Page 31 of Lost in You (Flirting with Forever 1)

“Yeah, sorry. Just the girls.”

He laughs. “‘The girls’? No wonder you look like you’re about to burst out laughing any second now.”

“What can I say? They’re pretty funny.”

“It’s nice you’ve got that tribe thing going on. I remember it took you and Dana a bit to warm up to each other, but once you did, it was good for both of you.” He winces.

“Things kind of got fucked up with that whole situation, though, huh?”

“Yeah,” I murmur. “Pretty messed up.” I shrug, trying to act like it doesn’t matter to me that his cheating resulted in the loss of my new friend. After I’d told her what he’d done, that was pretty much the nail in the coffin. I think she felt it was too difficult to continue on with our friendship after that. “It’s okay. I’ve found my people.”

I’m surprised he doesn’t have anything more to say about Dana. My fingers grip my phone tightly, not wanting to dwell on it at the moment, but I know I should speak to him about why he cheated on her at some point. Especially if I want to know if he really has changed and become a better person—if he could be someone I can trust. I’ve already told him I have issues with that, so …

Me: We really did just hang out. In fact, I fell asleep while we were watching TV.

Zoey: I guess that means you are at least comfortable with him?

Me: Yes, we’re fine with each other. He’s been very convincing so far as my boyfriend. We’re on our way back to the B&B for the reception now, actually.

Piper: Oh, fun. Are you going to dance with him? I’m so curious how you all strategized all of this.

Sophia: Of course she is. It’s got to look real.

Me: Right. Real.

Sophia: Madi, you okay?

I can’t leave them hanging. With a sigh, my thumbs fly over the keyboard of my phone, tapping out a reply.

Me: Yeah. I’m just really confused about a few things still. Shawn is different than I thought he’d be, and it doesn’t make much sense.

Me: It’s nothing. Reception time. Gotta go.

With a huff, I power down my phone and place it back in my clutch. Shawn parks the truck, gets out, and jogs around to my side to assist me, my dress a tangle of flowing fabric around my legs.

“Ready for this, beautiful?” His grin makes everything feel right again, so I do what I can to shove all thoughts of cheating boyfriends aside.

There’s one great thing about boyfriends of the fake variety—there’s no relationship for them to cheat on, so there’s no chance at getting hurt. That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway.

Chapter 16

Shawn

“Are you ready to get back down to the reception?” One glance at Madison and I know her head isn’t in a good place right now. Now that we’ve dropped off our coats, there’s really no reason to stay up here when we are due back downstairs for the rest of the wedding festivities.

She meets my eyes, takes a deep breath and stands with a nod.

“Are you okay? Hungry, maybe?”

A hint of a smile crosses her face. “I guess they’ll be feeding us, right?”

“Yep. And there will be flowers and music and dancing.”

“And cake.”

“And cake, for sure. Come on.” I hold my hands out to her and when she takes them, I draw her in, hugging her body to mine. The tremors that run through her just prove that I was correct in my thinking. She’s nervous as hell.

Time to turn on my charm, then, and hopefully make her forget about everything for a little bit.

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