One More Step

by Colleen Hoover

  “Evan, that’s very sweet of you, but I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “And you didn’t. From what you told me, you’re in a tight spot and I can help.”

  “The wedding is five days away.”

  “Then we don’t have much time to debate this.”

  I looked at the phone in my hand and then up at Evan, knowing I wasn’t really in a position to argue. He was saving me from potentially ruining my best friend’s wedding and I had to accept.

  “Hey Shel, sorry about that. I was just talking to my assistant.”

  Evan flashed a grin and walked to the door. “I’ll be back in ten.”

  And just like that, he was gone.

  “So anyway,” she started, “I was saying that I have you and Hilarie sitting with Bianca and Kirk at the rehearsal dinner.”

  “Hilarie went on maternity leave,” I said absently, before I thought the better of it.

  “What?” The sound of pure terror was dripping from the single-word question. “Who’s going to photograph my wedding?”

  “It’s taken care of,” I said answered quickly, trying my best to sound convincing. “I’ve already lined someone else up and it’s going to be great. I don’t want you to worry about a thing.”

  Shelby exhaled loudly and I smacked my hand against my head. What in the world was I thinking? It took me months to train Hilarie, and with the wedding five days away, I only had four of them to get Evan up to speed.

  “We’ll be there Friday night,” I said reassuringly. “But I need an extra room for him.”

  “Him? Who is him? Is him good-looking?” she asked in rapid succession.

  “Evan. He’s my assistant.”

  “And?”

  “And yes…he’s good-looking,” I said quickly, hanging up the phone with a laugh as I heard her squeal excitedly.

  FOUR

  “BECS!” SHELBY SCREAMED when she saw me in the lobby.

  I turned to see my best friend happier than I had ever seen her in our eight years of friendship. She ran over to me and threw her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. It had been months since we had been together, and this marked the end of our lives as singles. It would just be me…and all my married friends.

  “Shel, you look amazing,” I gushed.

  “Hey Bec,” Evan’s voice sounded from behind me, and I could tell from the wide-eyed look on Shelby’s face that she approved of the photographer I had subbed in for Hilarie. “I think I got everything. Where should I put it?”

  “Evan, this is the bride, my best friend, Shelby. Shelby, this is…”

  “My photographer,” she finished breathily. “I mean…hi.”

  “Nice to meet you. Becca’s told me a lot about you.”

  Shelby nudged my arm and grinned. “She’s left a few things out about you.”

  “Okay. Anyway, I was just about to check us in,” I said before she could add anything else.

  “Oh…about that.” Shelby winced. “There were no extra rooms. They said something might become available tomorrow, but we won’t know until the afternoon.”

  “You mean, like, while you’re getting married?” I asked, unable to mask the shock in my tone.

  She nodded and linked her arm with mine. “But your room does have a couch that folds out, so at least there’s that.”

  “I’m going to kill you,” I muttered under my breath, and she squeezed my arm.

  “Or maybe you’ll thank me,” she whispered with a wink.

  “Thank you? I barely…” I stopped myself before I put her into full panic mode.

  “Barely what?”

  “He’s my assistant.”

  She looked over her shoulder and I followed her gaze to see Evan picking up the bags, and she giggled. “You have the ass part right.”

  I laughed at her ridiculous joke and shook my head. “You are impossible. Where’s Michael? I need to tell him you’re checking out other guys.”

  “Not other guys…your guy.”

  “He’s not my guy,” I argued.

  “If you insist.”

  She walked me and Evan to our room and sat on the couch as we unpacked the gear. Shelby went on and on about the wedding planner and the argument she’d had with her about the flowers. I would have been more invested in the conversation if I wasn’t so consumed with the fact that my landlord, who I had only just met days earlier, was going to be sharing a room with me.

  “I think I left a bag in the car,” Evan said. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

  He left the room and Shelby gave me her full attention, waiting for an explanation. I was in the middle of examining the equipment and making sure that everything was accounted for when I heard her clear her throat.

  “You might want to take some medicine for that,” I said dismissively. “You don’t want to be sick for the honeymoon.”

  “So…Evan’s sexy,” she said in her seductive tone, ignoring my warning.

  “Assistant.”

  “What’s going on with you two?”

  “Assistant,” I repeated.

  “Oh…yeah. He wants to assist you all right, and not with photography.”

  I turned around and leaned against the table, crossing my arms over my chest. Shelby raised a brow and I mimicked the movement, knowing that I had accepted her challenge. She would purse her lips and I would do the same. She would cock her hip and I would repeat the movement. It was a game we had long played; the one who initiated felt they had the upper hand on information, and I wasn’t sure what Shelby thought she saw between Evan and me in the fifteen minutes she’d been around us.

  “Have you seen the way he looks at you?” she gushed, breaking the silence. “Good lord! How do you keep it in your pants?”

  “I’m a professional.”

  “I’m just saying, you’re hot…he’s hot…so, ya know…”

  “Not gonna happen.”

  “C’mon, humor me. Tell me that you’re going to make mad passionate love to the hunky photographer assistant.”

  “And why would I do that?”

  “Because if you don’t, James might think you’re not over him,” she said, any insinuating tone no longer present.

  She had said the one name that I had pushed out of my mind since the breakup, and my blood ran cold. James and I had been together for a year, and everyone had thought we were perfect together. I suppose we were, until he decided to go out with his friends and cheat on me. I later learned that it wasn’t the first time.

  “I thought you said he wasn’t coming.”

  “He wasn’t. But then he called the other day and said his work travel had changed and he was going to be able to come,” she said. “With his fiancée.”

  “Fian…” I started to say but couldn’t manage to finish. I plopped onto the bed and stared at the camera in my hand before looking at her. “He’s engaged?”

  “I’m sorry, Becs. I didn’t want to tell you, but I didn’t want you to be surprised, either, when you see him tonight.”

  “He’s going to the rehearsal dinner, too?” I asked, feeling deflated and hurt all at once.

  “He flew in for the wedding. Michael thought it was the right thing to do.”

  “It’s fine. I mean, we broke up a year ago, right? We’ve both moved on.”

  “But you haven’t,” she reminded me.

  “Ow. That hurt,” I said, glancing at her with a raised brow.

  Shelby walked over and put her arm around me. “I wasn’t trying to be mean. You’ve put your career as a priority and there is nothing wrong with that.”

  “The way you say it, seems like you think there is.”

  “I just want you to be happy.”

  I hugged Shelby and smiled. “I can fake it till I make it.”

  Evan walked in with another bag in hand and stopped when he saw the two of us in serious conversation.

  “Should I come back?”

  As I looked from him to Shelby, I saw her eyes light up and I knew exactly what she
was thinking. And, if I’m honest, I might have actually been on the same page.

  FIVE

  “ARE YOU SURE you don’t mind doing this?” I called out to Evan from the bathroom.

  “Becs, please stop asking. We’re going to have fun,” he answered.

  I liked that he called me Becs. Considering we were still getting to know each other, it flowed naturally from his lips.

  I put the finishing touches on my makeup and stood back, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I had brought my favorite black spaghetti-strapped dress especially for the rehearsal dinner. Now, knowing my ex would be there with his fiancée, I was pleased with my choice. Shelby had convinced me to wear my wavy hair down, but my look still wasn’t complete.

  “Where is it?” I muttered as I tried to find the piece of jewelry.

  As I emerged from the bathroom I tried to keep a neutral demeanor, but that proved difficult when I saw him standing there in a black suit that was tailored to fit him perfectly. Until that moment, I had only seen him wearing T-shirts and running shorts, or jeans. But in that suit he looked like a model who’d stepped out of the pages of a magazine ad.

  In the days we had spent together, his relaxed demeanor and willingness to learn had put me at ease. I had confidence that he would be able to fill in for Hilarie and give Shelby the images that would make her happy.

  Evan turned to look at me and his jaw went slack. He took a deep breath and nodded once as he started to smile.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said, walking toward him.

  “You look amazing.” He grinned. “The ex is definitely going to notice.”

  I held up the pendant and turned to face the mirror as he placed it around my neck. Evan’s fingers grazed my skin and I rubbed my arms as I tried to hide the goosebumps that I knew were forming. He was trying to secure the necklace and I couldn’t help but notice that we would actually make an attractive couple. But this was just a favor and he was my landlord.

  “Thank you again so much for doing this. I feel like such a weirdo asking you to pretend to be my date, but it beats showing up alone.”

  “So what’s the plan?”

  “Plan?” I repeated.

  “Yeah. I mean, what’s our story? Have we been dating long? Am I a rival photographer that you have a love-hate relationship with?” he teased.

  I hadn’t thought that far ahead when I propositioned Evan with the ruse of being my date for the wedding. James knew me so well that if we weren’t careful he would be able to see right through it.

  “We just recently met,” I started.

  “That part is true.”

  I smiled and went on. “Truth. You might be onto something there. Maybe we should keep it as close to the truth as possible to make it easier for us.”

  “Okay, so we ran into each other by the elevator,” he said.

  “Yes, and your sweet dog Peggy tried to kill me,” I added with a laugh.

  “She didn’t try to kill you,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  “Details,” I scoffed. “We started talking and I learned you were my new landlord.”

  “Sounds good, not too far off track. And you fell for me the moment we met.”

  “Whoa…hold up. I fell for you?” I asked with a raised brow.

  “Literally.” He nodded. “You fell.”

  I started laughing and shook my head. “Absolutely not.”

  “Look, I don’t think you’re in any position to argue,” he teased. “I mean, I am doing you multiple favors now. I should get some sort of perk out of this.”

  “Fine,” I groaned. “I fell for you. Anything else?”

  He was quiet for a moment before asking, “Are we serious?”

  I turned around and paced the small hotel room and groaned. “Dammit, Evan, you’re right. This is ridiculous. I mean, what if he sees through this? A fake boyfriend? What were Shelby and I thinking? If James figures it out, I’ll be humiliated.”

  When I turned to face Evan, his head was cocked to the side as he studied me. In the time we’d spent together, I had learned that he was not quick to speak; he was thoughtful in the words he chose. But the pauses while he figured it out were dreadfully awkward.

  He closed his eyes briefly and then shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. I meant, are we serious? Exclusive? Seeing other people? What’s our status?”

  It took a moment for my head to catch up and I exhaled, simultaneously relieved and intrigued.

  “Exclusive?” My voice sounded shaky, even to me.

  Evan walked toward me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “We got this. I promise.”

  I dropped my gaze from his eyes to the place where his hands were touching my arms. His grip was gentle and reassuring, which was odd, considering we barely knew each other. He must have thought I was uncomfortable because he lowered his hands and shoved them into his pockets.

  “But there is one thing,” he said.

  “Yeah?”

  “If we’re dating, we hold hands and things like that, right?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Okay, well, it’s going to look weird if you get that freaked-out look on your face every time I touch you,” he said, pointing at me.

  “You’re right.” I smiled. “I’ll work on it.”

  “Okay. So are we ready to do this?”

  “No. But let’s do it anyway.”

  We walked to the door and he held it open as I passed. I waited until the door closed and he was standing next to me. He held out his hand and threaded his fingers with mine, somehow comforting me with that single action. I had known him less than a week, but seeing his face every day, while I taught him about my business and how to use my equipment, made him easily familiar to me.

  “Why are you doing this for me? I appreciate it and all, but I’ve just sucked you into a whole world of crazy that you didn’t sign up for.”

  “If you knew my family, you’d realize that this really isn’t that strange,” he said with a wink. “Now, are you ready for this, honey?”

  “No. No honey,” I said as we started walking down the hallway.

  “Sweetie?”

  “Negative.”

  “Baby?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Okay, babe,” he said, gently squeezing my hand. “Let’s do this.”

  SIX

  EVAN AND I walked into the crowded banquet hall, where I introduced him to Bianca and Kirk. He and Kirk hit it off instantly, bonding over college football. Bianca excused us and dragged me over to the bar to get a drink, where we were met by Shelby.

  “You look so happy, Shel,” I gushed, hugging her tightly. “I’m so happy for you and Michael.”

  “I’m so glad you are both here with me. I can’t imagine tomorrow without you.”

  “You know you couldn’t keep us away,” Bianca said. “And we’ll get back to you in a second, but I have question for Becs.”

  “What did I do?” I asked innocently.

  “Who is Evan and why have I not heard about him before?”

  “Did you call me, babe?” Evan asked as he walked over, wrapping his arm around my waist. Kirk stood next to Bianca and kissed the top of her head.

  I smiled up at Evan and shook my head. “I was just about to tell Bianca about us.”

  “No offense, but my friend here has been very tight-lipped. I didn’t even know she was seeing anyone,” Bianca accused.

  “Damn, Becs…are you ashamed of me?” he teased, and I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

  “Of course not! I just wanted you all to myself.”

  “You two are so cute it’s disgusting,” Bianca said with a smirk. “Okay, so…how did you meet?”

  I opened my mouth to speak but Evan beat me to it, spouting off the one lie that I knew she would see through.

  “She fell for me the moment she saw me,” he said with a straight face.

  I watched as Bianca processed the information, her face alter
nating from disbelief to annoyance almost in a flash.

  “Like literally fell,” he said, and then laughed. “We were standing near the elevator arguing because she was annoyed that my dog had escaped from my apartment without her leash. She was so flustered that she tripped over her camera bag.”

  “Now that sounds like Becs,” Bianca laughed. “Not an ounce of grace in that body.”

  “Who needs grace when you look like her?” he asked, and my skin heated at his compliment.

  Shelby grinned and nodded her approval. She was the only person who knew the real story about Evan, but I wouldn’t be shocked if she decided to tell Michael too. We just needed to get through the weekend without anyone else finding out.

  “Don’t look now, but James just walked in,” Bianca said with a sneer. She was never a fan of my ex, but even less so after he cheated. When she’d found out he was invited to the wedding, she called me, irate, and I had to calm her down so she didn’t attack Shelby. Considering that Michael and James were friends, it wasn’t surprising that he would be there.

  Evan dropped his lips near my ear and whispered, “You ready?”

  I looked up into his eyes and smiled. “Wanna go find our seats?”

  “Lead the way,” he said, taking my hand in his.

  We walked toward one of the front tables and spotted our place markers. Evan pulled out my chair and then took a seat next to me, draping his arm lazily over the back of my chair. I was beginning to relax and took a sip of my wine when James walked over to our table.

  “Looks like we’re sitting here,” he said, pointing to the chairs across the way.

  My pulse began to race and I squirmed in my seat, but Evan began tracing lazy circles on my exposed arm. He leaned in and whispered something to me, but I couldn’t quite hear. When I turned to ask him to repeat the words, our faces were inches apart and he smiled before kissing the tip of my nose. I was momentarily shocked until I remembered that James was still looking at us.

  “Clearly there was a mix-up,” Bianca said, glaring at James.

  “Bianca,” he started with his sarcastic tone. “Always good to see you.”