Page 33 of Unpredictable
“I don’t, but…well,” she huffed. “It’s bugging me. Did Landon say something to you?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Okay.” She dragged out the word, holding up one tie and then another to my chest, all without looking me in the eye.
“You told me not to mention—” I leaned in and lowered my voice “—that night.”
She pulled her brows together. “That night? I don’t understand.”
I let out a deep breath. “The night we were together, you said his name in your sleep. You called out for him.”
Her eyes went wide. “I did? Oh my god. That’s—” She covered her face with her hands. “Mortifying.” The word was muffled.
“Hey,” I soothed, placing my hands on her shoulders. “I knew what I was getting into when I went back to your room that night.”
“Did you?” she asked, but her voice wavered.
“You asked me to help you forget. It was clear you were running from something.”
“Yeah, but…” She uncovered her face and sniffled. “You didn’t deserve that.”
“Juliana.” I stared at her lips, wanting to kiss away her pain even though I knew it was a bad idea. A bad idea, but a tempting one, nevertheless. Finally, I asked the question that had been plaguing me since that night. “I—are you wanting to get back together with Ryan?”
She glanced down at the floor, rubbing her ring finger absently.Interesting.
It felt like an eternity before she finally said, “I can’t. He’s, um—well, he’s missing.”
“Missing?” I frowned. Of all the things I’d expected her to say, that wasn’t one of them.
She nodded, finally forcing her eyes to mine. “I…” She drew a shaky breath. “I know it’s silly, but a body was never found. So, I prefer to think of him as missing, not…”
I nodded, understanding dawning on me. All this time, I thought they’d split up, that maybe he’d broken her heart. Now, I understood it was so much more complex than that. He was missing, and she was grieving him.
“How long has it been?” I asked.
“Two years.” She swallowed. “You’re the first person I’ve slept with since…him.”
I took her hands in mine, trying to process her words. I was the first guy she’d slept with in two years?Holy shit.
“I’m honored.”
“I’m sorry.” She sniffed and used a finger to pull at the corner of her eye. “I— This is completely unprofessional. Guests will be arriving any minute. You should be focused on your daughter’s engagement party, not comforting the wedding planner.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” I said, lowering my voice to a whisper. “The party was just a pretense to spend time with you. Actually, the entire wedding is. Olivia isn’t getting married. I made it up to get close to you.”
She studied me for a moment before throwing back her head and laughing. “Very funny. Those checks you wrote were very real. And from everything I’ve heard, so is the love between Olivia and Connor.”
“You’re right. But, damn, it’s good to see you laugh.” I smiled.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she was so beautiful it stole my breath. I knew she was here to do her job, but I wanted her by my side, talking to my friends. I wanted to get to know her—and not in these stolen interludes between appointments or tucked away in my closet.
“I like you.” I hadn’t meant to say it, but it was true. And the more I got to know her, the more I liked her. The more I respected her. She was hardworking, honest, fair, but also friendly, kind. A calm resolve blanketed me with the admission.
“I’m… I like you too,” she said, finally looking me in the eye. But unlike before, her blue eyes were clear, her face calm.
I pressed my lips to her cheek and tried to ignore the way her scent infiltrated my nostrils, pumping through my veins. It filled my mind with memories I was trying to ignore, when all I wanted to do was relive them, repeat them.
Still, I knew she wasn’t ready, and I didn’t want to push her. Besides, I didn’t want anything serious. I’d been down that road before and been burned. And I got the feeling that a woman like Juliana didn’t do casual, despite our night together. We liked each other, respected each other, but we wanted different things.
