Page 127 of The Guy Who Fake Dated Me

Victoria’s eyes had gone wide, and she put her hands up.

I headed to them.

Victoria’s voice shook as she said to Sky, “What do you want?”

“Sky.” I used a stern voice. “Stop scaring her.”

I didn’t think Victoria’s eyes could get any bigger, but when I stepped up next to Sky, they did. I ran a hand through Sky’s fur, worried that the next few seconds would make or break us, and said, “Hey.”

Victoria swallowed, then licked her lips. Her gaze darted between Sky and me, as if she wasn’t quite sure she could trust the dog if she stopped looking at him.

I indicated the bench. “Can I sit?”

She nodded, and I led Sky around to the other end where he stood staring longingly at Victoria.

That made two of us.

“How?” Victoria asked. “Why?” Her hands flurried around her head as if that explained her entire mindset.

May as well throw someone else under the bus for a minute. “Kyle might have told me you guys were going to be here.”

“That…” Victoria trailed off and shook her head. “I think that brings up more questions than I had before.”

I smiled despite the squeezing around my heart. “Sorry.” I looked into Victoria’s beautiful green eyes and saw the confusion and pain there. Kyle had assured me that her troubled state wasn’t all my fault, but my heart broke as I studied her expression. Before I realized what I was doing, I scooted closer and reached for her hand.

She didn’t resist.

Her fingers were warm and a little clammy. I didn’t care. All that I cared about was that she was here, with me. I needed an ice breaker, so I decided to start with, “You look good.”

A bit of her normal feistiness surfaced as she said, “Of course I look good.”

The tightness in my chest eased a little. “Can I say something?”

She nodded.

If I had a dollar for every time I’d practiced this speech, I’d have enough extra cash to buy a new truck. I took a breath and dove in. “Victoria, I don’t know how Courtney found my list, but I know she sent it to you.”

Victoria’s fingers tightened around mine. She said nothing.

“I want you to know that the list was forged from one bad dating experience after another, until I thought I needed the perfect woman.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, and I moved closer again. Our legs almost brushed.

“Then you came along, and I figured out that what I needed is you.” My heart was beating hard enough that it definitely counted as my cardio for the day. “Can I tell you about how much I need you?”

She sniffed.

I took that as a yes. “I love your laugh, especially when you snort.”

Her chest heaved with a repressed chuckle.

“You’re so confident that you make me want to scramble to catch up. You hold yourself together like a champ, even in the face of your biggest fear.” I waved at the dog park as a whole.

Victoria reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek. “You haven’t seen me since the wedding.”

I brought the back of her hand to my lips. “It doesn’t matter. I know you’re working on it. That’s more than most people are willing to do.”

For the first time, she moved toward me. Her shoulder rubbed my arm, and our knees pressed together.

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