Page 63 of Keeping Kaitlyn

Pretending not to be hurt or disappointed, because I have no right to be either, I gave him a practiced smile and anokay.Because people were watching, Went pressed his lips against mine on a soft, lingering kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” he said, a reminder that no matter how shitty I’ve been, or the fact that Conner knows the truth about us and if one Gilroy know something, it’s just a matter of time before they all do, he’s still insisting on following through with this ridiculous date.

“I still don’t have anything reservations-worthy to wear,” I tell him quietly while trying to ignore the fact that more than one Gilroy is watching us with avid interest.

“I’ll take care of it.” Giving me another kiss, this one on my cheek, Went flashes me one of his knee-knocking grins. “Just be ready to go when I get there.”

I’m not sure what I thoughtI’ll take care of itmeant, but the last thing I was expecting was to find a large, white gift box, tied with a blue silk ribbon propped against my front door when I got home, or an even larger package wrapped in plain brown paper waiting behind it.

Not sure what to do, I stand at my front door and look at them while Mookie sniffs at them suspiciously. Deciding that my first order of business is to get everything inside, I stick my key in the door, right before Ryan and Grace’s door opens almost directly behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Grace, an excited look on her face.

“I’ve been standing at the peephole for forty-five minutes, waiting for you to come home,” she tells me before tossing a quick look over her shoulder before slipping into the hallway. “Went dropped them off about an hour ago.” Closing the door behind her, she crosses the hall to stand beside me. “What do you think they are?”

“I don’t know,” I tell her, even though I have a pretty good idea. “Help me get them inside?”

“Duh,” Grace says with a laugh before bending over to pick up the white gift box. “Like I’m going to miss my opportunity to find out what’s in here.” Giving the box a shake, she looks at me when it doesn’t make much noise. “Definitely not a jigsaw puzzle.”

Laughing at her while I wrestle the door open, I grab the larger of the two packages before it can fall into my apartment. Dragging it to the coffee table, I lean it against the edge of it while Grace comes inside, Mook following behind. Closing the door behind him, she hands me the box. “This one first,” she says, motioning for me to sit down.

Taking the box from her, I sit on my couch and settle it across my knees. Giving the tail end of the ribbon a tug, I untie it beforelifting off the lid and setting it aside. Inside, in a nest of gold-colored tissue paper is a dress.

One that is definitely reservation-worthy.

One that is nearly identical to the sexy black cocktail dress I wore to dinner when Went and I snuck downstairs to celebrate our one-week anniversary.

When she sees it, Grace lets out an audible gasp. “Are there shoes?” she asks while rounding the coffee table to sit next to me. “A man who’d give you a dress like that would definitely remember the shoes.”

Dropping the dress back into the box, I root around in the tissue paper and pull out a pair of black, red bottomed stilettos. Beside me, Grace lets out a low whistle. “I’ve never really been into shoes but, damn.”

Laughing at her reaction, I put them back in the box. “I’ll probably end up breaking my neck if I wear them.”

“Totally worth it,” Grace says with a laugh of her own while she lifts the box out of my lap and sets it aside. “Now the big one,” she says, clapping her hands. “Hurry. I don’t know how long I have before Ryan comes over here and drags me home for being nosy.”

Reaching for the large, paper-wrapped package, I drag it around the side of the coffee table and prop it in front of me, unsure if I really want to open it in front of Grace. The size and shape of it tells me it’s one of Went’s drawings. Given his habit of sending me dirty pictures, I’m not sure if opening it while she’s here is a good idea.

Give him some credit, Kait. He’s a little perverted, not completely unhinged.

Reaching for the corner of the package, I tear off the paper before I can talk myself out of it.

Seeing the framed drawing Went chose to send me, I feel my throat slam closed while my heart starts to knock and ping against my tonsils.

It’s the drawing of Two Tone and me behind Northpoint. The one I saw in his shop, Friday night. Tucked into the corner of the frame is a hand-written note.

I’m sure he misses you too.

W.

“Holy shit.” Grace shoots up, out of her seat beside me to stare down at me, her wide-eyed gaze jumping back and forth between me and the framed drawing in front of me. “Holy shit—that’s you, isn’t it?” Shaking her head, she covers her hand with her mouth for a moment before letting it drop. “You’re her. You’re Went’s mystery woman…” Eyes widening even further, she lets out a sharp gasp. “You’re hiswife,” she says, letting me know Ryan told her about what Went said about being married.

“No.” Shaking my head, it’s all I can say because I don’t know where to start. How to explain the tangled mess that keeps Went and me bound to each other. “No, I?—”

“So that’snotyou?” Grace asks, pointing at the drawing with a look that calls me a dirty liar.

“No—” Still shaking my head, I stumble over my words again. “I mean,yes—it’s me. I meanno, we’re not married.” Swallowing hard, I feel the sting of tears prickle at the corner of my eyes. “Not anymore.”

Sinking slowly, Grace sits beside me with a frown. “What do you meannot anymore? Why would Went tell Ryan he was married if he?—”

“I don’t know.” Giving her a miserable head shake, I shrug. “I asked him but…” Reaching up, I swipe my fingers across mycheeks, annoyed and embarrassed when they come away wet. “We met in Montana, where I’m from.” I say, trying to find a way to explain it to her without telling her everything. “It was years ago. We weren’t married for very long.”

Still confused, Grace shakes her head. “So you’re Went’sex-wife?”

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