Page 73 of The Fiance Dilemma

I didn’t even try pretending he meant the tiramisu. Clearly, he meant what I was really hiding. I was such a bad liar, truly. “Follow me, please. I guess that at this rate you were probably going to see them anyway.”

Matthew followed me as I navigated the chaos that was my kitchen—that to his credit he ignored. And when I came to a stop, right in front of the pantry, he did too. Right behind me.

I took one deep breath, then threw the double doors open with ata-da.Although the moment I turned around and looked at Matthew, I realized how much of an overkill that had been. This wasn’t a fun, light ta-da moment.

“I was planning on donating them,” I explained, glancing back at the pantry. “Today. That’s why they’re here. Although I think I chickened out at some point between hanging them here and getting wrapped up in my failed tiramisu.”

It took Matthew a beat to speak, but when he did I knew, just by the way his voice changed, that his eyes were now on me. “These are your wedding gowns.”

They were. They are. “You asked me to show you.” I made myself smile. “Do you think it’s strange I kept them?”

He frowned. “No. I—” A gulp of air left him. He shook his head. “It’s not. I think it’s something you would do.”

“Are you saying my place is cluttered? That I might have a hoarding problem, perhaps?” I teased.

His chuckle was huffed out. And boy, did it alleviate some of the pressure in my chest at how out of sorts he’d just looked. Even if he didn’t give me much of an answer.

I got it though. He didn’t owe me one.

It was my turn to speak. “I’ve kept them,” I said. “Because they’re my wedding dresses. And as much as they’re a reminder of bad or rash decisions, and hurt, and yes, also heartbreak, they’re still memories of a time I was happy. Hopeful. In love, even if for a little while. That’s also why I kept the rings. It’s not like I have any of them on display or anything. I just like knowing they’re here. Relationships end, and whether you’re the one leaving or the one being left behind, the one thing that you can’t run away from are the memories.They’re part of you; they deserve better than to disappear. These dresses are like a weird, twisted version of a photo album. That take up a lot of space.”

Our eyes met, and I wondered what he saw. What was he thinking right at that instant? I was no longer insisting and asking whether he was spooked and wanted out. Not after we’d just talked about it. Not after he’dshowedme I still had him.

“Will you give me a tour?” Matthew finally asked.

“Of my dresses?”

“Of your past. Your memories.”

Matthew made something everyone seemed to see as a problem sound beautiful. Or maybe he reminded me that that was how I’d always seen it.

“Yes,” I told him. “I think I can do that.”

And in a strange way, I also wanted to. Not because it was the least I could do, but because I wanted to do it with him.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I snorted at my phone before typing a response.

JOSIE:It’s the leg thing for me.

MATTHEW:I wanted to show you the shoes.

JOSIE:Oh. I just thought you wanted to brag about your foot pop.

MATTHEW:You asked me what I was wearing tonight.

JOSIE:And I love the effort and enthusiasm in your answer.

I also loved how those dark olive-green dress pants looked on him. And the cream-colored long-sleeved polo shirt. And oh, the glasses. I didn’t dare ask him if he’d wear them tonight, but I wanted him to. I wanted to demand he would. My teeth caught my lip. I hit play again.

Matthew materialized on my screen, walking backward, away from the phone. His hands slipped into his pockets, gaze cast down. He spun, showcasing his side. Little pause. Then his back. A strange breath left me at the sight of those shoulders in that old-school-looking shirt. My fingers itched to pause and take a screenshot just so I could save that in my gallery, but my favorite part was coming. The one-, two-, three-second pause and… Foot pop.

Ugh.

I hadn’t been expecting a fit-check video when I asked what he was wearing tonight, but I wasn’t going to complain. Maybe I’d even demand one from him every day from this point on.

Fingers snapped right in front of my face, making me flinch.

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