Page 81 of Best Man
“So, you see, I must take my sobriety very seriously.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“And being sober hasn’t made dating any easier for me. I’m always the outsider. When I tell girls I am clean, I can see it in their eyes—they think I am lame.”
“That’s not true,” she said. “When you told me you were sober, I didn’t think you were lame at all. I think it’s really admirable you don’t drink.”
“Yes.Youthink that.” He grinned. “Now are you beginning to see why I think you’re different? Most girls are not like you, Paulina.”
She smiled, too. “Sasha …”
“When you threw out your wine last night, you showed me you cared. I knew, right then, that you would never do what Belen did, and lie to me about not drinking. Tonight, too, you didn’t drink. I don’tneedthat or expect it. But I tell you, I appreciate it very much. It proves to me that you are different, that you care. You are what I have been looking for.”
Short, choppy laughs escaped her. It wasn’t funny, no, but she was so touched, to laugh was her only reaction. “Sasha. I don’t know what to say.”
He grabbed her hand. “Say you’ll come to Dallas with me.”
She buried her face in her hands. “Oh my God.”
Moving to Dallas wouldn’t be easy—she’d miss her parents so much. On the other hand, they’d been pestering her to try something new, too—Mom especially. Dad? Well, he might not be as thrilled. She’d miss her friends, too. But it wasn’t like she had tocompletelyuproot her life to move—she’d be closer to Piper, after all. Heck, Piper had been trying to get her to come to Dallas ever since Soulmate took off. She wouldn’t evenneedto live with Sasha. She could live with Piper until she got settled in.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said.
“I can’t believe I’m even considering this,” was all she could say.
His face lit with happiness. “Da? You’re considering it?!”
She held up a yielding finger. “Considering!” After giving it a little more thought, she said, “I need six weeks.”
He frowned. “Six weeks? Just to think it over?”
“To tie up loose ends, to tell my family, to figure out how to tell Piper, yes. And to do everything else I need to prepare. I need time, Sasha, I can’t just leave with you tomorrow. It’s too soon. I’m sorry.” She grabbed his hand to reassure him. “Besides, the six weeks is forbothof us. Let’s see if you still want me after six weeks.”
He tutted. “Trust me, I will.”
“Unless you meet someone else who blows your mind, hm? Some Dallas cheerleader, maybe? Or some beautiful and jet-set Greek shipping heiress?”
“Won’t happen.”
“But what if it does? Listen, Sasha—the same way you don’t want to be lied to, I don’t want to be lied to, either. If you meet someone else you’re interested in, and you decide you don’t want me anymore, fine. Justtellme, okay? All I ask is that you don’t string me along and lie to me.”
“I will not.”
“Just so we’re clear—if you sleep with someone else during these six weeks, we’re over. Cheating is a major deal breaker for me.”
“Me, too,” he said, and he started to smirk.
“Why are you smiling like that?” she asked. “You’re not thinking about all the babes you’re going to bang, and how you’re going to get away with it all, are you?”
“Hell, no. I just like that you called it cheating.”
“Why? I mean, that’s what it is, isn’t it?”
“Because you can’t cheat on someone if you’re not in a relationship. It makes you feel a little more like you’re”—he pulled her closer—“mine.”
She grabbed him by the chin. “I’ll be yours, as long as you swear you’re mine.”
“I swear, I’m yours,” he said. “So can I call you my girlfriend now?”
