re missing any meals, either.”

My car was parked on the next block, but instead of continuing, I hesitated. The hair on my arms stood up and my back tightened. It felt like someone was watching me.

I glanced up and down the street. People walked along the sidewalks on both sides. A family went around me, and the squirrel chirped at them, too. But I didn’t see anyone looking in my direction.

With my heart pounding, I walked to my car and went around to the driver’s side. Anxiety made my stomach clench as I unlocked the doors and put my dress in the back seat. I looked around again and shut the door, my ears straining to hear. A car drove by, but no roar of bike engines. Not even in the distance.

Maybe I was imagining things.

I let out a long breath and opened the driver’s-side door. Just in case, I cast another glance over my shoulder.

There he was.

Axel.

He stood a couple blocks behind me, on the opposite side of the street. He was dressed in a plain T-shirt and jeans, and he’d cut his hair and shaved. But it was him.

A small knot of people walked past him, hiding him from my line of sight. They kept on going, but he was gone—disappeared from view.

I didn’t know if he’d ducked into the alley between buildings or gone into one of the shops on that side of the street. But there was no doubt in my mind. It was him.

Axel had found us.

CHAPTER 29

Reese

Tilikum didn’t have a store that carried formal menswear, but the neighboring town of Echo Creek did, and I was on my way to meet Theo and Luke there. Heading down the highway, I had a strange feeling in my gut. I was unsettled, and I couldn’t put my finger on why.

Maybe it was the other thing I’d done that morning.

The rings weren’t fancy. A gold band for me and a simple diamond for Summer. I’d considered something cheap—fake gold for a fake marriage—but in the end, I’d opted for the real thing. With the two boxes tucked in the center console of my SUV, now I wasn’t so sure. Had I done the right thing?

It was that jerk’s fault—the guy at the bar. Hitting on my wife. Who wasn’t my wife. But she wasn’t available, either, right? That was part of the deal, wasn’t it? If we were pretending to be married, we couldn’t see other people.

Not that Summer would have been interested in that guy. He’d barely looked old enough to be in a bar. She didn’t need some cocky man-child. She needed a partner—solid, steadfast, loyal.