Page 11 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

I sort of wish Drewwerea deer and in my headlights. I’d happily mow him down.

Actually, maybe I’d swerve to avoid him, let him live his stupid deer life. Because I realize in this moment, as one angle in a lopsided love triangle, that it’s not a huge loss.

“So, you two have been …” I trail off, not able to stomach the words.

Neither Drew nor Becky seem inclined to finish my sentence either.

It’s Robbie who speaks. “I found them together in some office twenty minutes ago.” He clears his throat, looking apologetic but also angry. “Like,togethertogether.”

“I get the picture,” I snap, my face heating.

Am I humiliated? Sure.

Betrayed? Check.

Relieved? Yes. More than any other feeling, this one rises to the top.

Which makes me feel strangely guilty and giddy in almost equal measure.

“It’s over,” Drew says, not specifying which of us he’s talking to.

The man is such a coward. I can see exactly how intentional his vagueness is. It’s basically the equivalent of relationship roulette, and he’s trying to place bets on both red and black to see which one earns him more.

He probably figured he’d throw those words out and see where things landed. So passive he doesn’t have to make the choice himself.

You know what? I can make the choice easy for him.

“I agree,” I say calmly. Every head in the room swivels toward me. “Itisover.”

Drew looks stunned and a little hurt, which he has no right to feel. Becky’s mouth hangs open, and the church lady frowns at me like she’s about to protest about messing up the schedule.

Robbie—well, he looks impressed. One corner of his mouth—which Istillshould not be noticing in this moment—curves up in a way that I can best describe as approval. But alsotrouble.

I turn away from him and that bad-idea smile, facing Morgan. She looks like she wants to give me a high five, then later tell meI told you so. Because she totallydidtell me so way back at the start of my relationship with Drew. “He’s too meh for you,” I think were her exact words. My response was thatmehwasn’t a word, and then she and I fought about slang and the devolving of language, and she let me make my choice. My bad one.

Maybe I’ll buy her a cake later and have them write “You Told Me So” in red icing, and we can eat the whole thing together while re-watchingNew Girlfor the hundredth time.

“Can we talk for a sec, Ames?” Drew steps closer to me, and Robbie crosses the room to stand beside me.

Correction: to tower over me.

I’m not sure who dubbed him my protector, but he’s clearly taking on that role. While I should tell him to get lost, I find myself shifting closer. If for no other reason than to use him as a physical barrier. The dude is huge, and will definitely make a good fiancé blocker should I need one.

“Pass.” In a quick move, I take off the engagement ring and set it on a table, not wanting to touch him. He opens his big,dumb mouth to ask a question, but I keep going. “Unless you want to tell me how long you’ve been messing around with my cousin?”

No matter how relieved I am to be walking away from this, my own question makes me feel queasy. I can’t think about the two of them together.

The wedding coordinator clears her throat and glances at her stopwatch. “If we’re not going to proceed, we really should make an announcement.”

“Is that what you want, Ames?” Drew asks. “To end this?”

And I swear, the man looks almost wistful, like he’s hoping I’ll say no. I don’t get it. He doesn’t want to make a decision, but he also doesn’t want me to walk away.

I’m not the only one who notices this. Becky makes a strangled sort of shriek but is blocked from coming closer by Morgan. Robbie’s low, throaty rumble makes me shiver.

“Becky, I am not your biggest fan right now, believe me,” I tell my cousin. “But because you’re family, I’ll tell you that this is not a man you should waste any of your time on.”

“Now hang on.” Drew frowns and takes a step closer, reaching for me for some stupid reason. The man is honestly a walking and talking nominee for being naturally selected out of existence.

---