Page 88 of Fake Dating Adrian Hunter
“Let me take care of this, okay?” I tell her. “You should be relaxing. Don’t spend another moment stressing over this.”
“How can I relax? Some rabid fan might run through my ceremony.”
“Promise me.”
She sighs and hangs up. I’m not sure what that means, but I need to fix this immediately. Then figure out what to do about Adrian.
* * *
It takes my bodyguards and me over two hours in the lobby to ensure resort security staff are applying the correct procedures to keep this island private. They work all morning to make sure there isn’t a single person at the resort who isn’t involved with the wedding. On top of that, they’ve called in extra coast guards to prevent unwanted boats sailing too close to the island.
The morning starts off as an absolute disaster, eating into valuable time that I should be spending in hair and make-up and helping Tory prepare for her big day. Valuable time where I could be figuring out what to do about Adrian. But at least the scandal is dealt with, and I can move on with my day.
It’s when I’m traveling back from the lobby, heading across the grass for Tory’s bungalow, that an unwanted voice calls for me. “Verena, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Jake is approaching me, so I decide to keep walking. What is up with this guy? He’s like a weasel, appearing at all the worst times. “Not now, Jake. I’m too busy.”
His footsteps turn into a jog, and the next thing I know, he’s right in front of me, his big head blocking the sun from view. “This will only take a second.”
“Fine. Be quick.”
“We need to finish the conversation we started.”
“How many times do I have to say this? We didnotstart any conversation. I don’t care about whatever it is you have to tell me.”
“Verena, you’re mad with me and I understand, but I need to say this. Seeing you this week… It’s made me do a lot of soul searching. I made a massive mistake by cheating on you and will never forgive myself for it. You deserved so much more from a partner. You’re such an amazing woman, and I’m so sorry for what I did to you. I will never stop being sorry.”
If I were asked to describe my face right now, the sayinga deer in the headlightsis probably most accurate. Either that, or I’m channeling Kevin Hart’s shocked face in that famous meme from his stand-up comedy performance.
“Thank… you, I suppose…?”
“There’s more.” Jake shifts back and forth on his feet, and his palms rub against the fabric of his shorts. Oh God, he’s nervous. This can’t be good. “I don’t know how to best word this, so I’m just going to come out with it. I miss you. No, it’s more than that. Verena, I love you. What can I do to fix the way I treated you? I’ll do anything. Please give me another chance to be the man you deserve.”
I’m staring slack-jawed, not believing my ears. For months after Jake left me, I had dreams of him begging me to take him back. Before Jake blindsided me, I thought he was the man I would marry, and that kind of love doesn’t disappear overnight. I cried myself to sleep for weeks, wishing he would knock on my door at three a.m. because he couldn’t wait till sunrise to tell me he’d made a mistake. Now, here he is, giving me everything I wanted, and I can’t form a response.
Jake steps right up to me, taking my hands in his. “Verena, we were so perfect together.”
“We were,” I whisper. It’s a miracle I can even talk.
“We can have that again. Please tell me you want this too. Tell me you wantus.”
There’s a part of me that feels extremely smug. Jake left me for another girl, and now he’s crawling back.
“Verena, talk to me, please.”
“I… um… This is a busy day. I can’t… um… I have too much to deal with right now. I need time to think.”
“Of course, anything you need. I’ll be here, waiting for you.” Jake places a lingering kiss on my cheek.
My body freezes up as a response. I think I’ve gone into vampire shock—like that time Edward Cullen realized Bella was pregnant and he became a statue.
The telepathic bond between me and Jake is non-existent because he interprets my vampire shock as being a good thing and presses his lips to mine. The kiss lasts one one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, four one-thousand before Jake parts ways with me and walks back in the direction he came.
When I can move again, I’m a shaking mess as I watch him leave. My first reaction is to wipe the gross cheater germs off my lips and rush to the bathroom so I can wash my mouth out with soap, but I don’t make it beyond one stride before hearing a blunt, “Wow.”
My shoulders raise to my ears and my heart plummets as I register the voice as Adrian’s. I turn to face him, desperate to explain myself, but lose all nerve when I see that stark look on his face.
“Should I be offering my congratulations to the happy couple?”
