Page 80 of Doing It for Love

“What were they?”

“You.”

“I didn’t know that was an option!” I laugh.

“The bowling score sheet from the wall.”

I internally sigh. He looks at that thing all the time and says he let me win that night.

Theresa grins at whatever expression is on my face, then says, “And your iPod.”

“My iPod? What a liar!” I laugh. “He hates my music.”

“He said he could see you outside with the bowling scores in one hand, the iPod in the other, and while the place is up in smoke, you’d turn to him and press play on—”

“You are my fire, the one desire,” I sing in a perfect Backstreet Boys impression.

Jaycee puts a hand to her chest and says in her very helium-filled voice, “You two are so adorable…and such losers.”

We laugh, and Theresa lights up one of my lights before crossing the room and taking the champagne bottle from Penny, who was about to pour yet another flute. Penny says, “Hey,” but doesn’t put up too much of a fight.

I go through all the categories, including “Parents, Pets, and Siblings,” extremely happy that most of the questions were about Buster. But Landon and I are pretty much tied on the lights, and I’m a bit disappointed because I should’ve aced this game.

“I can’t believe I don’t know his shoe size!” I shout as Theresa lights another Landon bulb. “And I think he’s totally giving all these loving answers because he’s in trouble.”

“I asked before he was in trouble, remember?” Theresa plucks the last card from the board. “Maybe he’s more romantic than you think.”

“Traitor.”

She wrinkles her nose at me and reads the last question. “What is the thing Landon is looking forward to most about your wedding day?”

“Sex,” I joke, then go to wave my hands at her before she lights Landon up, but she twists one of my bulbs instead.

“You win!”

“He said sex? Really?”

She laughs. “Maybe you’ll win that contest, too.”

I give a half-chuckle, but my chest feels a little twang in it, because I’m not sure if he was joking or serious. All his other answers seemed heartfelt and cute. I’d nearly forgotten I haven’t seen him in three days. Now all I can think is, “Am I just a piece of ass?”

“What?” Penny says, shaking her head at me. “You are way more than a piece of ass.”

There I go thinking out loud again.

Jaycee nods. “Landon is so in love with you. You remember when you visited the set? He had something so far up his rear end that day that Jace and I were ready to walk off, but then you showed up and he was finally tolerable. Couldn’t stop smiling. Jace kept asking him if he’d gotten lucky in the prop room and if we needed to sanitize anything.”

“Gross,” I say, while Penny says, “Stupid Jace.”

Theresa kneels in front of me with a giant present. “Landon loves you. Why else would he be taking himself off the market so young?”

I know it’s meant to make me feel better, but it doesn’t. Theresa’s been supportive, my ear, my cheesecake bud, my wedding dress zipper-upper, my party planner, and one kick-ass MOH, and even though I had a feeling she thought Landon and I are young for this, she never once said it until now.

Theresa lifts the gift up, covering her mouth slightly with its bulk. “Open me,” she says, shaking the contents. I laugh and rip the side open, trying to ignore the ugly twang in my chest. I wish she hadn’t confiscated the alcohol.

Chapter 25

“Argue naked.”

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