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“Why did you do that?” The walls closed in around me, even as I acknowledged I had gotten myself into the mess.
“What was my alternative?”
“Dive behind the produce when you spotted Cal?” I offered weakly.
“Maybe I should have spent the night at your house,” Andy laughed.
“Had I known you couldn’t be trusted walking around town, I would have kept you in my apartment until Sunday.”
“Next time.”
And there would be a next time. The dawning realization that I couldn’t walk this back quite as easily as I hoped quickened my breath.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow, then? Three? Bunny wants us to come a little early.”
“You talked to Bunny too?” I groaned.
“She saw my car in the driveway. That one wasn’t my fault.” Andy’s voice stayed lighthearted, joking even. His straightforward manner tamed the panic that threatened to overtake me as I pivoted for the millionth time that week.
“You shouldn’t have been up there. Not without me, anyway. But…” I pursed my lips. “What did they say?”
I cringed at how needy I sounded, and although I’d be calling all of them that night, I wanted to hear Andy’s version of their conversation.
“Cal swore a bunch. Len did too, but he also said he’d murder me if I hurt you, and Bunny cried. Happy crying, but a lot of crying.”
I held back tears. “Did she?”
“She was thrilled. Not Cal, though, or Len. They might hurt me.”
Andy’s voice didn’t hold any of the same tension as mine, which weirdly ebbed away my own anxiety. I leaned into the back of the couch, taking a long breath. “It was a brave move, seeing them on your own.”
“Well, I figured you’d protect me, being your fiancé and all.”
I swallowed the lump blocking my throat.
Your fiancé.
Andy had unwittingly taken away any shot I had at backing out.
“Speaking of lying low, you probably should avoid Millie and Bunny until tomorrow. They want to see the ring.”
Reflexively, I touched my left ring finger. “Right. I can probably dig something up. I’m at Thea’s. Maybe there’s something here I can use for an engagement ring.”
“No,” Andy interrupted me. “I’ve got one. I was going to come by with it tonight, but I had something come up at the site in Manchester. I’ll give it to you tomorrow when I pick you up for dinner.”
Of course he had a ring. The guy had a fifteen-page business proposal, a course catalog, and a color-coded calendar. He’d braved traveling up Len’s mountain to ask for my brother’s blessing. A ring was a logical extension of that level of planning.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
I hung up. An awkward mix of emotions, including a strange excitement and a gut-wrenching nervousness, left me frowning at the phone.
“So, I’m guessing the fake marriage isn’t called off?”
I closed my eyes with a groan. “Want to be our witness?”
CHAPTER7
Andy
