Page 144 of One Wealthy Wedding

“Cat. Look at me. What is that supposed to mean? Is this about the list? Because you don’t need the list to be fun. I like you just the way you are.”

The words lance into me. “But you didn’t. Before.”

“What does that mean? Before when?” He looks puzzled. More confirmation that before isn’t meaningful for him the way it is for me.

“You left.” I drain the champagne in one gulp and pour another.

Theo stands. I take another hearty swallow of alcohol. I need it to chase away the memories of that night.

“Tell me,” he says, advancing on me. He’s prowling toward me like a predator. Intent and loose. Deceptively casual.

“You left,” I say again.

He plucks the glass from my hand and sets on the table. “I left,” he agrees. “Are you mad? I thought you didn’t care.”

“You’re joking.” The words come out on gasped breath. “Do you know how obsessed with you I was? I circled the days you were coming home on my calendar. I counted down. I curled my hair on your first day back that summer after your sophomore year. June thirteenth. I still remember the day.” I put my hands on his chest like I’m going to push him away, but my traitorous fingers curl into his soft shirt. Theo is searching my face like he can’t believe what I’m saying.

“You kissed me, Theo. You kissed me, and all my dreams came true. I was so stupid. I knew I didn’t have a chance with you. You were laughably far out of my league. But I didn’t care.” The words are tumbling out now, choking me, filling my lungs, setting my heart to thumping. “You begged me to come to that party. Do you remember?”

I don’t need his response. The way his eyes glitter tells me he remembers.

“I was so excited,” I say bitterly. “I got all dressed up, made up an outlandish excuse, and escaped. I was late, but I thought you’d wait for me. But you didn’t. I walked into that bar and saw her.” The memory of that day is as raw as it was when it happened. I can still feel the sting of jealousy, the way it made my stomach roll, the way it made my eyes prickle, the rush of blood to my face.

Theo is silent, his jaw working.

“I was devastated. And worst of all, it was my fault. You never promised me anything. You kissed me once. We were kids. A kiss meant nothing. Nothing. Except I—” I clamp my lips shut before the words can escape. I’m not telling him this. He doesn’t deserve it.

“You what?”

I shake my head. “It’s in the past. I hate that I still care so much about it.” The words are a mere whisper.

“Okay, princess.” Theo’s eyes are soft as he says the words. “I’ll tell you a story. But I want you to sit with me first.”

He tugs me toward the couch and settles me against his side. He’s firm and warm, soft in his T-shirt and sweats, open and honest. “Once upon a time,” he starts.

I laugh, despite the longing and sadness filling me. That’s Theo. Able to create humor under the worst of circumstances.

“No laughing. Once upon a time, there was a boy who was desperately infatuated with a girl he could never have.”

My breath stutters.

“No interrupting,” he admonishes. “This girl was everything he’d ever dreamed of. Beautiful, fun, smart. Brave. Braver than he ever realized. But the girl’s parents would never have approved of them together. So the boy waited. He waited until he became a man. He grew tall and strong, but it wasn’t enough. He needed money and power too, so he could prove himself to the girl. He should have waited longer, but he was impatient.” Theo’s lips lift in that wicked smile. “Because the girl grew too. Into a woman. A dangerous, headstrong woman with a body that tempted the man in ways the boy couldn’t have imagined. And one night, in the middle of a rainstorm, the man couldn’t resist. He kissed the woman, and it was the best kiss of his life.”

The words send me soaring to dangerous heights. I’m Icarus before a fall, and my heart tells me not to get my hopes up.

“But they weren’t alone that night. The woman’s father saw them, and he would do anything to keep them apart.”

“What?” Instead of soaring, I’m tumbling, confused and hurt. “My father saw?”

“Wait until I’m done, princess.” Theo shuts his eyes briefly. “I hate this part,” he says. When he looks at me again, his eyes are filled with sadness. “Your dad took me aside the next day. The morning of that party, in fact. He told me that you didn’t really want me. That you’d come to your senses. He told me—” Theo’s voice cracks a little. “He told me that you’d complained to him that I made advances.”

“And you believed him?” I can’t believe this. “This is what you thought of me for all those years?”

“Not exactly,” he says. He spears a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t sure of you. We’d grown apart and there was tension between us. We were young. I’d been away, and I didn’t know if maybe you had a boyfriend or you were just messing around with me. Lots of women wanted me for just my body, even at twenty-one. And while I thought you might be different, I didn’t know. Maybe you were just telling your father this so he wouldn’t punish you. Maybe you regretted the kiss and you wanted me gone, but you were too scared to do it yourself.”

I shove at Theo’s arm where it bands me to him. “Get off me.”

“I’m not done.” His arm tightens around me. “That’s not why I left. I would have stayed. I would have talked to you. Until he told me that he would ruin you if I didn’t leave.”

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