Page 35 of Lips of an Angel

I scoffed, signing quickly. “He’ll be in the corner cheering us on if we’re not careful.”

Smiling, Eli stood and offered me a hand, which I gratefully took and followed him into his bedroom.

Sure enough, Raleigh caught me trying to sneak out the next morning, half naked and all. Being a bit… distracted, I hadn’t made it into his bed to speed up his hangovers like usual. So he stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing his temples. When a mischievous grin curled his lips, I prepared my eye roll.

All he said was, “It’s about damn time.”

* * *

I shuffled through the park,shivering and pulling my jacket tighter around me. I wasn’t accustomed to the chill—even if the temperatures plummeted outside, the heat from the sheer volume of people in the bar kept me warm. The mountain wind, however, cut straight to the bone. Or maybe it was the unshakable feeling that I was being followed.

The feeling had grown since last night at the bar. God, the events of the last twenty-four hours hardly seemed real.

Footsteps crunched behind me, and I whipped my head around—to find nothing. I searched the area, the fading light creating shadows that were way too convenient for someone trying to hide. A few stragglers milled about but after not finding anyone or anything suspicious, I forced myself to continue through the woods to the clearing.

When I saw Eli bundled up on a blanket, a warm feeling melted the icy anxiety away. Well, most of it. I’d spent the entire ride—hell, the entireday—thinking Eli wanted to end things. When his head turned my way, as if he was drawn to me like a magnet, that worry faded away.

Only, it was replaced by a new one: DidIdeservehim?

I’d made out with my best friend last night—and liked it. Ireallyliked it. As I approached my boyfriend of nearly seven years, I had this nagging feeling that I should have felt something other than guilt.

It didn’t take me very long to recognize that I loved Eli. Sure, we’d had some rough moments, but what couple hadn’t? Eli was kind. He was always attentive to my needs, and I knew I had a fair number of them. He never lost his temper with me when I couldn’t speak, giving me the space I needed to figure out how to say things in my own way. On a spreadsheet, Eli ticked all the boxes. He was my perfect match.

So why was it that when I watched movies or read books about people falling in love, I didn’t feel those feelings with Eli?

“There you are,” he said, opening his arms to me.

The smile that came over my face as I joined him was genuine, but the sinking feeling in my stomach gave me answers I didn’t necessarily want.

Elididdeserve someone better. Someone who didn’t sneak around behind his back, someone who didn’t make out with other people… someone who didn’t make their best friend into the object of their sexual fantasies, when they were supposed to be filled with him.

The kiss wasn’t even the thing that tore me to shreds inside. It wasn’t the private thoughts I kept behind my closed bedroom door.

It was the fact that I couldn’t stop thinking about doing them again.

Eli had his own distinct taste. It was often laced with peanut butter. He didn’t always have time to eat at work, so he relied on protein bars he could eat on the go. When he leaned in, I found myself missing the hint of metal from Raleigh’s kiss, the press of the jewelry against my lips. I couldn’t do this anymore. I couldn’t do this toEli.

Feeling queasy, I pulled back and stared into his beautiful green eyes. It was now or never. I braced myself to come clean. “I need to tell you something,” I signed.

“Me first?” He rolled his bottom lip between his teeth. “I know it’s a bit selfish, but I’ve been on edge for days and I need to get this out or I might throw up.”

His voice shook. Only Eli would consider it selfish to ask to speak first. That was who he was. The quaver in his voice only confirmed what I’d suspected: He was breaking up with me.

I couldn’t help but feel a tiny spark of relief in my belly. The thought of telling him about Raleigh was making me sick, but if Eli ended things first then I wouldn’t owe him an explanation, would I? That would solve everything.

“Angel,” he said, taking my hand in his. “The night I took a chance and asked you to stay for dinner, my life changed forever—in the best way. I’ve never been the type to take what I want, but I’m so glad I saved it for the right moment, because it led to you. I love you, my Angel. I know we’ve never talked about taking these next steps, but I can’t see myself having a future where you’re not in it.”

Oh, shit. He wasn’t breaking up with me.

He didn’t get down on one knee or reach into his pocket for a small velvet box. Instead, Eli brought my hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss across my knuckles. The sheer vulnerability in his eyes terrified me. My heart raced, and probably for all the wrong reasons.

“Angel Christian Dawson, will you marry me?”

Chapter 14

RALEIGH

If there wasone thing I’d learned about my best friend over the years, it was that he could avoid talking about something until he was blue in the face.

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