Page 29 of Wedding Bet

“You think it’s not a good idea, and that I’ll get allfeelsyon you, I know, I know.”

I bit down on my lip.

…Or it terrifies me that I actually like the idea of you getting feelsy, and my brain can’t handle that right now.

“In any case,” I said, “my dirty secret is that I was absolutely dreading coming to this wedding.”

Jamie’s jaw dropped. “What? I knew you hated weddings in general, but I didn’t think you could hate this one.”

“Do not repeat a word of this to Chase or Adam, because they’re awesome and I’m genuinely so fucking happy for them,” I said, lifting my brows. “But the idea of going to yet another wedding where everyone around me is so happy and celebratory and I’m here after another failed attempt to find myperson… it all just sounded like torture.”

He clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly. “I feel the opposite way.”

“Really? How?”

He leaned against the side of the couch. “Even when I’m single, weddings give me so much hope. They remind me that there’s true love in the world. I haven’t been to many weddings, but I’ve loved every single one.”

“And that is why you’re a better person than I am.”

“How many weddings have you been to?”

“I couldn’t even tell you if I tried,” I said. “At least a dozen, just in the past few years.”

“Christ,” Jamie said.

“For so long, I yearned for what the couples had. I wanted my forever person so, so badly that it made me sick. And then after my proposal to Parker imploded, something broke inside me. I couldn’t do it anymore. And I’ve been better off alone ever since.”

Jamie watched me with a scrutinizing eye, like he barely believed what I was telling him.

“Well, I won’t tell Chase or Adam your deep, dark secrets,” Jamie finally said. “If you don’t tell them mine.”

“And what’s that?”

“That I totally tried to make something happen with you tonight, even though you’re askyscraperout of my league.”

I didn’t even try to hide my eye roll. “That whole ‘out of my league’ shit is so ridiculous. You’re well within mine, trust me, Jamie.”

“Oh, really?” he challenged me, a sparkle in his eye. “You want to know how much I pay for most of my clothes? Five dollars for T-shirts at the thrift store, and sometimes an eight-dollar splurge for a long-sleeve. After I pay rent and help out my mom with money every month, I have to choose what to eat based on which coupons are reusable that week. And I’m pretty sure my roommates have heard my favoriteadult viewing materialthrough our paper-thin walls, even when I try to keep it at low volume.”

I bit back a smile. “And none of this makes you ‘out of my league,’ Jamie,” I said. “I assure you. You’re smarter, funnier, and more attractive than just about every multimillionaire I’ve met.”

A slight blush appeared on his cheeks and it gave me way more satisfaction than it should have.

“Well, you’re the most attractive person I’veevermet, without a doubt, so there,” he said. “You don’t want to hook up with me, but I can at least compliment you back.”

“Hey, I said you were smart and funny, too,” I teased him, squeezing his leg. “And I’m just some hot piece of meat?”

He was laughing, giving me a playful look. “I don’t know, Landry. You haven’t met my mom yet. I think she’d give you a run for your money on humor and intelligence,” he joked.

“Fair enough,” I said. “Well, I hope I’ll finally get to meet her tomorrow.”

Jamie hummed. He was giving me that same look he had earlier, where he wasn’t sure if he could believe me or not.

“You’re very kind,” he finally said.

As I watched him, my mind swam with ideas and thoughts and so many things I wished I could say to him. He seemed so stressed about his monetary situation, and having to live with roommates, especially.

“You know,” I offered, “if your roommate situation ever gets to you too much, I do rent out a home in southern California. It’s in Orange County, really close to the water. It usually goes for around eight grand a month, but I could give you a killer deal because, well, Ilikeyou, and I think you might like the house, too.”

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