AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“When did you get home?” I asked, turning back to the stove. I flipped the piece of french toast. Sausage sizzled in another pan. Everything was almost ready.
“Early this morning. You don’t remember?”
“No. Did I talk to you?” I had carried on conversations in my sleep in the past.
“Yeah. You asked if I’d finished the case, and I told you yes and to go back to sleep. You did.”
“I’m sorry. I used to do that a lot with Rebecca. It’s awful if I have a secret. There were a few times she got stuff out of me in my sleep.”
Sid wrapped his arms around my midsection from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. “Good to know. Mmm, this smells good. What are you making?”
“French toast. There’s a fresh pot of coffee. The food will be ready in a few minutes.”
He kissed my neck and then my cheek before moving away to get some coffee. I flipped off the burners and plated our breakfast. Sid was at the table, scrolling through his phone. I set down our plates, refilled my coffee, and took a seat.
“This looks amazing. Thank you,” he said.
“You’re welcome. I’m not the greatest cook.”
He took a big bite, chewed, and hummed. “It’s delicious.”
I looked down at my plate and smiled.
“What have you been up to?” he asked.
Should I tell him about the wedding planning and dress shopping? Would he be angry that I was moving forward with the wedding when it wasn’t real? The panic that had been simmering for the past two days returned with a flurry, making me sick.
“Kat?” he asked around a bite of sausage.
“Our moms showed up when you left and brought all our friends, and they forced me to plan the wedding, then they took me to the city to pick out a wedding dress,” I blurted out in one breath.
His hand froze with the fork in midair. He blinked a few times. His expression was unreadable. My heart hammered in my chest. Was he angry?
The air grew thick with tension, and I thought I was going to throw up. He snapped his mouth shut, set his fork down, and sat back. When he cleared his throat, I jumped.
“Start at the beginning.”
I told him about how my mom and his mom showed up, followed by Mindy, Laney, Kate, and Rebecca. About how they took over his living room and asked me a bunch of questions about the wedding, like colors and flowers. I explained how my mom brought my grandma’s dress for me to try on and how she suggested we cut it up and then how both of our moms had set up an appointment in the city at the same bridal shop all our friends used and I tried on dresses.
When I finished, he looked like he was in shock again, and my anxiety took over. Tears filled my eyes. Sid’s eyes widened, and then he was out of his chair. He pulled me against him and kissed the top of my head.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do, so I just went along with it.”
He kneeled in front of me. “Kat, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
He frowned. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“Because I’m planning our wedding and we aren’t really engaged?”
He shook his head and sighed. “I didn’t think this far ahead. If I’m being honest, I didn’t think about anything past the gala. But once the gossip blog caught wind of the engagement and then our friends, I didn’t know what to do. I guess I assumed we’d have a long engagement and then split amicably.”
There was a pinch in my chest at hearing him talk about us breaking up, which was stupid since we weren’t really together. We’d been acting like a couple, and there were feelings on both sides, but we’d never established what this really was. Yes, we both agreed we wouldn’t be with anyone else, but I’d had that agreement in the past with a guy I was casually sleeping with.
This was a lot more than a casual fling. My heart was invested, and now I couldn’t imagine life without Sid in it. Making breakfast this morning, watching the sunrise on his porch, talking with him at the table, it all felt natural, like something we did regularly. How would I go back to living alone after this?
