Page 63 of Another June with You

“Hey.” She sounded weary.

He smiled over at her.

“Where’s Autumn?” she asked.

“She left hours ago. Not much of a late night party kind of girl.”

“Same. If it wasn’t for weddings, I would never leave the house after ten o’clock.”

“Sounds pretty good to me.” He imagined late nights staying home with Shannon in his arms, snuggling on the couch, watching movies, tucking their kids in bed, making out and more until dawn. He shook away those thoughts before he got himself into trouble.

“So, what did you want to tell me?” Her eyes sparkled from the street lights.

“I thought you should know that Autumn and I … our relationship isn’t what you think.”

Her eyebrows wrinkled and squeezed together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“We’re not dating in the traditional sense of the word.”

Her face screwed up. “What does that even mean? You’re either dating or you’re not.”

“We’re not.”

She looked more confused than when he first began. “I don’t understand.”

“It has to do with Jacquie. I know it seems she’s still pretty crazy over our breakup, but she was even worse in the beginning. Autumn was there for it all. She and I have been friends since freshman year of college, and she saw how hard it was on me.”

“And your friendship became more?”

He could tell she was trying to wrap her mind around what he was saying. “Autumn suggested we tell Jacquie she and I were dating to try to get her to finally realize it was over. But we’ve only ever been friends from the start.”

“How long have you been”—she made air quotes—“dating?”

“About six months.”

Her mouth dropped open a little. “So, she put her whole dating life on hold just for you? Are you sure she doesn’t have feelings for you?”

“It’s not like that. Never has been.”

“Whose idea was it?”

“Hers.” He realized now how it might appear to her. “Okay, I know what you’re thinking, but her mother and grandmother are constantly hounding her about finding a guy to marry. This helped get them off her back for a while. It was a win-win for both of us.”

Shannon didn’t seem convinced. “I’m sorry, but have you seen you? No girl would devote so much time to a guy she saw no future with. No matter how good a friend you say she is. There’s no way she did this without hoping your feelings for her might change.”

Micah thought about that for a minute. Could it be true? Could Autumn feel more for him than she had said? She’d never hinted at that, but he suddenly felt unsure. Women were a mystery sometimes. Could he have misread her?

“And what about you? Do you have feelings for her?”

“Only friendship.”

Shannon sighed. “Why couldn’t you just let me go on believing you two were in a real relationship? What difference does it make now?”

He shifted to face her more. “I didn’t want you to feel guilty about our kiss at the church … or the almost kiss tonight, because I wasn’t cheating on Autumn with you.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “It was just a kiss, Micah. It doesn’t have to mean anything. We got caught up in the moment.”

“It meant everything to me.”

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