Page 42 of Too Good to be True

“There wasn’t a hint of recognition when you looked at me. You had no clue who I was. And I liked it that way. I could tell that you liked me, and I liked you, too. I wanted to see what happened.”

“You could’ve told me. I’d never heard of TJ Moore.”

“Right. But I didn’t know that. And you might have looked me up or heard someone else talk about me. Then I wouldn’t know if it was me or my name that you were interested in. I liked being Tim instead of TJ. I know it sounds crazy. Stupid. It is. I’m completely fucked up. I come with a cruise liner’s worth of baggage. If you want me out of your life, I’ll leave, I will. I just hope you don’t.”

Now I understand the strange look Francesca gave me at the rehearsal.Sheknew who Tim/TJ really was. She probably knew he was engaged, too. And she didn’t bother to tell me.

“Why are you here?“

He drops his chin and looks off to the side. His eyes are on the floor, and I wonder if he considered what his purpose was before he came.

“You asked me if I love you.” His eyes water. They are full of emotion. “I don’t know.” Tim’s hand drops to my leg. He squeezes my knee. “I’ve never been . . . in love. Is this it? Does it happen this fast? I . . . I’m not sure. But Ifeelsomething for you. Something strong and deep.” The words come out slow and quiet, like they are difficult for him to say.

“It’s been almost a month since we saw each other. Why now?”

“I tried staying away.” His soft caramel eyes are pained. “Partially for you. Because you deserve better than any life I could give you. There’s always going to be whispers behind our backs and people waiting for us to fall on our faces.”

“Why else?”

“I wanted to see if I could forget you.”

I close my eyes, keeping the tears locked away, and rub my forehead. That hurt. A lot. I mean so little, he wanted to forget me. I should tell him to get the fuck out of here.

“Open your eyes and look at me.” Tim rests his forehead against mine. I don’t comply. “Bailey. Look at me.”

Feeling broken once again, I give in and do as he wants. I look into those intense eyes that rip my skin open and see into my soul.

“Ican’tforget you. Ican’tmove on. No one comes close to you. I haven’t been with anyone since you. I haven’t wanted to be. I know you must hate me, but every minute we’re apart, it’s killing me. It’s eating away at me like a metastasized cancer. So, yes. I think I am in love with you. All I know for certain is that I don’t want to live without you. That’s new for me. That’s nothing I’ve ever felt for anyone before.”

Tim reaches into his pocket and pulls from it a sparkling diamond ring. My eyes double in size.

“It’s not an engagement ring,” he explains, holding it up so that it catches the light.

“It’s not.” I state it as a fact to clarify what I just heard.

He shakes his head. “It’s not. And it’s not Siena’s ring. I would never do that to you. It’s a ring I picked out for you, the day after you left.”

“I have to be honest, it looks an awful lot like an engagement ring.”

“It does. But it’s not.”

“Right.Notan engagement ring.”

He nods. “It’s a promise ring.”

He picks up my hand. My skin tingles as he slips it on my left ring finger. A perfect fit.

“If you accept, I promise to spend the next six months doing everything I can to make you happy.”

“Just six months?”

He smirks. “If I fulfill my end of the deal, you promise to marry me.”

“Sounds a whole lot like an engagement if you ask me.”

“Nope.” He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t want to put that kind of pressure on you. It’s only a promise. One you can break at any time.”

“Why’s that? So if it doesn’t work, you can get the ring back?”

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