Page 76 of Misguided Vows

That fucking laugh.

I love it.

And yet I grumble when I ask, “Why are you laughing?”

“At you being all ‘I’m totally okay’ but acting like a possessive boyfriend.”

“I am not.” My tone is curt, and she just laughs.

I don’t even wait until we get to the car. The minute the cold air hits us, I spin her and slam my lips to hers. I don’t care if we’re at the entrance of an event. She’s mine, and this naughty little vixen needs to be reminded of that.

Mine.

I break away at the thought, and it’s not missed by Alina, who clears her throat as someone walks in behind us. An older couple most likely discussing the spectacle they just witnessed.

Now she laughs as she throws her hands up in the air, but it lacks humor. “What are we doing, Will? Honestly.”

My eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean? We’re having fun, aren’t we?”

“We’re beyond that point now. And if it’s been nothing but a bit of fun, maybe we should just leave it as that. I’ll catch my own cab home.” She goes to walk away but I grab her wrist.

“We’re not done tonight,” I say adamantly, never wanting to see that expression on her face again. She looks… tired of me.

And I never want there to be a world where this woman isn’t drawn to me as much as I am her.

“Will, I leave soon. This has been fun but I don’t even know what I’m getting myself involved with when it comes to you. Why are you really here in this town? How do you know the locals? How have you slept with half of them?”

I curve an arrogant smile. “Now who’s acting like a jealous girlfriend?”

She throws her hand in the air and goes to walk away, forgetting that I still have a hold of her other wrist.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. Her head whips in my direction because when, if ever, have I apologized to anyone for being a smartass? It’s always been the easiest way to keep everyone at a distance, but I’m realizing now that maybe I want Alina a little closer. “Please let me explain.”

She sighs and glances at the bridge a short distance away. “Let’s go for a walk. I don’t want to do it around here where another one of your fan club girls might corner us.”

I sigh, grateful for her ability to put me at ease, though the conversation we’re about to have will be anything but comfortable.

We walk over to the bridge and she stares down into the water. I notice immediately that the air is cold, so I take my jacket off and put it over her shoulders.

She smirks, almost disbelieving. “The problem is you’re as much of a gentleman as you are an asshole. It could give any girl the wrong idea.”

“I don’t do this for other women. They’ve only served a purpose for one night, and I’ve always been gone before dawn.”

She sighs. “So why are you doing it for me? If it’s because I’m friends with your sister, you don’t have to.”

“This has nothing to do with Maria.”

“Then what?” she pushes.

I don’t know why I can’t keep Alina out of my thoughts. Why, no matter what part of the world I’m in, I’m only thinking of her and wanting to return to her. She’s the first breath I’ve taken since Hayley died, and I can’t make sense of any of these turbulent emotions stirring up. No matter how much I try to shove them back down, they perplex me in ways I don’t want to deal with.

“I don’t know.”

She gazes across the water, and I can tell she’s not entirely satisfied by that answer. “And the fan club you have here?”

I tangle my fingers together. Now to the heart of the truth. The uncomfortable conversation that I thought I’d never share with anyone.

“Hayley grew up in this town until she was ten years old. But she always spoke about it fondly. This was the place shewanted us to eventually settle down and start a family. Said this always felt like home.” I confess the dreams of my deceased wife, whose memory seems to get further and further away. “When she passed, I frequented here for the first few years for… I don’t know… to feel like I was honoring her, so that I could feel connected to her. I drowned my sorrows at local bars and buried myself in some women, trying to forget.” I sigh.

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