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Deep in my heart, I thought I really did believe that, despite the petty jealousy I’d let take a hold of me.
“And as soon as Sean gets back from his honeymoon, everyone can know it. I can’t wait to tell people that I’m lucky enough to be with you.”
He kissed me quickly. “And that you’re lucky enough to be with me,” he teased. “Because I’m quite the catch.”
The rest of my tension melted away as I laughed and shoved his shoulder. His grin in the dim light looked exactly as the one he’d given my brother once or twice while they’d talked the other day.
When they’d talked and Chris had lied so easily about the trip he hadn’t taken.
Stop, it Sav. My inner voice sounded like Penny again, scolding me for being stupid and insecure.
“I’m ready to go back inside now. Before you keep us here for hours listing all your wonderful qualities.”
When we got out, he helped me smooth down my dress, and I helped him get his shirt tucked back in properly, so we wouldn’t look like two people who had just had toe-curling orgasms together in a parked truck.
I took his hand and held it most of the walk back to the bar because I needed to feel like we weren’t hiding, just for a few more seconds. And if I’m honest about it, I think I wanted people to see, for our secret to come out, so we could stop pretending.
When we got close enough that the brighter streetlights would hide nothing, Chris had better sense than I did and let go of my hand, letting me get ahead of him to walk into the bar first. He didn’t follow me, obviously intending to wait outside at least a few seconds.
Anna sat in the entryway where a bouncer checked IDs. Her face was puffy like she’d been crying. I might have felt bad for her for just a second, woman to woman, if she hadn’t glared at me like she wanted to scratch my eyes out.
I walked past without a word. As I went into the bar, I heard the front door open behind me and knew it was Chris coming in. Somehow, I managed to keep myself from turning around to see her expression.
The pettiest part of me wanted Anna to know we’d been together outside and for her to realize that Chris only wanted me, so she never stood a chance.
31
CHRIS
I pulledinto an empty spot in front of the bookstore. It was Monday, and Sav was off today because she’d worked Saturday before the bridal party incident. I had a surprise I’d been planning for her, and I needed Melanie’s input to make it happen.
I was even more determined to make sure her dreams for the Sparks came true. I’d been bothered by what happened at the party all the weekend. Sav had to know she didn’t have to worry about other women flirting with me. But she’d seemed so uncertain about everything.
I still thought about the way she’d taken charge in the truck, too. She’d completely blown my mind, and I wanted her to do it again, but not because she felt insecure about where my heart really was.
I’d almost told her then that I loved her, words I hadn’t said out loud yet. But the timing didn’t feel right. I didn’t want her to think I was only saying it to reassure her. When I said it, I didn’t want her to be able to find any reason to question it.
Until then, I planned to do everything I could to show her that nothing mattered to me more than her and her happiness.
Melanie’s car was parked a few spaces down from mine, but she wasn’t waiting for me outside. I walked in and found her near the back, looking at books in the nonfiction section.
“Looking for something to read?” I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets as I stood beside her.
She shrugged. “I love self-help books. A lot of them repeat the same information, but it makes me feel like I’m getting my life together every time.”
I scoffed. “You seem like you have things together to me.”
She laughed. “That’s the secret to designing. Make things appear as if they’re together on the outside, even if the inside might need some work.”
“I never looked at it that way before.” She was talking about designing, but her words hit home. I was starting to face the fact that I’d presented myself one way to everyone around me for years, the playboy content with one-night stands, while secretly I’d longed for something more. With Sav. It had been so secret, I hadn’t even admitted to myself until recently.
I thought about that for a moment before clearing my throat. “Are you ready for me to show you around, or do want to browse for a while? I have some stuff I could do upstairs—”
“No, no. I’m ready,” she said, placing the book she’d selected back on the shelf. “Let’s go.”
I showed her around every room, even traveling down the hallway to the office. She peeked into the bathrooms and frequently hummed as she looked around.
“I have some ideas,” she said, making notes on her phone. “There’s another venue I designed that had a similar set-up. It’s at the Brimstone Hotel in Mayberry.” She locked her phone and threw it into her purse. “I could show you, so we can be on the same page.”
