Tuesday

by Lily Rose

  What did he want to know? I set my supplies down then removed my apron. “What’s up?”

  “Hawke.” He said the name like it explained everything.

  “What about him?”

  “A few weeks ago, he was at our gym…and I was just curious what that meant. Are you back together?” He cringed slightly like he didn’t want to hear my answer—at least the one that would hurt him.

  I didn’t want to be honest, not because I wanted to lead him on. I just didn’t want to break his heart all over again. “Why are you asking?”

  “Because…if you are, then I know there’s absolutely no hope for us. But if you aren’t…maybe we can work things out. I haven’t enjoyed my single life, not the way I used to. I would much rather settle for half your heart than storm this existence.”

  Was he trying to rip me apart?

  “So…are you?” He put his hands in his pockets and waited for the answer.

  Either way, I lost. There was no answer I could give that would make him feel better. So, I went with the truth. “Yes.”

  The pain moved into his eyes and he couldn’t hide it. He nodded his head slightly then cleared his throat. “Okay. I can move on now.”

  I hate myself.

  “Congratulations.” Despite his pain, he seemed sincere. “I know this is what you wanted. You always said he was your soul mate and everything.”

  “He is my soul mate.” I didn’t want to drive the nail into the coffin but I wanted him to walk out of there feeling a little better than he did when he walked in.

  “Well…I guess that’s it.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged at the same time.

  “Kyle, you’re such a great guy. You’re going to find a woman a million times better than me, and she’s going to love you like no other.”

  “Thanks.” He didn’t make eye contact with me, telling me he didn’t believe a word I said.

  “I really mean that.”

  “I’m sure you do,” he said with a sigh. “I’ve just never felt this way toward anyone before. What are the odds of me feeling that again? And, there’s no one else better than you, Francesca. You’re wrong about that.” He returned his hand to his pocket then backed away to the door. “I’m sorry for bothering you. I won’t do it anymore.”

  I wanted to hug him and comfort him in any way that I could. But showing him any type of affection would just make it harder. I would much rather see him walk out hating me than heartbroken over me. I wished I’d seen the signs earlier. I wished I ended things before he fell for me.

  It was entirely my fault.

  “Good bye, Francesca.” Kyle turned around and headed to the hallway, but he stopped when he realized someone was in the way.

  Hawke stood there, threat burning in his eyes.

  I hadn’t even noticed him. He wore a suit and tie like he did every workday. His size and presence should have alerted me, but I was so absorbed in Kyle that I hadn’t noticed.

  Kyle stared him down without the slightest hint of fear.

  Hawke didn’t blink.

  It was tense. Neither one of them said a word, but they did all the talking with just their eyes. Their muscles were flexed, and they were both ready for a fight. Hawke didn’t talk much, but his thoughts were visible in his eyes. Right now, he wanted to rip Kyle’s throat out for even looking at me.

  I waited for the moment to pass, for one of them to walk away.

  Finally, Kyle walked into the hallway without turning back.

  Hawke watched him go until he was out of sight. Then he turned to me, that anger still burning deep inside his soul. His shoulders were stiff, and his arms didn’t move by his sides. He gave me the same death threat, jealous and angry.

  I didn’t do anything wrong and neither did Kyle, so I had nothing to apologize for. He could growl at me all he wanted but that wouldn’t change anything. I had to sit by and watch his phone light up with explicit messages and see chicks waiting outside his door.

  He could get over this.

  Hawke finally closed the distance between us, his body still rigid. “Do you need me to kill him?”

  “No. That won’t be necessary.”

  “Can I kill him anyway?” He kept a straight face.

  “No.”

  Hawke was about to burst. The anger was about to erupt out of his eyes. “Then what is he doing here? Who does he think he is? He has no right coming here and talking to you. You. Are. Mine.”

  I put one hand on my hip and met his gaze without blinking. “He’s a human being and he’s my friend. He didn’t touch me, he didn’t come on to me, and he just wanted to talk. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “I won’t let some guy harass my girlfriend.”

  “He wasn’t harassing me.”

  “He still has no right coming in here. What did he want?”

  “None of your business.”

  The vein in Hawke’s forehead started to twitch. “It is my business. I don’t want him anywhere near you.”

  “I can take care of myself, Hawke. And you should trust me.”

  “I do trust you. It’s him I don’t trust.”

  “Well, just deal with it.”

  “Excuse me?” he hissed.

  “I’ve had to deal with all your women. You can deal with this.”

  “Those women never meant a thing to me. You actually had a relationship with this guy. You met his family for goodness sake. I have every reason to be angry, Frankie. You’re with me now, which means you aren’t allowed to talk to him.”

  He just said the wrong thing. “I’m not allowed?” Now I put my other hand on my hip.

  Hawke knew he messed up. “If you’re with me, there’s no reason you should be talking to him. That’s all I’m saying. I don’t have a relationship with any of the women I saw. Exes can never be friends.”

  “Kyle is a great guy. You should be nicer to him.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m not nice to him.” His arms shook by his sides.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “You either trust me or you don’t. In case you’ve forgotten, I left him because I was so hung up on you. There’s not a single reason in the world you should feel threatened by him. If I’m your soul mate, then it shouldn’t matter that he was here.”

  Hawke pressed his lips tightly together. “What did he want, anyway?”

  “He wanted to know if you and I got back together.”

  “He didn’t know that before?” he snapped.

  “Why would he?” I asked calmly. “I don’t talk to him on a regular basis.”

  His anger dimmed slightly.

  “And I told him we did.”

  “What does it matter?” Hawke asked. “You aren’t with him regardless.”

  “Because he said it would help him move on.” I felt bad saying the words out loud. I knew what it was like to want someone you could never have.

  Hawke’s expression didn’t change, but it was clear he didn’t like that answer.

  “Now let it go and stop jumping down my throat.” I turned back to my table and put my apron on. I was too irritated to kiss Hawke and pretend everything was perfectly fine. I didn’t appreciate being interrogated like that, especially when I had never faltered in our relationship.

  Hawke sighed from behind me and didn’t leave.

  I kept my back to him and waited for him to leave.

  “I’m sorry.” The words cut through the air like a knife, his sincerity acting as the blunt edge.

  I didn’t turn around.

  “I overreacted. I’m never sane when it comes to you.”

  I knew that all too well. I remembered how crazy things got when he saw Jason kissing me at the bar. Hawke almost killed him—literally.

  “I know I shouldn’t be jealous—not ever. There’s no reason to be, not with you.”

  It was becoming more difficult for me to hold on to my anger. When he admitted he was wrong, something extremely rare, it was impossible for me to turn him away.r />
  His hands moved around my waist and he guided me to turn around.

  I fought it at first, not ready to see his face.

  But he won and turned me toward him. When he saw my features, he gave me a ghost of a smile. His eyes brightened slightly as he moved his hand to my neck. His fingers rested in my hair and his thumb touched the corner of my mouth.

  Yep. I was lost.

  “Muffin, I’m sorry.” He looked down at me, his forehead almost touching mine.

  “I forgive you.”

  He smiled when he knew he had me. Then he gave me a soft kiss that would make any girl grow weak.

  Marie’s wedding was just days away. The pressure and stress started to kick in.

  “Okay, I need to get the photo album—”

  “Got it.” I took care of that weeks ago.

  Marie went down the list. “I need to tell the DJ the music we’re having at cocktail hour.”

  “Took care of that too.”

  Her eyes were glued to the paper. “Crap, I forgot—”

  “I got your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”

  She finally put the list down. “You’re the maid of honor of the year, you know that?”

  “I do.” I wasn’t going to be humble about it. I was at Marie’s beck and call and did everything she asked. Actually, I did things without her asking.

  “What about the cake?”

  “What about it?” I asked incredulously. “Marie, your cake will be perfect. Don’t give it a second thought.”

  “But you already have so many things going on—”

  “Girl, this is what I do best. Shut up and chill.”

  She smiled. “You’ve made this so easy on me. I’m so glad you shared this experience with me.”

  “I’m honored to be by your side, Marie.”

  “And I’m so relieved I’m not getting crazy in-laws.”

  “Are you sure about that?” I asked with a smirk.

  “You’re crazy, Frankie. But in a good way. So, how’s it going with Hawke?”

  “Perfect.” There was no other way to describe it.

  “You guys are still living in a fairytale?”

  “It’s like we picked up where we left off…but better.” Because I knew this would end happily. He wouldn’t take off and leave me again. He wouldn’t hurt me again. Like he said, we were forever.

  I wanted to do something reckless—with Hawke.

  I was head-over-heels, so happy it should be illegal, type of in love. Hawke and I spent time together every night after work. We would stay at his place or mine, and we cuddled on the couch and stared into each other’s eyes. Sometimes, we didn’t say anything at all and just communicated with a simple look.

  Just the other night, Hawke grabbed my hand and kissed every knuckle while he held my gaze. The touch was innocent, but it made me hotter than I’d ever been before. With him, I was whole. With him, I was home.

  But I wanted to do something adventurous and crazy. We’d been taking things slow ever since we got back together. Hawke was always gentle with me, and when he made love to me, it always felt like the first time.

  But now I wanted something more.

  I stepped onto Hawke’s floor and walked past the secretary. She raised an eyebrow like she wanted to say something to me, but when she recognized who I was, she let me pass.

  When I reached his assistant’s desk, she didn’t say a word to me. Judging the frown on her face, she wasn’t happy that I was Hawke’s girlfriend. Come to think of it, I didn’t think any single woman was.

  I knocked on his door.

  “Come in,” he said with an indifferent voice.

  When I walked inside, he was typing on his iPad. He didn’t look up at me, like he thought I was his assistant or someone else who didn’t matter.

  “What’s up?” He raised an eyebrow but kept typing.

  This was definitely a surprise he would never forget.

  Hawke knocked before he entered my apartment. “There she is.”

  I placed the pan inside the oven.

  “So, what was that about today?” He cradled me to his chest.

  “So, what was that about today?” He cradled me to his chest.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve never done something like that before.”

  “I just wanted to surprise you…do something adventurous.”

  He nodded slowly. “While I enjoyed it and appreciated it, you don’t have to do stuff like that to keep me around. I’m always thinking about you all day.”

  I smiled then pressed my face into his chest.

  His lips pressed a kiss to my forehead. “How was your day?”

  “It was okay.”

  “Ready for Saturday?”

  “I’m ready to get this over with.”

  “Nervous?” he asked.

  “I’m not the one getting married.”

  “It’s still nerve-racking,” he said.

  “How’s Axel doing?”

  “Fine,” he answered. “I think he wants to get married more than Marie.”

  “Wuss…”

  He laughed then kissed my forehead again. “I want to marry you. Does that make me a wuss?”

  I looked into his eyes and searched for sincerity.

  His smile faded away and he gave me a serious look, like he dared me to question his words.

  “No.”

  “Good. Because I’m anything but a wuss.” He kissed the corner of my mouth then peeked inside the oven. “What do we have here?”

  “Stuffed mushrooms and squash raviolis.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Who said anything about you joining?” I teased.

  That sexy smile returned and he pulled me to his chest again. “I’m joining—whether you like it or not.”

  23

  The Rehearsal Dinner

  Francesca

  “This is the order.” Rodolfo lined the girls up at the altar.

  I knew my place was beside Marie, so that was easy.

  The girls toward the end of the line had angry looks on their faces, and the ones closer to the center acted like they belonged there. I liked most of Marie’s friends, but honestly, some of them were just snotty.

  “Now the men.” Rodolfo was the emcee for the wedding, so it was his responsibility to make sure everything flowed well. “Hawke, you’re here.” He grabbed his t-shirt and shifted him.

  Hawke didn’t like to be touched.

  Then Rodolfo lined up the rest of the guys.

  “Wow, he’s so gorgeous,” Cheyenne whispered to Kayla.

  I knew they were talking about Hawke.

  “And his arms look so good,” Kayla whispered back.

  They obviously didn’t know Hawke and I were an item, and if they did, they must not think it’s very serious.

  I’ll straighten that out.

  “Let’s practice from the top. Go to your starting places.”

  We walked back to the entryway to the ballroom and waited for the music to start. I was walking with Hawke, which was a relief. I didn’t want one of Axel’s perverted friends touching me, and I didn’t want any of Marie’s friends touching Hawke.

  The music started, and I walked to the center of the room, where Hawke met me. He gave me his arm, and I took it. He watched me as we slowly walked down the aisle together.

  “What?” I whispered to him.

  “I feel bad for Marie.”

  “Why?” Did he know something I didn’t?

  “You’re going to outshine her.”

  My cheeks blushed, and I shook my head. “No, that’s not true.”

  Hawke smiled knowingly. “Always the perfect maid of honor…”

  We took our places at the end of the aisle and waited for everyone else to finish. The entire time we stood there, Hawke stared at me. He was oblivious to everyone else around him.

  Axel and Marie faced each other, and that’s when I noticed something of
f with Axel. He wasn’t frowning, but he didn’t seem his normal self. He didn’t make a single joke all night about the honeymoon or how nice Marie’s butt would look in her dress.

  It was odd.

  “Are we done yet?” Shane, one of Axel’s friends, asked. “I’m starving.”

  “That’s a wrap,” Rodolfo said. “Good job, everyone. We’ll see you tomorrow for the big day.”

  Axel looked pale.

  “Where are we eating?” Veronica asked.

  “Here,” Marie said. “In the restaurant.”

  “Nice,” Kayla said. “Good thing I wore a nice dress.”

  Hawke moved toward me and put his arm around my waist. “Want to sit next to me?”

  “Please.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw Axel looking faint. “Is Axel okay?”

  “Yeah,” Hawke answered. “Why?”

  “He just seems…like he’s about to pass out.”

  “I’m sure everything is hitting him right now. He probably just needs a few minutes to soak it in.”

  “I hope that’s it…and not food poisoning.”

  “I’ll talk to him later when no one’s around.”

  “Good idea.”

  Hawke had his arm over the back of my chair the entire night. “You look beautiful tonight.” His lips were pressed to my ear, and as he talked, I could feel his lips move slightly.

  “Thanks…you already said that.”

  “I can’t say it more than once?” He only had eyes for me.

  I knew Marie’s friends officially hated me. “You can say it as many times as you want.”

  Hawke grabbed his wine and took a drink.

  I glanced at Axel and noticed how quiet he was. He wasn’t talking with his groomsmen but he wasn’t talking with Marie either. Fortunately, Marie didn’t seem to notice anything was off because she was talking to her bridesmaids.

  I couldn’t picture Axel leaving Marie at the alter so that was the last thing on my mind. But there was definitely something bothering him, eating him alive. Was he having second thoughts? Or did he simply drink too much the night before?

  At the end of dinner, Hawke gave me a PG kiss. “I’m sorry I can’t stay with you tonight.”