Page 36 of Commit

“You too.”

She waves at me. “Nice to meet you, Remi.”

I nod, and then she walks away.

“So the moisturizer…” the salesman dives right back in.

I hold up my hand to stop him. “We’re not interested.” I drag Matt away from the kiosk. “Who is that?”

“That’s Brittney.”

“I know that, but who is she?”

“She’s my ex-fiancée.”

He says it so casually that I have to replay his words back through my mind just to make sure I understand them right.

“Your ex-fiancée? I had no idea you were ever engaged.”

“It was a long time ago.” He shrugs as he walks down the mall.

“I need more details. How long did you date? How long were you engaged? Who called it off? Why did they call it off?” I’m rattling questions off like a worried mother whose teen just came home three hours after curfew.

“We dated for one year.”

“One year!” I exclaim. “And you proposed?”

Matt turns to me. “Are you going to repeat every answer I give?”

I roll my lips shut and shake my head.

“We were seniors in college. I was young and hadn’t thought through everything. We both had jobs lined up in different states, and neither of us was willing to give up our dreams. I wasn’t committed enough, so I called it off.”

Matt called it off.

Why does that knowledge freak me out? Is he going to wake up one day and realize he’s not committed to me? Call it off with me? I swallow, trying to keep my fears tightly wrapped together in a neat little package that’s hidden in the corner of my heart. But it’s hard. This new information about Matt has given my deepest insecurities a breath of life, and now they are clawing at my chest, begging to settle into my heart and mind.

Matt must sense my freak-out because he stops walking and pulls me into a hug.

“It was a long time ago. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about her sooner. I just don’t think about it that often, and we’ve only been dating for four months, so bringing up past serious relationships seemed like a lot.”

It is a lot.

I nod. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal.”

Except that now I’m worried about whether or not Matt will end up being just another person in my life who isn’t committed to me.

CHAPTER 21

MATT

I hold out my hand, helping Remi step up into the pedicab. It’s a glorified rickshaw, but it’s the best I can find to get us back to the hotel.

Everything about the moment feels romantic, from the giant moon to the narrow tree-lined streets. Everything but the random guy pedaling an arm’s length from my kneecaps. His shirt is riding up, and his pants are sitting low, showing off a half-inch of plumber’s crack.

“Are you enjoying the show?” I quietly ask Remi, hoping to break the tension from our last conversation.

Without hesitation, she whispers back, “Actually, I was hoping you’d lean forward and pull his pants down even more. I’d really like to see a full inch of the top of his buttocks.”

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