Page 81 of Marry Me

“More fun this way.” They held eye contact, the delicious kind that made Ally tingle in all the right places. It felt amazing to be in Megan’s presence again, and she couldn’t wait to leave this bar so she could show her. Slowly.

Megan grinned. “How’s the patient?” she finally asked, breaking eye contact.

“Home and seemingly pleased to be there in his own space. Now he just has to learn how to navigate it with the bad foot and hand, and busted ribs. His wrist is braced, too, and giving him a lot of trouble.”

“I’m glad to hear he’s out of the hospital, at least. Do you think you’ll get a little breathing room now? You’ve been going so hard.” She sipped her mango martini. “I worry about you.”

“I think it will ease up. I’ll stop by after school and see what he needs, and his nurse will check in on him.”

“Every day after school, though?” A pause as Megan seemed to consider her next set of words. “Do you think that maybe this is the time, during this transition, to maybe step back from every single day?”

Strangely, Allison felt a little on her heels, the spell from earlier broken. “I just don’t want to drop him when he’s still so far from recovery. I feel like he still needs me.”

“Right. No. I get that,” Megan said and then seemed to survey the room. It felt like they’d just taken a giant step away from each other, and Allison wanted to undo it. Explain. Get rid of the cold gust of air that had just ruined everything.

“If I can get him through the hard part and over this initial hump, then he’ll be more than ready to take over soon.”

Megan set down her drink delicately. “Yes, but he’s Brent Carmichael, right? Doesn’t he have a million friends and a very tight-knit family circle for that kind of thing, not to mention more money than Midas? Does it have to beyou?” She offered a smile, probably to soften the inquiry.

Allison swallowed. Whether she wanted them to or not, her defenses flared. She tried to keep her tone super casual. “Yeah. I think it does. Not only is he still my friend, but I’ve been the one there for the physical therapy appointments. I have the information about what’s going on, what exercises he needs to do. I know the medications andam the one who keeps them straight, on schedule.” She nodded a few times to punctuate.

“I’m sure that’s all knowledge that can be passed on.”

She rolled her lips in and shook her head. Silence reigned. “Why are you making this so hard for me?” Honestly, weren’t things difficult enough? She didn’t need outside pressure from Megan, too. Not when she’d been spread so thin and trying so hard.

Megan held up a hand. “You know what? You’re right. I’ll stay out of it. Your life, not mine.” She offered a tight smile, but the pretense of a casual conversation was already gone.

“How can you say that?” Allison stared at her drink blankly. “It’s not just my life.”

Megan sighed. “But it is, Ally. Hasn’t it always been?”

That one hurt. “It sometimes feels like you project that on to me because maybe it’s what you want. Your own space where I come and go. No real focus on anything concrete or permanent.”

Megan’s dark eyes flared. She seemed offended. “I’ve done nothing to give you that indication.”

“You avoid any and all talks about how you feel. You’re available less and less but prefer to blame the distance on me, when really that’s not fair.”

“That’s the thing. None of this is fair.” Megan let her hand fall onto the table in defeat. Like she was giving up. How could that be?

Allison took a breath to let them both settle. This was not how tonight was supposed to go, but she could see the frustration written all over Megan’s drawn features and felt it tighten in her own chest. “Maybe we can hit the reset button? I really want to enjoy tonight.” She tried to smile. “I’ve been looking forward to it for days.”

Megan nodded. “Yes. Let’s do that.” A soft smile. “Resetting in progress. I apologize.”

“So do I.”

Megan gave her hand a squeeze. “How’s the wine?”

She laughed. “In the excitement of seeing you, I forgot to pay attention.” She sipped and paused, pondering. “It’s a pinot, isn’t it? Mellow. A little jammy.”

Megan leaned in. “I love it when you say words likejammy.”

“Yeah? Well, I wear them, too. My pajammies.”

Megan closed her eyes. “Only you, Ally. Only you would say something like that.”

“What?” She laughed. “Why are you making that face?”

“It’s why I can’t get enough of you. You say something ridiculous, and it’s still sexy as hell. Who else can pull that off?”

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