Page 99 of Love Lessons
I laugh and then don’t let her finish that sentence by planting a very firm kiss on her mouth. “Sorry to tease you. I’m just so fucking happy you’re here.”
“Is the wedding really that bad?” she asks.
“Fuck no. I just miss you. You look stunning, by the way. Fuck. Do wehaveto go inside?” I’m babbling, and I don’t even care.
She stands on her toes and kisses me quickly. “We do, because I put on this dress and came all the way here to be your date for an awkward wedding.”
“Fine, fine.” I take her hand in mine and lead her back toward the boathouse. “I can at least get you fed before I steal a car and drive you home.”
“Steal a car?” She yelps. “Haven’t I gotten you arrested enough times this summer already?”
“Aw, honey, that wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry I was a dick about it. I’ve been going through some stuff.” We’re in the lobby now, but I stop once more to take both of her hands. “You are the only good thing that happened to me this summer. And I screwed it all up, because I wasn’t ready to meet you.”
She tilts her head and considers me. “Are you ready now? Because you’re the best thing that happened to me this summer, too. Even if it took me kind of a long time to admit it.”
“Baby, you say the nicest things.” I lean down and kiss the juncture of her neck and shoulder. “And let me repeat my praise for this dress. If this is what shopping is for, I get it now.”
She laughs, her hand warm against my shirt, her breath at my ear.
“But, baby—” I make myself take a step backwards, because I still don’t understand how I got so lucky. “I’d been planning to go see you next week to explain myself. I waited because I thought you needed to go through with that gala with what’s-his-fuck. How’d you end up here?”
She winces. “Danforth is not very happy with me right now.”
I just bet.
THIRTY-THREE
I’m Good at My Job, What Can I Say?
VERA
“Was it bad?”he asks me. “Are you okay?”
When I look up into Ian’s clear eyes, my heart exhales. It was a crazy decision I made to ditch Danforth and show up here. I’m not usually so impulsive. I didn’t even know for sure that I’d be welcome.
But Ian and I aren’t finished with each other. Not even close.
“I’m okay,” I tell him. “In the limousine—on the way into Manhattan—I had a little bit of a freak-out, though.” My plan to make Danforth want me back had suddenly felt ridiculous. “It was a shock to realize that Danforth wasneverthe right guy for me. It’s hard to admit that those three years I spent hoping he would come back were a big waste of time.”
“We’ve all been there,” Ian says, his hand a soothing presence on my elbow. The man looks terrific in the suit I picked out for him. That tie makes his eyes look even bluer.
I’m good at my job. What can I say?
“My timing still sucked,” I continue. “I realized too late that I was in the car on the way to the wrong event. Charli and Neil calmed me down and told me to take the car to Connecticut. Neil looked up the address and set the whole thing in motion. When we got to the Met, I had to tell Danforth that I wasn’t staying…”
I swallow hard, because that had been an ugly three minutes. Danforth hadn’t been gracious at all. I hadn’t expected him to be happy, but the things he said were nasty. He’d been red in the face and called me avengeful bitch.
I’m not telling Ian that part, because he’ll just get angry. Neil and Charli hadn’t heard about it either.
“He said it was a waste of a thousand dollars, and that I was making him look bad. The first thing is silly, because it’s for charity. But the second thing is probably true. He said he was embarrassed to go in there and sit down next to an empty plate with my name on it.”
Ian laughs suddenly. “I don’t see how that’s embarrassing at all. He’s thinking about this all wrong. Now let’s go eat some wedding food, so I can dance with you and then take you home.”
“Okay.” I grab his hand and give it another squeeze. “Lead the way.”
He doesn’t, though. His gaze grows hot and lazy, and he leans down to give me a soft kiss.
At least, I think that’s what he meant it to be. But Ian’s touch flips a switch inside me that only he has ever found. I’m compelled to rise up on my tiptoes and kiss him back. I wrap my arms around his neck and show him how much I missed him.
