Page 2 of Fauxmance

"Have you wanted to be with other girls?" I said.

"Honestly?" Sean rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Yeah, I have. A lot of girls want to date me, Mags. A lot. And I've had to turn them away because I was with you. That probably makes me sound like a scumbag, but it's the truth."

Sean was right.

That did make him sound like a scumbag.

"Didn't realize I was holding you back," I mumbled. "You should've said something."

"I'm saying it now. And let's face it. I think we both knew this"—he pointed from me to himself—"was never going to last forever."

Man, that was like an arrow to the chest. Because again…I hadn't known. In my mind, Seanwasmy forever. God, how long had he felt this way? Why hadn't I seen it before?

"Since we're not dating anymore, you understand this means I can't be your date. To your sister's wedding."

My gaze went to his face, that gorgeous mug I'd drawn hearts around in my yearbooks, the one I'd seen and swooned over for countless days. Sean looked exactly the same. But I no longer recognized him. As if I'd need clarification of what he was talking about. Each bridesmaid had to have a date—or really an escort. A groomsman to walk arm-in-arm with down the grand staircase at Haven House. My sister chose the venue specifically for thatstaircase. She'd wanted to make an entrance. She'd also choreographed every aspect of her wedding down to hiring a wedding planner, having someone read each couple's name aloud before they descended that grand staircase, the exact order we'd walk into the main ballroom, our seatingarrangementsand the dances we'd do at the reception. All this required everyone to attend rehearsals as well as the big day.

Andthatwas the worst part.

Sean was part of the wedding party. He and Cole, my sister's husband-to-be, didn't really know each other. But when Cole's best friend refused to be his best man—seriously, who does that?—I'd gone into fix-it mode. I could still remember the look of panic on my sister's face when Cole suggested having an uneven number of bridesmaids and groomsmen. We'd needed a stand-in, and Sean had been the obvious choice. My father was gone. I'd never had a brother, and I only had one guy friend—the one standing in front of me, who now looked and sounded like a stranger.

"Sean," I said, "it's fine. I mean, I'm shocked that you want to break up. But I accept it. You can still take me to the wedding."

Sean shook his head. "I don't think it would be right. We're no longer boyfriend and girlfriend."

"But good friends can be escorts, too," I said. "You can—"

"I'm seeing someone else," he said, cutting me off.

My heart clenched, and a word escaped before I could stop it.

"Already?" I breathed.

Sean's eyes got all soft then, and he placed a hand against my cheek. "She's wonderful, Mags. Beautiful, like model gorgeous, and smart, too. She's going to an ivy league school like me. You'd like her."

I jerked my face away from his touch, watching that hand fall to his side.

Whoever she was I didn't think I'd like her. Not if she fell for thecrapmy ex-boyfriend was spewing. Ugh. What a jerk.

"I don't think she'd approve," he added with a shrug, "of me taking you or being part of the wedding. I know this was kind of a big deal for you—"

I gave a mental scoff. Yes, my once-in-a-lifetime chance at being my sister's maid of honor, something I'd looked forward to since I'd watched Lizzy marry Mr. Darcy when I was seven-years-old. No big deal at all.

"—and I'm sorry. But Mags, I need to move on. You do, too. It's the best thing for both of us. You'll see."

Oh my goodness. Not once in our relationship had I ever really yelled at Sean, even when he deserved it. Not when he'd speak over me. Not when he canceled our plans last minute to hang with his friends. Not when he'd forgotten my birthday for the third year in a row. But now, I wanted to scream at him. He wasn't just letting me down; he was letting down my sister. I wanted to rage and rip him a new one. I wanted, in fact, to claw his freaking face off.

But reactions like that were beneath a maid of honor. I mean,honorwas right there in the title.

Bridesmaids were poised at all times. They were polite and calm in the face of adversity. It took drawing upon every ounce of my etiquette training, but I was able to respond without doing him bodily harm.

"Though it's very late notice, I appreciate you letting me know," I said through clenched teeth.

Sean nodded. "I knew you'd be a class act about this. You always are, Mags."

Ooh, how that grated on my nerves. I didn't want to be classy. I wanted to be a boss-diva-Nicki Minaj-mother-trucker and slap that grin off his pretty, preppy face.

"I'm sure my new girlfriend could learn a lot from you," he said and had the audacity to wink. "Sorry again about the wedding. I truly hope you can find another date."

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