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I wanted to ask if Nina was selfish, but a crowd descended upon us. “There’s the happy couple,” one of the female guests exclaimed.
“I guess it’s showtime,” I said for Patrick’s ears only.
He grinned and spun me out, keeping a hold of my hand.
This felt so wrong, but right all at the same time. Almost like the universe was correcting a grave mistake. Why couldn’t it be privately?
I noticed how everyone’s eyes seemed to land on my upper lip first.
One of the women poked her husband’s arm. “I told you she doesn’t look like Ron Swanson.”
Patrick chuckled.
I almost elbowed him, but I wouldn’t put it past Dave to have paid one of our guests to act as an informant. So instead, I leaned into him more, acting the part of smitten fiancée. Although, I was taken aback by the fanfare. I wasn’t anyone of consequence. Dave obviously was playing his hand. I had a feeling I was on the fifteen-minutes-of-fame clock. As each second ticked, I hated Dave more and more.
“Tell us how you met,” a sweet older woman who was here visiting family asked.
I looked up at Patrick indicating that he should answer.
He flashed me a dazzling smile, letting the whole room know he was delighted to share the story. He turned to the eager crowd and above the noise of the music said, “Many years ago, I made a special delivery for my parents. Unbeknownst to me, this beautiful creature happened to be there. I knew the moment I laid eyes on her she would change my life.”
That gave me all the feels. I snuggled into his chest, longing to be close to him.
He wrapped his arms around me, and the crowd ahhed.
I didn’t enjoy the audience for these moments.
“We have to hear the engagement story,” a man called out, which I thought was odd. I found that most of the time, men couldn’t care less about those details. I was suddenly suspicious of everyone. I tensed in Patrick’s arms.
Almost like he knew why, he ran a hand down my back, trying to calm me. “Let’s just say there we were in the water, and I looked at her and knew if I didn’t ask her to marry me, I would regret it for the rest of my life.”
My head drifted up to meet his gaze full of regret. He was speaking the truth. I thought of our night in the hot tub. Oh, what a glorious Christmas night it had been. I remembered him opening his mouth several times to say something, but the words never came. Instead, his lips would find my own. Had he wanted to propose all those years ago? We’d hardly known each other. I blinked and blinked, not knowing what to say.
Patrick nodded, telling me my line of thinking was correct. Then he shook his head as though the memory pained him too much. He faced the crowd. “If you would excuse us, I would like to dance with my bride-to-be.”
My heart pitter pattered at the thought of becoming his bride. The inn was getting to me. Either that or I was insane. You don’t marry people you’ve only known for a few weeks and haven’t seen in years. As in decades.
Yet when Patrick twirled me out on the dance floor for all to see, it didn’t seem all that crazy. Which made me feel crazier.
As we swayed to the rhythm of the Backstreet Boys, so many thoughts of that night long ago ran through my mind, along with every choice I’d made since then. “Patrick,” I whispered in his ear. “I didn’t know.”
“I should have told you.” Regret laced each word.
“We need to talk.”
“Not now.” He dipped me dramatically to the applause of our admirers.
It seemed like it wasn’t just the crowd discouraging him from speaking about the past. About what could have been. Behind his adoring gaze lived pain—that much I could see. What was the source?
I wasn’t the only one who had questions.
While dipped, Jameson came into my view, albeit upside down. He scrunched his cute nose. “Is this guy going to give you sperm?”
Patrick almost dropped me but recovered quickly and pulled me up.
“Dude,” Rory roared, but looked a little squeamish at the thought of his dad and I having sexual relations.
Everyone else around us snort laughed.
