Page 28 of Can't Help Falling in Love
Lexi shook her head, met his gaze. “She used to be.”
He took her hand again. “Please? Dinner. Drinks. Whatever you want. I really want to see you again. I know it’s complicated but I…” He glanced at Maisie then back at her.
“Do,” Maisie said in a stage whisper.
“Maisie!” Lexi turned to glare at her friend.
Her friend covered her mouth.
When Lexi turned back, Will looked like he was fighting a laugh. “Say yes. Please?”
She was almost positive Maisie gave a muffledpleasebehind her.
Lexi took a deep breath. “Fine. Dinner.”
Will’s grin knocked the air out of her and she knew she should change her mind, tell him she couldn’t.
“You won’t be sorry,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
The touch of his lips sent her brain tumbling again like it remembered, all too vividly, the way it felt to have his mouth on hers. It was intoxicating.Hewas intoxicating. Which made him dangerous.
“I’ll pick you up,” he said. “Text me your address.”
He left as quickly as he’d come and Lexi stood there wondering how the hell she’d gotten herself into this mess.
“I have to say, your fiancé is fine as fu—”
“Shut it, Maisie.”
Her friend laughed, wrapping her arms around Lexi’s shoulders as they watched Will’s fancy car pull away from the curb in front of the Dress Hut.
“Just go with it. It’ll be fun. You could use some fun more than anyone I know. Besides, hot guy paying for dinner? What’s the worst that could happen?”
Lexi leaned her head against Maisie’s, staring out the wide window with the store logo on it that she should probably wash. She kept her thoughts to herself. A random hookup? Fine. A couple of dates? Okay. But a man who made her heart speed up just by standing in the same room? One who looked at her like she wasn’t the mess she felt like on the inside? What was the worst that could happen? She could fall in love.
Her shoulders stiffened. No. She wouldn’t. She was stronger than that.
Eleven
Will walked into Side Tap, the brewpub his friend Ethan Reynolds and Ethan’s brother owned. They were in the process of opening another location and Will couldn’t be happier for them. He hadn’t seen the new location yet but this one, the flagship near the university campus, would always be Will’s favorite.
Its high ceilings and wrought-iron light fixtures gave an air of urban class that meshed perfectly with the warmth of the dark wood bar, the aged-brick walls, and the variety of seating options. A couple of long farmhouse-style tables made it great for parties or even college kids meeting up to study during the affordable happy hour.
Like the restaurant where he’d met Lexi and many of the eateries around, it had an enclosed patio space, strung with twinkle lights and decked out with low fire tables. Ethan had built that long before it was necessary; it was often hard to get a seat. When the weather wasn’t freezing or raining, the large grounds also offered a gorgeous outdoor seating area with picnic tables, canopied tents, and more twinkle lights for summer nights.
Smiling and nodding to the bartender and a couple of the waitresses he knew, he wove his way toward the back where he preferred to sit. He sent Lexi a quick text telling her where to find him, wishingshe’d let him pick her up. He wasn’t all that surprised when she’d messaged and said she’d drive herself.
Ethan walked out of the office down one of the hallways as Will spotted a seat. Will grinned when he saw his friend.
“Hey, man. How’s it going?” Ethan tucked his phone away, ran a hand through his dark-blond hair.
They shook hands, exchanged the typical bro hug with a slap on each other’s backs. Will waited, knowing what was coming.
Ethan put his hands on his hips. “What the hell? I’m hurt. I’ve been busy but you still could have told me the news.”
Will shook his head. This was already becoming incredibly complicated. His mother had sent him a list of ways to spin the news in their favor. All he could think was if he really were getting married, if he’d foundthe oneand wanted to spend his life with her, the last thing he’d worry about was his mother’s fucking lists.
“It’s complicated,” Will said.
