Page 48 of Love in Bloom

“Admit it, you’ve been mad at me all night.”

Miller scowled, but he didn’t relax his hold on her.

“Please, let’s not make a scene. I’ve embarrassed you enough this evening,” Wren pleaded.

“You think I’m mad because you’ve embarrassed me?” Miller pulled back and studied her. “Sweetheart, I’m mad because I don’t know why you’re wearing a dress that makes you uncomfortable. You’ve spent all your time tugging and pulling on that damn thing,” he growled near her ear.

Wren swallowed around the lump in her throat and fixed her gaze on his tie. It was bad enough she heard the disappointment in his voice, she didn’t need to see it on his face, too.

“Not to mention the goose bumps covering your arms. I don’t get it.” Miller shook his head. Wren blinked rapidly. She needed to leave. Now.

“Good night, Miller. I’ll text you when I get home.” She pulled out of his embrace and left him stranded on the dance floor.

Wren clenched the steering wheel as she drove home and bit the inside of her cheek. Hard. She didn’t know whether she wanted to cry or hit something. Too bad it was too late to knock some sense into her.

How could I have been so stupid?Wren threw her clutch on the couch and tugged off her coat. She pried-off her Jimmy Choo’s and wiggled her toes in relief. Tender red blisters covered her heels and a few toes.Serves me right,she sniffled as she hobbled into her bedroom.

As Wren scrubbed off her makeup, she remembered the condescending looks she’d gotten from the people she’d hoped to network with and shuddered.I was as welcomed as a hair on a biscuit.They’d looked at her like something they’d find on the bottom of their well-soled shoes.So much for being a successful business owner, she thought with disdain.

She bent over and vigorously brushed her hair. She stood up and continued the assault.What were you thinking?she yelled at her reflection and pointed the hairbrush accusingly. No answer. She grabbed her toothbrush and continued the verbal assault. With the toothpaste foam around her mouth and her freshly washed face, she looked like a crazed woman. She rinsed her mouth and spat into the sink.He said wear something nice, she defended herself to her reflection.If I’d worn something nice then I’d have been toeing the line and the old Wren would have been back. Wren clutched the edge of the pedestal sink, hung her head in defeat, and let the tears fall.

This wasn’t about Miller, this was about leftover garbage from her marriage. She owed him an apology and an explanation.

And to make the fiasco of an evening even worse, Miller hadn’t been mad about the dress! Her entire plan had backfired. Instead of forcing Miller to break up with her, because she was too cowardly to do it herself, all she’d done was embarrass herself and her business. Wren paused.

Why would I want to break up with an incredible man who cares more about me than what people think?She’d be stupid to let him go. She should just ride their short-term relationship wave for as long as it lasted. When it crashed, it crashed. The only regret she’d have would be not switching into high-gear sooner. No more taking it slow. She knew there’d be a few broken pieces of her heart to pick up and mend when it was all done, but she wouldn’t regret it. They both knew what they were getting into. If Miller still wanted her, that was.

But, this needed to stay between them. She wasn’t going to jeopardize Miller’s career again. No more public appearances together, unless they were with a group of people. And no public displays of affection. Not even a lingering touch, stolen kiss, or smoldering look. Miller was an expert at those. His baby-blues made her burn.

Wren finished dressing and grabbed her car keys. The drive to Miller’s house wouldn’t take long. Hopefully, he’d be willing to talk to her and she could put this terrible mistake behind her. Behind them.

Miller’sheadlightscaughtWrenhuddled in a blanket on his front porch as he pulled into the driveway. He saw her unwinding herself from the step as he waited for the garage door to open. Miller pulled in and let the car idle. He rubbed his hands over his face and let out a pent-up breath. He didn’t want to deal with this now.

The evening had been a total bust. After Wren had left, he’d spent the rest of the evening making small-talk with clients and Michelle. He hated these types of events, but in the days leading up to it, the thought of having Wren with him had made it more palatable. But she hadn’t been with him. She’d shown up late and had left early.Kind of like she is in our relationship, he realized with a start. She always had one foot out the door. And she was always suggesting that he do things with Michelle.Who dates a man and suggests another woman for him?He slammed the car door and stalked to the front porch.

Wren had sat back down on the step. Evidently, he’d stalled in the garage longer than he’d thought. With one look at her face, he remembered how tired she was and felt guilty. He stopped in front of her. She moved over and made room for him on the step. Miller didn’t budge. “Why’d you do it, Wren?”

“I’m sorry, Miller. I really, really am,” she blurted. Not an answer. He was mad. He was pissed. He was tired of playing nice.

“I don’t need an apology,” he growled. “What I need it to know is why you did it.”

“Sit, please?” She patted the space next to her. “This is hard enough to talk about without you towering over me.” Miller sat stiffly and crossed his arms on his chest. “This is so embarrassing…”

“Temperature’s dropping and it’s getting late, Wren. Start talking.” He sounded like an ass even to his own ears, but he didn’t care. Wren moved closer to him and he saw the faint blush on her face and felt the shiver run through her. Miller roughly scooped Wren onto his lap and rearranged the blanket around them.

He considered inviting her in, but that felt too much like forgiveness. He wanted to make this difficult for her. He wanted to see if she was willing to put some effort into their relationship. And he was still pissed. She owed him this.Yep, I’m an ass.

Problem was, it was difficult to hold on to his anger when she was in his arms. Why couldn’t he enjoy the company of an easygoing woman? Why did it need to be a woman who vacillated between ice maiden and prickly?

“Quit stalling and talk,” Miller said, sounding more patient than he was. He’d give her another minute, then he was heading inside, alone.

“Remember when you told me to wear something nice?” Miller thought back over their recent conversations.

“No,” he admitted.

“Oh, great.” She sounded sarcastic. “Now I look even more like a crackpot. I went off the deep-end on a comment you don’t even remember making.” She stopped and blew out a breath. Miller saw faint traces of the puff. Wren needed to get to the point before the temperature dropped much more. He didn’t need to wait too much longer.

“Michael used to tell me to wear something nice. I never liked it when he said that. It was a reminder that I wasn’t a natural fit in his world. Like I was a liability that he needed to monitor. And like I wasn’t enough.” Her hands were in her lap and Miller wondered if she was playing with her ring. He’d noticed she did that a lot when she was upset. “I reacted and didn’t think. I’m sorry.”

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