Page 33 of Dreaming of You

"And I don't think you can blame the wedding for all your problems. It sounds like you were on different pages when it came to what you wanted from your life together."

"I don't blame the wedding, but I think it set an unrealistic expectation that we couldn't possibly live up to."

She rested her arms on the table as she thought about his statement. "Do you think that if you'd gotten married at the courthouse, you would still be married today?"

He frowned. "Maybe you should have been an attorney. You're very good at debate, picking apart arguments."

"And you're good at avoiding a question you don't want to answer."

He tipped his head. "No. I don't think we'd still be married today."

She felt like she'd won a small victory. "I don't think so, either. What's Vanessa doing today?"

"My mother told me a few weeks ago that she's engaged to be married to an architect. I'm sure she's planning the hell out of another wedding."

"Would you get married again, Barrett?"

"I can't imagine it. I don't think I'm husband material." He paused. "What about you? I know you haven't been married, but have you come close? Are you involved with anyone now?"

"I'm not seeing anyone at the moment, and I haven't come close to an engagement. I haven't met anyone I want to spend the next sixty years with."

"I'd start with six months and go from there."

"I'm not going to get married unless I believe we can go the distance."

"How would you know?" he asked curiously. "There are so many pretenses played out in the dating world—so many games, masks that are worn, double talk—how can you really be sure who that person is?"

"By having really honest and sometimes difficult conversations. By seeing each other at your worst and at your best. By prioritizing what's important."

"What's important to you?"

"Having someone I can count on, who will be there when I fall, who will be my partner through life. I want honesty and trust."

"What about passion, sex?"

Her cheeks warmed at his words and at the look of desire in his eyes. "Well, chemistry is also important. But it can't be everything."

"It can be a lot."

"Or too much. Sometimes, when the attraction is so strong, it stops a person from seeing what's not there outside of the physical relationship." She paused. "I'm sure some of your clients must have expressed that sentiment."

"A few. I'll be honest, Kate. I don't know much about love, not the kind of love you're talking about. I haven't seen it in my family. I haven't seen it in my work."

"Well, you should meet my grandparents."

"You think they'd set me straight?" he asked with a grin.

"Definitely." She licked her lips. "What you just said, though, is why you and I do not go together."

"You wouldn't think so," he said cryptically. "But you do look beautiful in candlelight, Kate."

A shiver ran down her spine at the look in his eyes. "Everyone looks better in candlelight."

"A better answer would be thank you," he said lightly, a smile lurking around the corners of his mouth. "Or you could say I look good, too."

"I'll stick with thank you," she said, trying to quell the nervous flutters in her stomach.

Thankfully, the waiter came by with hot bread out of the oven and a plate of olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar.

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