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“It’ll grow back.”
“What does your contract say?” Matt asked. “Do you have the freedom to accept or decline?”
“I don’t have to say yes or no. It’s all up to me.”
“I’m glad they let the women decide freely.”
“So, I have a question. What happens after the final invitation ceremony?”
“We can stay in contact, but we can’t be seen in public together until the reunion, which will be about three months from now.”
“Three months is a good time. Where will you go? Back to Riverside?
“I don’t know. Probably not. I need to start over… in more ways than one. I need a new job; I need to be around people that will support me… I’m hoping I can call and talk to you during the next three months.”
“I want to as well, but I also think you need the time to figure out for yourself what you want from your life.”
“So, are you saying we shouldn’t even talk to each other for the next three months?”
“How about a month?” Evie said as she got up from the couch. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. “What’s the date?” she asked.
After Matt told her, Evie wrote the date on a piece of paper and then added her phone number. “Here’s my number. You call me one month from today and then we can go from there.”
“Expect a call right at midnight!” Matt declared.
Evie laughed. “I’ll be waiting.”
Matt looked at her number and repeated it multiple times aloud. He carefully folded the paper and placed it in his back pocket.
He had a lot to ponder and work on during the next month, but for this last hour they could be together, he wanted Evie in his arms. Matt invited her two brothers to join them in the front room as they watched a sitcom show on TV while Matt held Evie in his arms.
Chapter 21
Evie looked at herself in the mirror after she put on her earrings for the final invitation ceremony. The dress Michele had picked out for the final night was breathtaking. She felt a little like Cinderella with the elegant blue dress that flowed out when she twirled.
Her short hair was another thing.
She resisted the urge to cry and looked at herself in the mirror.
“You are more than your hair!”
She needed to repeat that affirmation… apparently more than once.
A knock on the door of the master bedroom she had used before in the mansion, brought her back to the task at hand. She didn’t know if Matt had already met with Neveah or if he would see her afterward, but now was her turn to walk down the staircase and meet the man whom she had fallen in love with.
She hadn’t told Matt she loved him the evening before because she couldn’t get it out. There were too many variations of how this love story could turn out, but she hoped he felt her sincerity and love through her actions.
She truly wished for the time when she could tell him freely of her love.
Evie took one last glance in the mirror, shook her head to let her hair fall however it would, glanced around to make sure that all her belongings were packed up… for the last time… and opened the door. The producers made her stop at the top of the staircase as they rearranged the cameras and lighting. Her heart was racing. She wondered if Matt was just as nervous as she was.
Then the producer told her to start walking down the stairs and the minute she locked eyes with Matt, who waited for her at the base of the stairs, all feelings of nervousness subsided. In fact, Evie was no longer aware of the cameras and crew members standing in various places around the entryway.
Matt smiled.
Oh, how that smile warmed her heart.
She took a step and almost missed the step completely, causing her to grab onto the railing so she didn’t slide down the rest of the stairs on her behind. When she gained control of her balance and stopped trying to stifle her laugh, she looked up and saw Matt right beside her… he placed his hands on her waist to help her maintain her balance.
