Page 59 of The Love Losers

“Oh, hell yeah,” he says as I debate the merits of giving this asshole what he wants.

Nina looks even more pissed, like she’d enjoy spraying the ashy fields where Asheville used to sit with poison after burning them, so I give it to him, feeling the hollow clap of my hand against that of the man who almost cuckolded me.

“This must beher,” Wilson says, stepping away from me toward Rosie, whom he engulfs in a bear hug that instantly has me bristling.

But, Rosie being Rosie, she handles it herself. “Oh, let’s not make your lady jealous,” she says, pushing his chest away firmly with both palms.

But Nina’s not looking at them—she’s staring at me. An unreadable expression passes through her eyes, then she says, “So you’re really going through with it? You’re going to marry astrangerfor the money?”

My mind rewinds to what Wilson said a few minutes ago.

“We just got your mother’s invitation.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.Leave it to my mother to take care of my unfinished business without asking first.

Then again, it’s not exactly a secret that the wedding’s on. My mother’s been making those calls, and apparently she got tired of waiting on me to make this one. But now I’m in a bind.

Rosie just told them we’re lovers, and I kissed her in front of them. They obviously think she’s my fiancée. Wilson isn’t exactly a steel trap of a person, and Nina has no inclination to be kind to me. If I marry someone else in a week, people will be hearing about this.

The obvious solution would be to marry Rosie—a marriage that would not be logical or platonic or like anything I’d ever imagined.

I know what I’d like to happen in this situation, but it’s not up to me.

Rosie has to decide.

I don’t know whether to be relieved or horrified when she steps away from Wilson and wraps both of her arms around me. “Strangers?” she asks, laughing, her hair tickling my neck. “Oh, no, no. We’resoulmates. We were waiting our entire lives to meet each other, and once we did, we knew there was no point in waiting around. Sometimes it’s like that for people who are really lucky.” She gives them a sympathetic look, as if to say it's obvious they haven’t been equally blessed.

I want to pull her aside and ask her if she means it.

I want to ask if she’s sure.

Because I know this could ruin everything that’s been growing between us…and I still want it. But I need private confirmation that she does, too.

Wilson leans forward and asks, “How did you meet?”

“Well, it went like this…” she says conspiratorially. “I was hired to cater a tea at his house…and what do you know? It was the day Nina here took her leave. My man was upset for a few minutes.Obviouslyhe was upset. I mean, I was upset when I lost my job at Pizza Hut even though it sucked and I always camehome smelling like tomato sauce. Sometimes you don’t know what’s good for you. But I held his hand, and I told him that I understood, and he asked if he could buy me a drink.”

Nina’s mouth dropped open somewhere in the middle of her monologue. “That wasyou?”

“Yes,” Rosie says, her tone adamant. She slaps a palm over her heart. “And I have to thank you sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, for walking out when you did. Fate loves a vacuum, and a guy like this—” She shifts her hand so it’s positioned over my heart, which speeds up. Her fingers curl around as if to cup it. “Well, a guy like this isn’t single very often.” She smiles up at me, mischief turning up the corners of her mouth. “He’s what you’d call aunicorn.”

Wilson gives us a dopey grin. “Oh, is that why—”

“Shut up, Wilson,” Nina snaps.

Rosie continues as if she hadn’t heard either of them. “Why, if I hadn’t stepped in, he probably would have had a line of women out his door by noon the next day. Accountants, masseuses, you name it. But I knew what I wanted and went for it.”

“Who would want an accountant or a masseuse when they could have you?” I ask, smiling down at her.

Her hand flexes against my jacket, and suddenly I’m even more desperate to get out of here. Because I want to talk to her about all of this. I want to touch her. I want her, period.

“You must beveryyoung,” Nina says tightly.

“Oh, it’s my skincare regimen,” Rosie replies, smiling back. “I’ll send you a detailed list. Don’t worry, we’ll get you tightened back up in no time.”

Nina’s mouth opens, then closes. But she decides she’d like to say something unpleasant after all. “Why are you in such a hurry to make things official?”

“Anthony’s trust fund, of course,” Rosie answers with wide eyes. “I thought you knew all about it. I would never stand in the way of him claiming his inheritance.”