Page 49 of The Fiance Dilemma

His fingers brought an apricot slice to his mouth. “Walk me through your thought process,” Matthew instructed, before chewing on it. A little too hard. “Dump it all on me. And don’t leave whatever has you frowning like that out. I want every messy thought.”

I snorted. “You don’t know what you’re asking. Have you met me?”

“I have.” He crunched on a new chunk of fruit. “And I know what I’m asking.”

The determination in his voice made me pause. Hesitate. I knew he was trying to help, and I knew I had asked him. But… Why was he looking so sullen all of a sudden? Was this about what they’d said about me on the last episode ofFilthy Reali-Tea? The idea made me a little more than uneasy. They hadn’t talked about Matthew, but they had about me. In detail.

I smiled at him. “My, my, it’s getting late and you must be about done with all of this.” I stacked some of the sleeves in a neat pile. “I’ll move this to my room and just pick whatever. Andrew’s welcome dinner doesn’t need to match the wedding aesthetic anyway, likeBobbi is preaching. Mostly, because there is no wedding.” I collected some of the labels and set them in a pile too. “It’d be ridiculous to match anything to it. I just went into autopilot and forgot for a second.” I made my smile even wider. “I can handle Andrew’s party on my own.”

Matthew occupied himself with the task of unearthing a tray with roasted nuts that had been buried in the mess. “I know you can,” he said nonchalantly, placing the nuts in front of him and falling back on the chair. “But you won’t.”

“I won’t… what exactly?”

“Handle it yourself,” he pointed out. Simply. “You won’t handle shit on your own. We will. And we’re finding an aesthetic if that’s what you need.”

“I’m used to it,” I countered, eyes narrowing. “I do it all the time. I’m the mayor of town. A business owner. I run multiple activities. I’ve… organized a few of these.” I swallowed. “It’s fine. And you can go.”

He threw a couple nuts into his mouth. “I have full confidence in your skills to handle anything that comes your way.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll—”

“You’re my fiancée,” Matthew said.

My stomach dropped. Heart skipped.

Matthew’s eyes met mine, as if daring me to negate that. “There’s a ring on your finger. I don’t care about the specifics, for all practical purposes, it means we’re a team. We handle shit together. I don’t care if you can do it on your own. You shouldn’t have to.”

I… wasn’t used to this. Usually, people let me take the issue off their hands. And yes, that had included my exes. I didn’t resent them for it, I’d been glad to handle things. It was something I did well. It just… was a lot sometimes.

“Okay,” I let out with a breath. “Thank you. We’ll settle on a wedding aesthetic so Andrew’s party can match it, Snack Man.Together. Even when there’s no need. But don’t say I didn’t try to save you from this. Your window to escape is now closed.”

Matthew switched back to the kale chips, popping one into his mouth with a smile. “You love that I’m munching away at your food. I can see it in your face.”

I did.

“So…” I started. “I usually make a list of favorite things. To pick an aesthetic. It’s what represents a couple best.” My determination to proceed with this wavered, but I persisted. “Like for example: Shawn was obsessed with 1920s jazz, so we planned a vintage ceremony and a very laid-back cocktail party accompanied by the Hilly Jazzers, who were a little overrated but very popular back then, and it took me a great deal of bribing to book them on the wedding anniversary of the lead singer.”

Matthew kept popping in chips, not saying a thing.

“The gig was canceled, as you know. And I sent the singer a voucher for a romantic night at a spa for the trouble.”

The crunching came to a stop. “And what about that wedding fit your aesthetic? I think we should focus on that.”

“Everything, duh. My dress was beautiful. It was a very pale shade of gold, and so simple and elegant I could still wear it if I wanted to.”

Matthew considered that for a moment. “What about your wedding to Greg, then?” Some measure of surprise must have shown on my face, because Matthew sighed. “I can remember a handful of names after hearing them a couple times. What details about that wedding were yours?”

Yes, he could. The whole country could now. “It was woodland wonderland. Towering trees, mossy detailing. It was important that we were connected to the earth, so we went with an outdoor ceremony in the woods. And Greg goes by Astro now. Ever since he became a yogi master.”

“I want to hear about you now.”

“You’re hearing about me,” I countered. “I’m telling you about me right now. My previous aesthetics.”

“You’re really not.” He patted his hands over his jeans, as if he was done snacking and it was time to get down to business. “You’re telling me about them. I want to hear about you. Likes, dislikes, passions, fears, what makes you smile, and what makes you sad. Then I’ll do the same. That’s what we should know about each other, and that’s what we should be focusing on if we want to find an aesthetic. And we’re going to. Tonight.”

I pursed my lips. Trying not to give him anything. Not the big smile tugging at my mouth, or the happy laugh tickling my throat. Because, damn. The man was cute. And sweet. And that determination was unexpectedly hot.

“Wildflowers,” I announced. “They make me smile. They grow free. They’re beauty and defiance, and the fact that no matter what goes on in the world, they still continue to bloom, makes me happy.”

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