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“But you were so fucking talented. I loved watching you dance,” I admit, the confession slipping out.
She gives me a coy smile. “You watched me?”
“The window in my room looks out over your backyard. It was hard not to watch. You were incredible.”
A blush blooms on her cheeks. “Thanks.”
“Of course.” I hold her gaze for a beat before clearing my throat. “Why do you think you didn’t have a choice but to marry Wyatt?”
“He proposed on national television after his college team won the Heritage Bowl. What was I going to say? No?”
“You could have.”
“I think I was too stunned to realize it at the time. After that, everything moved so fast. Any time I considered breaking things off, or at the very least, delaying the wedding, my father would say something about how happy he was that Wyatt would finally be his son. I hated disappointing him. So I got married, hoping I’d eventually be happy.”
“But you never were.”
On a long exhale, she slowly shakes her head. “I never was.”
Her confession hangs between us. I never would have thought she’d leave Wyatt, let alone learn she felt obligated to marry him in the first place. I guess appearances can be deceiving. Her marriage is proof of that.
“And there I go making this all about me when I’m supposed to be learning about you and Claire,” she says, her voice brightening. “Since I don’t see a ring on your finger, I assume she turned you down?”
“Thankfully, yes. At first, it hurt. But it helped me realize our relationship had become unhealthy. We were holding each other back from pursuing other relationships. After that, we put an end to our arrangement. Just friends. No benefits.”
She takes a sip of her water, hesitating before asking, “Is there someone else with benefits?”
I laugh sheepishly. “No.”
“Why not? You’re a good-looking guy.”
I can’t ignore the thrill that rushes through me in response, but I quickly tamp it down. It doesn’t mean anything. She’s just being nice.
“I guess I haven’t met the right one yet.”
“You’re still young. If you ask me, the biggest mistake people make is getting married too young. You need time to live your life. Figure out who you are as a person. You can’t do that when you’re only known as one-half of a couple.”
“Is that what you’re going to do now? Live your life? Figure out who you are?”
She stares ahead, a contemplative expression crossing her face. “I haven’t really given it much thought. But yeah.” She looks my way. “That sounds like a good plan.”
“Yes, it does.”
She holds my gaze, silence falling over the room. Then she pushes to her feet. “Well, I’ve intruded on your space long enough for one night. Time for bed.”
“I’ll walk you up,” I offer as I stand. “I’m going to turn in, too.”
After finishing the rest of my whiskey, I follow her up the stairs, the only sounds our soft footsteps and the occasional creak of the hardwood beneath us.
When we reach the guest room, I face her. “Good night.”
“Good night, Joshua.”
I’m about to turn from her, but before I can, she throws her arms around me. I freeze, my breath catching. It’s one thing to brush my fingers against her skin while patching up her cut earlier. Or to steady her as she attempted to walk after drinking too much.
This is different.
“Thank you,” she murmurs as she rests her head against my chest.
