Page 35 of Fore Better or Worse
“Maybe, because he sees the you that you’re still learning to give credit to.”
I glance at her in the mirror. “What do you mean?”
She slides onto the counter and shoots me a look. “You’re not the same person you were when you met Hays that night on the boat.” Her voice is gentle but firm. “You were still heartbroken over David, convinced you weren’t cut out for grand gestures or adventures. But look at what you’ve done since then.”
She’s right. I’ve gone on adventures like I promised myself I would. But still…
“With David, I knew exactly what to expect,” I admit. “It was safe, predictable.”
“Boring,” Tabitha adds.
“With Hays, it feels like jumping into the ocean without knowing where the tide will take me.”
“And that terrifies you.”
“Completely.” I start working on my other eye.
“Good,” Tabitha replies, testing the shade one of my lipsticks on her hand. “Especially because you already agreed to marry him. It’s just a matter of when. Unless you’re going to change your mind.”
I pause, mascara wand halfway to my lashes. Do I want to change my mind? The logical part of my brain screams yes, that the arrangement was insane to begin with. That I still barely know the man who’s from a world that might as well be on a foreign planet. That happily ever afters are for books.
But my heart? It remembers the way he caught me when I fell, the way he listens when I talk, the way he makes me feel like the most important person in the world. And my body? It is still achingly sore in the best possible way from Monday night. And still remembers the way he kisses as if he can’t get enough of me.
“Honestly?” I set down the mascara and turn to face her. “I never really believed the pact would hold up. I figured he’d forget within a month. Maybe, two.”
“So you didn’t expect him to show up with a rock the size of Gibraltar and tell you he’s been thinking about you every day for years?”
“No!”
“Are you going to wear it tonight?”
My lips press together. “I’m not ready to. Not yet.”
“The man on the screen, just now? He’ll wait, believe me.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” She slides the cover back on the lipstick. “I mean, didn’t he give you carte blanche with his credit card for a shopping spree for anything you might need for tonight?”
“Because I needed something to wear for my first real taste of what his world looks like up close and personal!”
“You’re going to be fine.” Tabitha slides off the counter and grabs the hanger off the closet door, holding my new dress up against her in front of the mirror. “And look like a million dollars.”
The nerves fluttering in my stomach like moths around a UV bug zapper say otherwise. “All those sponsors and VIPs and photographers. I have no idea what I’ve gotten myself into.”
“You’ve gotten yourself into a chance at happiness with a man who’s clearly crazy about you.”
I take the dress from her, running my fingers over the silky fabric. “Speaking of crazy about someone, want me to pass along anything to Rory about what you’re looking for in a man?”
Tabitha’s cheeks turn pink. “Oooh, let me think about that.”
I stand and start changing into the dress. “I’ll make sure to mention you’re single and available.”
“A good start—”
“And that you’re fantastic at giving relationship advice.”
“Maybe, he needs it.” She throws a pillow at me, but she’s laughing.
