Page 76 of Lace 'em Up

He smiles indulgently—something I only get to see from the hardened businessman because he points it in my direction—then takes one of the brownies from the tray. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

And then Stella’s bustling into my office, offering me my own brownie—which is far too delicious for my waistline—and plunking herself in my desk chair. “So, why didn’t you come home last night?”

I end up driving Stella to the airport, eating far too many brownies, and finding myself all that much more charmed by her.

Thankfully, she bought my excuse of needing to help with the rescue. Something that isn’t exactly a lie—there’s always work to do there—but something that was less than the truth the night before.

I needed to run.

My bracelet.

From my dad.

This is why I shouldn’t have worn it.

Because I always ruin the good things.

And I did again.

The song in the air, the beautiful feel of King holding me, him slipping that ring on my finger and how all of it—all of it—felt right.

Only for the moment to be shattered.

Because, for one second, for a heartbeat in time, I wanted it to be real.

Would have begged the universe for the chance.

It reminded me quickly enough.

Because that’s not for me.

It wasn’t Phillip handing me a ring and all but ordering us to get married. It wasn’t me compromising what I wanted because Phillip’s family and keeping up appearance were more important than what I wanted.

It was…a fantasy, a perfect moment in time and space.

And then it was done.

“Stupid,” I whisper, sending Zeus’s ears pricking from where he’s sitting next to me on King’s couch, my computer in my lap, my glass of wine on the side table next to me. “Fucking stupid.”

Because I’m sitting on King’s couch, in his house.

Because I’m here instead of Chrissy’s after I drove his mom to the airport.

There’s no reason to be here.

Except for Zeus.

Except…I could have brought him to Chrissy’s. He would have loved to spend time with his sister, Athena, whom she and Rome adopted.

But I hadn’t.

Instead, I dropped Stella, promised to see her in a few weeks, and drove back to King’s place.

To pack up my stuff and leave. I’d carry on the charade when Stella visited, but for now, I needed space.

Until I saw the note and a bottle of wine from Oak Ridge on the counter.

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