Page 104 of Dash of Bryce
"Myplans?"
"Yeah, you put so much effort into the event, I figured you'd want it to go off without a hitch."
"So you did it for me? Seriously?"
"Dead serious." He gave me a rueful smile. "In hindsight, it was a bone-headed move, but hey, we all make mistakes, right? So I guess it'smyturn to say it."
"Say what?"
His voice softened. "I'm sorry."
I smiled. "Thanks, but it wasn'tallyour fault. It was mine, too. And Natalia's. Speaking of which, did she ever explain why she claimed to be your fiancée?"
Bryce gave a humorless laugh. "Shesaidshe didn't."
"Seriously?"
Bryce nodded. "She said you must've assumed."
"Oh come on!" I protested. "Iknowwhat she said."
"Which was…?"
I tried to think. Finally, her exact words came flooding back. Now, in my best Natalia impression, I repeated them for Bryce. "What, he didn't mention a fiancée?" I groaned. "Damn it. She knew exactly what I'd think."
For some reason this made Bryce laugh.
I asked, "What's so funny?"
"For a minute there, you sounded just like her."
"Yeah, but I don'tlooklike her, that's for sure. And what about the ring?"
"Gotme," Bryce said. "But it wasn't from me, I can tell you that. She wasn't wearing it at the reception."
"She wasn't?"
"Nope. And just for the record, I'mgladyou don't look like her."
I forced a laugh. "Why? Less competition?"
"No. Because you're beautiful just the way you are."
"Thanks but—"
"I mean it," he said. "And if you think otherwise, you're more crazy than I thought."
I laughed in spite of myself. "Oh, so you think I'm crazy?"
"Iknowyou're crazy," he said. "But you're my kind of crazy." He reached out and took my hand in his. "And I love you just the way you are."
I blinked. "What did you just say?"
He smiled. "I love you."
My heart swelled even as I heard myself ask, "And when did you realizethis?"
"I don't know," he said. "When did you realize that you loveme?"
