Page 46 of Because You Loved Me

“No.”

“Ever?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’ve never been interested in everything that goes with that.”

“With dating?”

Asher blew out a sigh. “You’re not going to change my mind on this.”

“I’m not trying to.” Noa held up a palm. “Honestly. I’m just curious because I feel the same way.”

Asher pushed up to sitting and didn’t bother trying to hide his laughter. “That’s rich, coming from the woman who had a ring on her finger and a white dress, only minutes from walking down the aisle.”

She narrowed her eyes but ultimately sighed. “I guess I can see how that might look.”

“I’m glad you see it, too.” He squeezed her thigh. “Are you ever going to tell me how that came to be, anyway?”

“Yes.” She returned to the format of the game they’d all but abandoned, and it was Asher’s turn to look unimpressed.

“To be fair, I think you owe me a few questions, Noa. So we can either?—”

“Okay, okay.” She pulled herself up to a sitting position and pulled the blanket up over her naked body. “But I’m going to need a glass of wine first.”

Asher returned to his spot in front of the fire a moment later with a bottle and two glasses. He poured them each a glass and grabbed a blanket for himself before he sat across from her. “All right, tell me then. How does a woman like yourself, who tells me that she’s never been interested in everything that goes with dating, and claims she loves her fiancé, but is notinlove,” he added quickly before continuing, “get to the point where she runs out of her wedding and into the truck of a virtual, but very handsome stranger?”

Somehow Noa managed to swallow the sip of wine in her mouth. “Handsome, huh?”

Asher shrugged casually and winked. “At the very least.”

She shook her head with a laugh and set her glass down. “Okay. I’ll tell you the whole story, but I’m afraid it’s not nearly as exciting as you’re expecting it to be.” If anything, it was sad.Verysad. But she didn’t say that to Asher. He’d find out soon enough. “I already told you that Ryan and I grew up together.”

He nodded.

“Our families are best friends in every way. In fact, our dads are partners in a law firm together, and Ryan and I are lined up to start working there, too, just as soon as we get back from the honeymoon we won’t be taking.” She’d need to talk to him about the round-the-world tickets they had.Maybe there was someone else he’d like to take with him?Noa blew out a breath and shoved those thoughts from her mind for the moment in order to finish her story.

“So you guys are all going to work together like a big happy family?”

“Were,” she corrected him. Although she hadn’t given much thought to pretty much anything that was going to happen next, Noa had never wanted to work for the family law firm. “I don’t think that will happen now.”

“You don’t think Ryan will want to work with you, or will your dad be upset?”

She chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure Dad’s upset, and I kind of don’t think Ryan will care. But it’s me. I don’t want to practice corporate law. I never did.”

Asher blew out a breath and took another big sip of his wine. “So let me see if I have this straight so far. You didn’t want to marry Ryan but didn’t say anything. And you also didn’t want to work in the family law firm, and also kept quiet about that.”

She nodded. That was pretty much the gist of it. She’d been pretty quiet about what it wasshewanted for far too long.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Noa. But you don’t really seem like the type who wouldn’t speak up. I mean, I’ve met a lot of women.”

A flash of completely unreasonable jealousy shot through her.

“And most of those women aren’t nearly as…” He searched for the right word. “Strong.” He said the word almost like a question. “You don’t seem like the type of woman who will do anything she doesn’t want to do. So, honestly, I’m a little confused.”

“You and me, both.” She picked up her wine and looked deep into the glass. “And I never used to be this way.”

He scooted closer to her on the floor and put his hand on her leg through the blanket. “So what happened, Noa?”

ChapterEleven

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