Page 86 of Broken Dreams
“Well, I care about Addison. We’re taking things slow.”
“Slow?” he asks with a laugh. “Good luck. Those are every man’s famous last words. Just like...we’re just friends. That’s the kiss of death.”
Great. And I’ve said both of those things.
The back porch door opens and Addison pokes her head out, saving me from the rest of this conversation. “Come in for dessert.”
We stand, but Declan puts his hand on my arm. “Be good to her, Grady. Not because anyone is going to threaten you or whatever, but because women like her don’t come around often, and the guys who let them go never forgive themselves. Trust me, I know all too well, and I just was lucky another man didn’t steal my wife before I could smarten up to win her back.”
nineteen
ADDISON
“You’re sure you don’t want me to cancel with Grady tonight?” I ask Chloe as I grab the toiletry bag off the bathroom counter.
She is sitting in the middle of my bed with Elodie on her lap while I frantically pack for an overnight date with Grady.
And when I say date, I mean where I’m arm candy. It’s not a date. It’s a business meeting with two investors at a party he was invited to once the rumors of our relationship reached outside of town.
Apparently, my kissing him in front of everyone did the trick. Then the sleepover really spread like wildfire and Declan said something to someone about how much he likes him and now everyone is on board, whatever that means.
Not that it was my plan to be town gossip, but it’s working for the goals that Grady has, so there’s that.
“Oh my God, you’re ridiculous. I’m more than capable of hanging out with Elodie for a night. We’re going to have so much fun,” she says as she kisses her cheek. “Right, Els?”
Elodie giggles and reaches for my bag. “I go too?”
“No, baby, Mommy is going away, but you’ll be with Aunt Chloe and I’ll be home in one sleep.”
I swear, my friends are so intent on this working, they’re lining up to watch Elodie any time Grady mentions a date.
Hopefully, Grady can secure his funding tonight because we leave for Oregon in a week, which means I can put an end to this fake dating shit quickly because my fake feelings are becoming much too realistic.
“Okay,” Elodie says, clearly not caring that I’m leaving.
“Do you have everything?” Chloe asks as she looks at the clothes laid out.
“I think so. Makeup, hair stuff, fancy dress, shoes, stockings, jewelry, and change of clothes...”
She lifts one brow. “Errrm...you know...protection?”
“I don’t own a gun, Chloe.”
Her laugh is instant. “Not that kind!”
“Oh! Oh my God! We don’t need that.”
“No? You’re going away to a fancy party, overnight...with a super hot guy who is into you, and you don’t think you need to be”—she covers Elodie’s ears—“prepared?”
I stare at her, wishing I could tell her the truth about this, but that would be stupid and defeat the purpose of the last few weeks. “No, we don’t need to worry about things because those things aren’t things to worry about.”
“Okay...”
I huff, feeling better having said it, but also not really because what if? What if I...we...well, what if? There’s no reason I can’t. There’s no reason to really say no other than I have only ever been with one man, and I married him. Though, the other morning that fact hadn’t seemed to bother me all that much.
I turn to Chloe, that calm now completely gone. “Oh, Lord. I can’t...I don’t know. Do I needit?”
She smiles softly. “Not if you’re not ready.”
