Page 55 of His One True Wish

“I flew her and a few other people from Lauderdale to Boca Raton. We hit it off, our paths crossed again in Miami, and that’s how it started.” I kept it short. I kept it light. I did not know for sure, but I sensed the less Billie knew about Angel and the truth of our relationship the better.

“How long did you date?”

“On and off, a year.”

“I see,” Billie said. “I was with my ex for two years. We were on the whole time, well, that is what I thought, until I figured out he was a lying cheat.”

“Damn,” I said. “You caught him?”

“No, he confessed all on his own. He fell for Brenda in hot yoga.”

“Rough.”

“I caught my college boyfriend cheating and my high school boyfriend. My high school boyfriend made out with my best friend.” She sighed and held her gloved fingers up in the air as she counted up all the men who had done her wrong.

“That’s rough.”

“I have bad radar. I pick liars. I pick cheaters. And I’ve learned the hard way, once a cheat, always a cheat.”

“I see,” I said, swallowing and wishing we could talk about something else. The path ahead sloped down steeply.

Billie stopped walking and glanced back at me. “This part gets a bit tricky.”

“I’ll go first,” I said, stepping to the side to pass her.

“No, I’ve got it.” She held up a hand.

“Seriously, you don’t need to do this yourself.”

“I’m not going to fall,” she said, slowing her walk. She planted her feet firmly and took another step.

“I am not saying you will fall. I’m saying that the smart thing to do is plan for the worst-case scenario.”

Billie took a slow step, brow furrowed, her body tense. “You mean the margin for error in this part of the walk is very low.”

“It’s high,” I said, sighing. “The margin for error is high. If the margin for error is low, it means things are less likely to go awry.”

“Look, I basically grew up in these woods,” she said, taking a solid step.

“Uh huh,” I said, my hand extended. She was only inches out of reach.

“I know this path. I know the incline.” She took another step. “I know … ”

There was a crack as an overhead branch snapped. Billie looked up. “Shit!” Her voice rose, arms flailing as she slipped.

I reached out, grabbed her waist, and yanked her back, pulling her straight to my chest.

“Well, damn.” She exhaled and looked up at me with her big brown eyes. “I guess this is the part where you tell me you are right.”

“What, me?” I grinned.

“Yes, you.”

“I don’t need to be right. I just need you to stay safe.”

She blinked twice and stared at me, her beautiful mouth falling open.

“May I go first? Please.”

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