Page 6 of Kissing My Grumpy Ex Boyfriend

There will never be a good time to tell my parents my plans. And I realize at this moment it’s now or never.

“Mom, I need to speak with you.”

“We can talk later.”

“Mom, it’s about the doctorate program and going to London,” I blurt out before she can walk away.

Her face lights up. “Oh, Bellamy, your father and I are so proud of you. Following in our footsteps. We weren’t sure you’d be accepted after the college you chose to go to over Warren University, but you did it.”

I clear my throat, swallowing down my retort to her veiled insult.

“I just don’t know if London is for me,” I say.

“Don’t be foolish.” She waves away my comment like she’s shooing a fly away from her. “You’d be making the biggest mistake of your life if you don’t go. You’ll love London, and you’ll excel in their program. Now please hurry up. Guests will be arriving shortly.”

Without another word, Mom disappears from the doorway, shutting down this conversation and once again planting that seed of doubt in my mind that I’m making the wrong decision.

My shoulders sag in defeat, and I turn back to stare at myself in the mirror. “Nicely done, Belle. You really told her.”

It’s going to be even harder to talk to her now. And she’s probably telling my dad what I’ve just told her, so they can team up again to convince me that their way is the correct way I should live my life.

She looked so happy when I mentioned London. What will she do when I say I’m done with school and won’t be furthering my education?

* * *

AIDEN

Carter and I pull into the Adler’s driveway with the wooden arch they commissioned for the vow renewal ceremony. I was tempted to turn away the business, but Carter reminded me that we weren’t in the business of turning down work. Besides, I could show them that I didn’t become the drain on society they thought I’d become. I’ve made a name for myself, not just in this town but all over the country. My work as an artist and craftsman has been showcased in galleries in New York and Los Angeles.

“Are you going to be cool?” Carter asks as he cuts the engine to the truck.

I glance at him and shrug my shoulders. “I’ll be fine.”

“You sure? You didn’t seem okay at the shop yesterday.”

“That was then.” I run my fingers through my hair. “It was a shock to finally see her after all this time. But I’ve slept on it, and I woke up this morning feeling good.”

Carter eyes me skeptically but doesn’t push the issue further.

“Come on,” I say, opening the truck door. “Let’s get this beast set up and get out of here as quickly as possible.”

Carter follows me out of the truck, and we make quick work of unloading the arch off the truck and maneuvering it around the side of the house. Our instructions were to set it up in front of the rows of wooden folding chairs in the backyard.

We constructed the arch into one piece that could then be used to have vines grow up and around the sides. It’s a simple structure design but made with the best cedar and sealed to protect it longer and spare it from the elements outside.

Bellamy’s voice projects out over the backyard as she instructs workers on where to set up the folding chairs.

My heart rattles in my chest with her so close again. The regular rhythm I fought so hard to regain after she left me, it only takes her voice to reactivate irregularity. I know what I told Carter in the truck, but I was lying to him and myself. I never stopped loving Bellamy Adler, but I thought I’d proved I could live without her if you call what I’ve been doing living.

Carter lifts his brow and keeps a watchful gaze on me, but I ignore him. I don’t look at her. I can’t look at her. But then I do.

She’s still just as beautiful as I remember her, with soft pink lips, a heart-shaped face, and caramel-colored eyes that I could get lost in. But I’m here for a job, and I need to focus.

We walk along the property line and around the chairs toward the end of the aisle. I know she’s watching me. I never could explain how, but when she was near or I had her full attention, I could always feel a prickle on the back of my neck letting me know. Like how I know right now that she is watching me, even though I pretend that she is not there as I focus on setting up.

Carter guides me, and we get the arch in place. Now it just needs to be secured. Then we can get paid and go.

“Did you grab the rubber mallet in the truck?” Carter asks.

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