“Thanks. You look nice too.”
“Well, I always look nice.” He smiled before he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the elevator. We rode it to the bottom just as Hunt had five minutes earlier. Thorn escorted me to the back seat of his car, and the driver pulled into traffic.
Thorn looked out the window and watched the lights go by.
I tried not to think about Hunt.
“Everything alright?” he asked without looking at me.
“Yeah.”
He turned his head toward me. “You’re sure? Because speak now or forever hold your peace.”
There was nothing waiting for me with Hunt. Nothing but hesitation and uncertainty. I remained loyal to him even though I didn’t have to, but I had to put myself first. I had to do the right thing for myself because he wouldn’t do the right thing by me. “I’m sure.”
A handsome smile spread across his face. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Silence fell again, and Thorn fished out his phone. He took care of a few messages, and by the time he was done, we pulled up in front of the restaurant. He got out first and then helped me out, his hand steady on mine.
When I thought about spending my life with Thorn, I didn’t have a single fear in the world. I knew he would always be honest with me, not feeding me lies to hide his true nature. He would only show me the respect that I deserved. He would be affectionate, loyal. He would be a great friend and a wonderful husband. He was a handsome man, so I knew our children would be beautiful. He would be a wonderful father, a great family man. I was a lucky woman to find such a great man. We wouldn’t know passionate love, but I could always find that elsewhere.
He guided me into the restaurant, and at a special table right next to the window were his parents and some of our friends. They all knew what was going to happen, but they had no idea that I knew as well.
Hopefully, I was believable.
Hopefully, Hunt wouldn’t haunt me for the rest of the night.
17
Hunt
Brett sat across from me at the table inside the bar. The lights were low, and people were talking over the music. The TVs around the room showed a playback of the game that aired hours ago. I skipped the beer and went straight for something stronger.
An Old Fashioned.
It was a cruel punishment.
Brett didn’t hide his stare. He looked at me openly, the way only a brother could. He violated my personal space because he was allowed to by the connection of our DNA. He glanced at my nearly empty glass before he looked at me again. “I’m sorry, man.”
I could hear the compassion in his tone, knowing he really meant every word he said. He didn’t like to see me down on my luck, disappointed by the hand that was dealt to me. I never let anyone see me like this, but I didn’t care anymore. “I know.”
“What are you going to do now?”
My fingers wrapped around the glass, feeling the condensation that formed on the surface. “The same thing I was doing before.”
“Which is?”
“I haven’t given up on her.”
Brett couldn’t hide the look of pity he flashed my way. “Come on, man…”
“I won’t give up on her.” My eyes shifted to the TV in the corner just when the channel changed and a news story broke out.
A reporter came on the air. “It’s official. Thorn Cutler asked his longtime girlfriend, Tatum Titan, to marry him. The engaged couple was seen having dinner with friends and family at Rio’s.” Photographs were shown of Thorn on one knee in front of the table. The diamond on the band was enormous, sparkling even through the photograph.
She said yes.
I looked at her face in the picture. She smiled down at Thorn, but her eyes were wet with emotion. I knew the wetness wasn’t from happiness, wasn’t from joy at the thought of a lifetime of bliss with Thorn.
I knew she was thinking about me.
A few minutes later, it returned to the game.
Brett didn’t say anything, but his pity increased. His eyes fell in sadness, knowing the images we just saw were knives straight to my heart.
As if nothing had happened, I picked up my glass and drank the rest of the contents.
Brett continued to stare.
“I know I’ll get her back.” It would take them at least nine months to plan the wedding that would be a performance for the world to see. I had plenty of time to fix this, to make things right. She was still mine as far as I was concerned.
Brett hadn’t touched his beer once. It’d been sitting there for minutes, growing lukewarm.
“I may not have any proof, but I believe in what we have. I know she’ll take a leap of faith. I know she’ll give me another chance even if I don’t have anything to exonerate myself. She’s scared and doesn’t want to get hurt again, but she’ll take that risk for me. I know she will.”
“Why are you so certain?”
I couldn’t explain to Brett the depth of our connection, the intensity of our feelings. I’d never been a romantic guy, but I knew real love when I saw it. What we had was the kind of power that could conquer an entire world. The right language didn’t exist for me to convey exactly what we shared. But I could feel it in my heart. “Because that woman loves me with everything she has. And I love her in the exact same way.”
Also by Victoria Quinn
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