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“You’re loud,” was all he said.
I smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Is that a problem?”
He smiled, chuckling softly to himself. “No. I liked it. It’s just something to note for next time, if you’re still trying to keep this whole thing a secret.”
My heart fell to the floor. He was talking about keeping this a secret. Did he know why I had lied to him in the first place about Flynn? Why I kept pushing him away all this time?
“I don’t need to know everything right now,” he said, putting all the questions he saw circling in my head to rest. “Whatever it is, we can figure it out together—but no more excuses. No more pushing me away.”
I nodded, my body still too numb to respond any other way.
So, we were keeping this a secret for now. Not letting anyone know what was going on while I still supposedly helped him find the woman of his dreams.
Brilliant. Absolutely perfect.
What on earth could go wrong?
Chapter Nineteen
Hunter
“Ijust don’t think it’s working out for me,” I said.
“What the hell do you mean it isn’t working out for you?” Vanessa asked, nearly throwing the breakfast croissant across the table at me. I had subtly tried to get out of my commitment to the matchmaking service before—an effort that always resulted in Vanessa threatening to fire Lyndsey for not doing her job.
This time was no different. Only now, Lyndsey was the sole reason I wanted out. I couldn’t commit to another woman, not like this. Not knowing how I felt about her.
How did I even feel about her?
I cared about her, deeply. There was no confusion there. But was I in love with Lyndsey? Was she the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with?
It was still too soon to say. I couldn’t abide by a window of thirty days to find my soulmate before, and I wasn’t about to do it now. Though, if there was anyone on this earth who came close, it was Lyndsey.
“I can’t do the thirty-day requirement,” I said, coming up with any excuse I could to get out of my supposed contract. “I didn’t realize it was part of the plan. How am I supposed to fall in love that quickly?”
“I’ve already told you, Hunter. This isn’t about falling in love. It’s about finding a wife.”
I groaned. “Yes. And I’m supposed to pretend those two don’t go hand-in-hand.”
“These are old squabbles.” Vanessa waved an impatient hand in front of her. “The truth is that Miss Picture Perfect can’t find the right one for you. If she did, then you wouldn’t even be second-guessing the thirty days. You would marry the girl on the spot. I can always fire her and assign you a new matchmaker.”
Right. Because that’s what I needed. Not only would it cost Lyndsey her job, I’d be forced to endure some cutthroat salesperson content on “selling” me a lifetime with a complete stranger.
“Lyndsey’s been doing fine,” I explained. “This has nothing to do with her.”
We were keeping this whole relationship a secret. Though, I still didn’t know exactly why, I figured part of it had to do with Vanessa and something along the lines of fraternizing with the clients. Any other part likely dealt with Lyndsey’s parents, who expected her to make serious life changes.
Those life changes probably didn’t include falling for a client at one’s place of work, especially when Lyndsey was supposed to be setting me up with other women instead. Especially when the two of us were on either sides of a bitter feud between family members who should have no say in our personal lives whatsoever.
But even I knew that last part was beyond my control.
No matter how I broke it to her, Vanessa would be pissed. Even Kyle. I saw them both at least once a week, which would definitely make dating their sworn enemy difficult to hide, eventually.
For now, we could be casual. For now, Lyndsey and I could simply see where things took us without letting family or careers complicate things further. I’d finally convinced her to let me in at all. I wasn’t about to risk it by exposing our relationship prematurely.
Though I had to admit, despite all protests, I was already falling hard.
She made me want to abandon all these silly notions about settling down forever and making a life in one place so soon. Maybe we could spend some time traveling. Maybe there would be no rush to start a family.
