Page 46 of Fighting Happily Ever After

“You are a pretty fuckin’ good actor, too, Logan. Maybe Dax can get you a role in his new film because clearly you have that in common. And of course you’d recognize a five-star performance when you saw it. You’ve been giving one of your own this whole time. And I fell for it.” She shook her head and willed herself not to cry. She knew she was being a first-class bitch and that was the point. If she pushed hard enough this time, she could keep him away for good.

“Faith, don’t.” He looked sad and confused and angry, all at the same time. “Don’t do this. Don’t keep doing this. You’re—”

“Done.” She finished for him. “I’m totally done. For a minute, I let myself think that maybe I could let myself…it doesn’t matter. I’m done now, Logan. I have to be.”

Her body yearned to reach out to him. To let him pull her into his arms and tell her he wasn’t acting. He did have feelings for her and he was sorry he’d ever let her believe otherwise. And for a second, she almost gave in to her heart. But then his face shifted again, this time anger winning out.

“You’re done, are you?” He crossed his arms and glared at her. “Youare done?” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “All summer, I’ve done everything I can for you. I’ve busted my ass for Ever After and you while my mom was on her own with our ranch. Did you even know that she was going to sell it?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. “No. You didn’t. Because it’s always been about you, Faith.” He shook his head. “And I didn’t mind.” For a moment, his voice lost the edge of anger as he spoke. “Because I would have…” He shook his head. “But I guess it doesn’t matter.”

It did! It did matter!But how could she say that now?

“I’m not perfect. I’ve made mistakes. Big ones. But…you think I’m just like Dax Combs?”

Again, she didn’t have a chance to answer.

“Well, if you really think that, then you don’t know me very well. And if that’s the case, then it’s me who’s done, Faith.”

Before she could say anything or ask him what he meant, or what he would have done, he spun on his heel and left her standing on the porch.

She stared after him for a minute before taking a deep breath.Hope was wrong. It wasn’t worth it.

There was a reason she didn’t open herself up. It just hurt too damn much.

He didn’t want to walk away. But it was the right decision.

He needed space to think. He hadn’t been expecting her to lose control like that. And he really hadn’t expected her to admit that she had feelings for him. He’d suspected…hell, heknewshe did. But for her to actually say it, that was something else.

You actually made me believe it was real and that we might really have something together. And the worst part is, for a minute, I even wanted it to be.

Of course he’d made her believe that. Becausehebelieved it.

Dammit.

He slowed his breathing as he walked to his truck and calmed his thoughts.

She was the most bloody difficult woman he’d ever met. That much was very true. But he loved her. He always had. And he wasn’t going to let her go. Not this time. No matter how much of a pain in the ass she was, she washispain in the ass. He just needed to prove it to her.

He pressed his hands against the hood of his truck and dropped his head down.

The whole situation had opened his eyes. Stephanie. Dax. The bet. Faith’s outburst. All of it.

She thought he was acting? He’d prove to her he wasn’t and he never had been.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on out here this morning, but it’s frickin’ chaos.”

Logan jerked his head up as Levi’s voice came up behind him. He turned to see his cousin striding toward him.

“Steph’s crying. Dax is…I’m not sure what he’s doing, but it’s dramatic. Faith looks like she’s…well, I’m not really sure what’s going on here now.” He shot Logan a look, but he definitely wasn’t getting into it now. “And Hope is going on about something not being right with the marriage license. Honestly, today is not a good day for whatever it is that’s going on with you. I’m sorry, cousin, but it’s going to have to wait. Come on. Let’s go.”

“Go?” Logan shook his head, trying to follow along with what Levi was saying. “Go where?”

Levi laughed. “The ceremony site.” He looked at him pointedly and when Logan still didn’t respond, he continued, “Get the music ready, the arch, the glasses for the toast… you know? Wedding stuff? Please don’t tell me that you’ve forgotten how to do it all now that I’m home.”

“No.” He shook his thoughts clear. “Of course not. I just thought that…”

He wasn’t sure what he’d thought. Maybe that the wedding was postponed or that Steph had changed her mind and wasn’t going to marry that asshole after all. Or maybe he’d seen the article, and it was Dax who had pulled the plug? Whatever hehadthought, it certainly hadn’t been that the wedding was actually going to happen.

“I don’t know what you thought.” Levi slapped him on the back and held out his hand for the keys. “But whatever it is, you’re clearly not thinking at all right now. I’ll drive.”

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