Page 36 of If You Need Me

And I top her up once more during dinner. She rarely drinks, and definitely not this much, so I’m a little worried about her consumption, especially since she didn’t eat much at dinner. Mentioning that seems like a bad idea, though, so I keep my mouth shut.

CHAPTER 13

DALLAS

After dinner, which to everyone’s shock Flip insists on paying for, we all make plans to stop at home to change before we hit the club. Flip has booked table service at one of our favorite spots, all hyped up about celebrating our engagement.

Willy lives only a few blocks from me, so we drop my parents at my place first.

My mom opens the door and looks expectantly at me. “Aren’t you coming up to grab an overnight bag?”

“We have to stop at my place. Dallas has clothes there,” Willy lies smoothly when I start to splutter.

“Of course he does. You two have a wonderful night. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Mom kisses me on the cheek and gives Willy’s hand a squeeze. Dad says good night and links hands with my mom, guiding her toward the building.

Willy watches them disappear inside with an unreadable expression on her face. “I really like your parents.”

“They like you too. My mom thought she was doing us a solid with the hotel room tonight,” I say.

“Yeah, I know. It sucks that we have to break her heart.” Willy sighs, but anger simmers under the surface. “The fake engagement takes this lie to a whole different level.”

“I’m sorry.” And I am, but not for the reasons she probably thinks. I’m living my dream right now, but I’m making her live her worst nightmare. And isn’t that a slap to the balls? I’m right where I want to be, and she’s the opposite. But I keep putting her into positions she can’t get out of. And I’m making us a PR nightmare. I keep tying her to me in ways that only get more difficult to untangle.

“I mean, as far as big news, our engagement definitely takes the cake,” she grumbles. “I’m sure back home everyone’s talking about it.”

“It was an attention getter.” I haven’t checked my socials, but I’d be surprised if the news hasn’t reached the reunion group.

“Oh my God.” Wills’s head drops against the back of the seat. “The shit is going to hit the fan when my moms hear about this, if they haven’t already. I should call them. Actually never mind, I need to be fully sober for that conversation.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You keep saying that, but you also keep doing things that make my life complicated, Dallas. Your apology doesn’t carry much weight.”

I didn’t consider much past adrenaline and the sweet taste of victory. Willy also has two older brothers, who will likely have things to say about her getting engaged right along with her mothers. I have no idea what any of them do and don’t know about our tumultuous history.

“I wanted to take Sean and Brooklyn down a peg,” I explain.

“Mission accomplished, I guess,” she says.

I pull into the open temporary parking spot outside her building. When I cut the engine and start to get out, she holds up her hand. “You should stay here. I’ll only be a minute.” She hops out of the car before I can argue and disappears into the building without another word.

I let my head fall back and sigh. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so fucking impulsive.

Willy returns less than ten minutes later, wearing a royal bluedress that hugs her soft curves and strappy heels, looking like my number-one fantasy.

“Let’s do this,” she says as she slides back into the passenger seat. Her dress rides up, giving me a glimpse of creamy, bare thigh before she smooths the fabric down.

I clear my throat before I speak. “What about your overnight bag?”

She scoffs. “You’re staying in that honeymoon suite by yourself.”

“My mom will want pictures. And what about the girls? They’ll ask about it, too.”

Willy sighs. “Fuck. Fine. I’ll go back to the hotel after we put in an appearance at the club. We’ll take all the pictures you need, and then I will go back to my apartment and sleep in my bed. You can enjoy the comfort of the honeymoon suite.”

The rest of the ride is silent. As soon as we’re inside the club, Willy abandons me for the girls. She pours herself a drink, grabs Shilpa’s hand, and hits the dance floor with Hammer and Rix. Dred was with us for dinner, but she works the early shift at the library and had to bail on club night. It’s not really her scene anyway.

Roman puts his hand on my shoulder. “From a publicity perspective, I’m sure Hemi wants to murder you, but I will say, that ring is something else.”

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