Page 13 of Finally Forever
“I know.” She keeps her gaze averted, even with her hands back around my neck. “I don’t want you to get mad, though.”
I try not to stress. “About?”
It takes her a moment to answer. “When I was in the wedding store, I saw someone I know.”
I tense at once, on guard. “Who?”
She lifts her gaze to mine and pats one of her hands over my heart. “No one threatening. It was an accident. I never thought I’d see him again.”
“Him?” Jealousy burns through me at the thought of her and another guy. Not because I don’t trust her. I don’t trust other men.
She lowers her head and murmurs, “Lowell.”
Lowell. I search my brain for a man she knows named Lowell. Seconds tick by before it hits me. “Lowell, your gay friend from high school.”
She nods.
“I thought he lived in Paris.” I have no resentment toward the man. One night, when we were first reunited and had amazing sex, she told me he was the only friend from her past who she loved and missed. It killed me that she’d never get to see him again.
“He does. He’s here for work, delivering a wedding dress. He works for a wedding designer now.”
Why won’t she look at me? “Did he see you?”
“Yes,” she squeaks and buries her head in my chest. “We talked. I’m sorry.”
Panic for her and her friend’s safety coils in my stomach. I stop myself from making fists, even though I’m dying to clench something. “What did you tell him?”
Her gaze jumps to mine. “You’re mad. I knew you’d be mad. I wasn’t going to tell you—”
“I’m not mad. I’m concerned.” I keep my voice calm, even though I’m fuming. She knows the rules. They’re important for a reason. We’ve only been able to live the way we do because we stick to the rules.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.” She leans away from me, and her hands fall to her thighs.
“I’m not saying you did.”
“But you’re mad.” She gestures to my neck and shoulders, which are tight with tension that is probably visible in bulging veins and my posture.
“Please, tell me what happened.” So I can prepare and relocate us, if necessary. I keep my hands on her body, my palms pressed against the sides of her thighs.
“I was looking at dresses and suddenly he was there. We stared for a moment and recognized each other. I couldn’t run. He knew it was me. He said my name.”
“Did you politely excuse yourself?” Everything about her posture and manners says she didn’t.
“I was going to, but then he hugged me, and I realized how much I missed him. Still. Even now.”
Fuck. It’s my worst nightmare come true.
“Before you think it, I don’t regret this life with you. Not for one second. I love you more than I thought I was capable of loving anyone. I don’t want a life without you. I lived through that once, and it was awful. I need you.” She takes my hands in hers. “I need us. But this happened, and I wonder if it was a blessing.”
“What do you mean, a blessing?” I watch her closely, trying to discern how she’s feeling other than what she’s telling me. She knows I was trained at a young age to read body language, and she knows I can read her like an open book with huge font.
“I was a little sad at the thought of shopping alone. And now that Lowell knows I’m here, maybe I can have a friend to help me.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It’s the one thing I can’t give her. “What exactly did you tell him?”
“Nothing,” she says openly, and her body mirrors her honesty. “He saw my ring and knows I’m engaged, but that’s it. He asked about my new number and mentioned Harper. I guess they still talk.” She rolls her eyes. “I told him I had to go and got his number. He insisted, in case I lost it—which is what he thinks happened. He wants to meet up. He’s only in town for three more days before he and his boyfriend return to Paris.”
I digest what she’s said. It’s not as bad as it could be. Still, he knows she lives here, and he’s in contact with Harper. That trail could lead to digging from America. I keep tabs on everyone I know from there, particularly my college buddies who I lived with when I met Ainsley. Nathan has been easy to monitor, but Riley stayed in hiding for a long time, only emerging recently.
