Page 71 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

"Ow."

"Tell me."

"James has a huge list of problems. I don't think you need me to name them all. I love him like a brother, but that doesn't mean he's perfect. I've never really understood why you chose him."

Harsh. "It's simple. I love him."

"Right, I get that. But there are plenty of guys out there with their shit together that would love to be with you."

Every word out of his mouth was making me more and more pissed. "What, like you?"

He smiled. "Yeah, like me."

"You just said you didn't like me." I punched his arm again.

"No, I didn't say that. I said I wasn't in love with you. There's a pretty big difference between like and love."

"I know. There's a huge difference. But I don't think you understand the difference, Matt. I love James with everything that I am. He's my husband, the father of my kids. He's everything to me."

He stared at me blankly.

"I'd take a bullet for him."

"Would he for you?"

"Of course he would."

"You never saw what he was like before he met you."

I swallowed hard. "I know. But he's not that way anymore." The song had stopped, but we were both still standing in the middle of the dance floor. "What was he like?" I don't know why I asked it. Matt's ulterior motives were pretty clear tonight. But he had been drinking since this afternoon. And every person here without a date was probably a little lonely. Being single and going to a wedding was never the best mix. He probably wouldn't remember this conversation in the morning. I wanted the information, though. I wanted to understand that part of James that I never knew.

"He was a dead man walking," Matt said. "I'm not an unemotional brick wall. But he sure as hell was."

Another song had started. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back in close.

"You're drunk," I said.

"Maybe. But I meant what I said."

"Which part?"

He smiled. "All of it."

I punched him in the arm again.

"Jesus, Penny." He released his hand on my waist to grab his arm. "Would you cut that out?"

"If you stop hitting on me I'll stop hitting you. I hate you for making James right about this. It's bad enough I lose arguments without putting my neck out for a friend."

Matt laughed. "I'm not hitting on you. You're so full of yourself. Which is a good quality. Guys like girls who embody confidence."

I punched him again. "There are plenty of single girls here who would love to be with you."

"Good," he said.

"Well, good then."

He smiled down at me.

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