Page 112 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

I cross my arms. “I don’t see a ring.”

Eli claps Van on the back. “Van enjoys the single life. Maybe a littletoomuch.”

I try not to let my lip curl. The idea of Van, single and enjoying it makes me want to set things on fire.

“He’ll probably never settle down,” Alec says.

“Wrong on both counts,” Van says, inching forward until he’s leaning practically halfway across the table. “I don’t like being single. And it would only take the right woman to make me put a ring on it.”

I say nothing. My brain has gone back in time to a pre-language era. A caveman grunt is about all I can manage.

“Really?” Eli says, looking a little too eager. “Well, we should set you up with someone then. Doesn’t Summer have a sister who’s single?”

“Not my type,” Van says, and I find myself holding my breath. “I prefer lighter hair. Pale blue eyes. A gorgeous smile.”

There’s a flutter in my belly and my fingers go numb. Van’s eyes skate over my face as he speaks. I don’t think my smile is particularly gorgeous, but … heistalking about me, right?

Despite myself, I think,Please let him be talking about me.

“Someone not afraid to take risks. A woman who will stick around and talk things out when they get hard. Good communication is hugely important. It can help avoid misunderstandings and allow someone to say they’re sorry when they’ve made a huge mistake. One they would have explained, had they been given a chance.”

I am frozen in my chair. Can’t move. Can’t breathe. Thankfully, I can blink, which is the only way I’m keeping in the tears right now.

What was a war of words has turned into something else entirely. I’m not exactly sure what this is, but … it sounds like an apology. As well as a very pointed critique of the way I handled things.

He’s not wrong.

Maybe … I really, reallywas.

“That’s oddly specific,” Alec says. “Based on your track record, I thought you likedalltypes. Blonds, brunettes, red-heads, tall, short, curvy, athletic?—”

“Excuse me.” I bolt from the room so fast my rolling chair crashes into the wall. I can’t even be bothered to make an excuse.

It’s all just … too much.

My favorite crying stairwell is at the end of the hall and I sprint for the door, the red EXIT sign a beacon of welcome. I burst through the door and scamper down the final flight, my footsteps echoing against the cement. On the bottom level, I duck into the shadows under the stairs, breathing heavy and squeezing my eyes closed. A few tears still manage to slip out and down my cheeks.

A moment later, I hear the door open and heavy steps jog down. My heart tries to catapult out of my chest, and I force myself to breathe in and out, slow and steady even as the footfalls stop behind me.

“Mills,” Van says, and I turn, not bothering to hide my tears.

Van’s face crumples, and before I can react, he’s pulling me into his arms. I fold into his big, warm, and still slightly sweaty jersey. His hand cups the back of my head and I shudder through a few breaths, my arms locked around his waist.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t want to make you cry. I was trying to—I don’t know what I was trying to do.”

“You were trying to make a point, and you made it.” My fists bunch the fabric of his jersey. “So did Alec.”

Van sighs and tugs me a little closer. The hand behind my head shifts, his fingers tunneling through my hair, massaging my scalp gently. His other hand moves up and down my back, fingertips lightly dancing over my spine with a gentleness that surprises me. It feels so good, but I can’t relax. Every cell in my body is saturated in tension, like I am made up of millions of tiny, coiled springs.

“What happened before you, who I did or didn’t date—that doesn’t matter.”

“Why not?” My voice is tiny.

His head dips, his nose tracing a little path across my cheek until his lips find my ear. “Because I only marriedyou.”

The words curl around me, soothing and sweet. I am cocooned in comfort, even though there is still a niggling worry, and a sense that this won’t last. It can’t.

I barely know Van. I made an impulsive choice after having a hugely emotional thing happen on what was supposed to be my wedding day. Marrying someone I barely know isn’tme.

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