Page 103 of Surprisingly Us

Her blue eyes flash with rage and I back off.

She’s not herself. Gone is the even-tempered woman that wouldn’t dream of making a scene. I’ve done that to her. If there was ever a question about Lettie’s lack of passion, it’s not an issue right now.

I follow her back into the theater lobby where she grabs two champagne glasses off a waiter’s tray and slings them both back. Fuck. This isn’t going to be pretty.

“Princess.” I reach for her.

“Don’t call me that,” she snaps setting the glasses back on the tray and rolling her shoulders back, before disappearing into the sea of guests.

Ramsey appears at my side. “What the hell was that?”

I don’t bother looking at him, intent on keeping track of Lettie as she makes her way across the room to speak with her parents.

I push a hand through my hair, then hold my hands out. “I’m engaged now.” I force a smile, but Ramsey’s glare tells me now isn’t the time to be cute.

He shakes his head. “You didn’t ask her, did you?”

“To marry me? You saw it with your own eyes.” I motion to where I’d stood in front of the entire fundraiser crowd and proposed to Lettie.

“Fuck a duck, Rhys,” he hisses under his breath. “I’m talking about asking her permission to propose.”

I shake my head and tell him what happened with Jerrod and Aditi.

He’s so annoyed with me, he can’t even speak. He simply shakes his head then walks away leaving me standing alone.

It’s what I deserve, but it doesn’t hurt any less.

Lettie told me to stay away from her, but I also need her to keep our arrangement under wraps. I can’t have her getting loose-lipped and telling people we’re not really together.

As the party progresses, I keep a watchful eye on her. She talks with friends and fellow dancers. Her left hand outstretched for everyone to examine the ring I just put there.

The ring I proposed with is obscene. It’s in complete conflict with Lettie’s quiet grace and effortless style. I knew that picking it out, but it’s even more obvious now as the large diamond causes the ring to rotate under its own weight.

Everyone is oohing and ahhing at the rock, but I can tell by Lettie’s reaction to it that she’s not impressed one bit.

She turns her head and catches my eyes, her lips pressing together in silent rage.

I’m about to make my way over to her when my grandfather claps me on the shoulder.

“This is a positive development. Congratulations.” He pulls me into a hug. It’s foreign. The feeling of his arms around me, and the approval.

“Congratulations, darling.” Edith holds my face so she can kiss me straight on the lips. “This is so exciting! Another wedding to plan.”

I nod. “Thank you, but I think we’ll be waiting until after Lettie’s fall performance run to finalize any wedding plans. She needs to focus on her upcoming evaluation and performances.”

“That’s understandable. You two have had such a quick courtship, it’s okay to slow down. Now that you know you want to spend the rest of your lives together, you have all the time in the world.”

There was a moment when I dropped to my knee, when Lettie’s eyes went wide and her lips parted in surprise, that it felt real. And it made me question everything. I wish I could capture that moment and replay it over and over.

Did she notice my hand was shaking when I opened the ring box? Could she sense that her ‘yes’ meant something to me?

My eyes find Lettie again. She’s among a group of dancers. She told me to stay away, but I can’t keep my eyes off her. Fuck. How is everything going according to plan, yet completely off the rails at the same time?

I’m about to move toward her when I run right into Hannah Cartwright-McKenzie, and she does not look happy to see me.

“The etiquette for a new engagement is a congratulatory hug but I don’t know if I can give you that, Rhys.”

I hold out my hand instead, but Hannah just shakes her head.

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