Page 61 of Loving You Always

“You lied that night.” Kerris knew she was starting in the middle, but Sofie was a bright girl. She’d catch up. “The night of Kristeene’s birthday party, you said Walsh told you he’d marry you soon.”

“Is that why you—” Sofie folded her long, willowy body in half, laughter shaking her slim shoulders. “Did you go off and get engaged because ofthat?”

Sofie laughed so hard she finally stumbled to a bench against a wall.

“What kind of idiot…” More cackling. “Honey, I knew you were in that stall by your little Goodwill shoes. I had no idea I was the cause of all this trouble. You truly are a stupid girl.”

Kerris invaded Sofie’s space, leaning in until their noses nearly touched.

“I was stupid to believe a conniving bitch like you, Sofie, but the mark of a smart girl?” Kerris straightened, walking over to the mirror to adjust the pins securing her hair in an elaborate upsweep. “We learn from our mistakes. I must have done something right because I’m walking away with Walsh Bennett.”

“Why, you little nobody.” Sofie curled her petal pink lips, lunging forward even though she remained seated.

“This nobody is marrying Walsh Bennett.” Kerris turned to face the nemesis she hadn’t even really known was her enemy all these years.

Sofie swallowed and narrowed her eyes at Kerris. For the first time she looked pathetic. An angry girl with sad, hard-as-emerald eyes who probably hadn’t eaten a decent meal in the last five years. Pathetic.

“That night you said you’d marry Walsh Bennett and have his babies.” Kerris walked to the door, turning to give Sofie one last glance over her bare shoulder. “But I’m going to actually do that. Unlike you, I’m not making it up.”

Sofie sat there unmoving, something close to shock on her face. She reminded Kerris of a viper who’d been bitten and felled by a bunny rabbit, and still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Nothing to say?” Kerris asked. “Well, I need to get back out there. It’s kind of a big night for us. Enjoy the rest of the evening. I hear there’s steak.”

Chapter Twenty

You sure you’re okay?” Walsh asked Kerris a fourth time, watching her eat her steak and snow peas like she hadn’t just emerged unscathed from a death match with Sofie in the ladies’ room.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kerris took a bite of her potatoes. “Mmmm. These are delicious, baby. You got shafted with the cauliflower. Taste.”

She held her fork to his lips, waiting for him to open and sample. He complied, watching her warily like at any moment she would jerk the fork back and pretend they weren’t even together. She had been amazingly at ease all night. He loved it and just hoped it lasted.

“Remind me never to send you out shopping with my cousin again.” Walsh ran hungry eyes over Kerris’s naked back in the jumpsuit that had him and probably every man at the table hard as cement. “You look…we’ll talk later, when I canshowyou how I feel about the way you look.”

As confident as she had been all night, a little color swiped her cheeks. He, Walsh Bennett, had actually ended up with a girl who still blushed. Minor miracle.

“I think I’ll skip dessert and have you instead. I can’t get enough of you.”

“We have this whole week in New York.” Her smile was made of fairy tales and shooting stars, all the things people teach you not to believe in. But here she sat. Real. His.

“We do have this week, but I leave for Tokyo Sunday.”

“Tokyo?” He heard as much disappointment in her voice as he’d felt when his dad told him earlier.

“Yeah, I just found out today.” He touched a renegade curl that had escaped her updo. “Only for ten days.”

“It’s fine.”

He leaned closer, discreetly nuzzling the spot behind her ear.

“It’s not fine. I ache when I’m away from you.”

He ran his fingers down the fragile chain of vertebrae in her back. He leaned in, brushing her lips with his, never breaking the stare that kept them joined by an invisible, sensual thread. She swallowed his groan at the brief contact, gripping the sleeve of his well-cut sports coat.

“Am I really going to have to ask you two to get a room?” Jo asked from the seat beside him. He’d forgotten his cousin was even at the table. He’d forgotten everyone except Kerris.

“Sorry.” Walsh held Kerris’s hand on his knee.

“No need to apologize,” Uncle James said from the seat across the table. “Young love.”

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