Page 22 of The Man She Loves to Hate

“Scare me off? Do I seem easily frightened to you?”

“Fuck, no! You seem like the type of woman who is burned once and doesn’t allow a second chance. I am well aware that I’m on borrowed time.”

“Accurate.” They stared at each other, soaking in the possibility of more. At least, she hoped he was contemplating more. She sure as hell was.

“I bet you’ve decided never to get married.”

She inclined her head. “You are correct.”

“Never getting married but planning weddings for others.”

“It’s an updated version ofalways the bridesmaid but never a bride.” She sipped her wine and then asked, “What about you? Is there wedded bliss in your future?”

“Definitely. I always wanted to share my life with someone else. Being alone sucks.”

She laughed, finding his easy admission startling. She would have put money on him being a total playboy. “That’s a rare opinion for a guy. Of the weddings I’ve planned, ‘cold feet’ on the part of the groom was a real and diagnosable affliction.”

“Yeah? How many of them bailed?”

“One,” she answered. “But he came back.”

“Let me guess, you hunted him down and talked some sense into him.”

“His brother, the best man, did most of the talking. But I was there to facilitate.”

“Of course you were. You couldn’t let a groom with cold feet wreck your plans.”

“True story.” She took a breath. “Louis never viewed our relationship as a partnership. It was always him on top with me bringing up the rear.”

She heard the double entendre too late. Trick raised both eyebrows as she covered her cheeks with her hands in an attempt to cool them down. “Oh, my god. I can’t believe I just said that.”

“You said it, not me.”

They both laughed. He was so easy to hang out with.

“I did. I can’t believe it, but I did. Ugh. Let’s talk about something else. Will you have a huge wedding?”

“I guess it depends on my bride, doesn’t it?” he asked, thoughtful. “But if I have a say, I’ve always pictured a wedding on a cliffside with, like, four people in attendance.”

“My parents would die of culture shock if I dared to have a small wedding. Seeing and being seen is practically etched into our family crest.”

“They wouldn’tdie. They recovered after you built a career rather than marry Mr. Personality, didn’t they?”

“They are alive and well.” Her smile was unstoppable. Her wine was also gone. For the first time in a long, long time, she wanted to order another glass and blow off her responsibilities. So, so tempting. Impossible, but tempting.

“You sound like you have good parents. They didn’t give you too hard of a time about the wedding falling apart, did they?”

“No, actually. They were supportive. I wonder if they had second thoughts about Louis and his intentions. Though my mother would love to be bouncing a grandbaby on her hip right about now.”

“Plenty of time for that.”

“What are your parents like?”

“My dad is a mason and a complete jokester.” He pointed to himself to show that he’d inherited that particular skill set. “My mom tried acting, but ended up a costume designer instead. She used to take me to the set with her. I fell in love with everything around me. It was a cool way to grow up.”

“Sounds amazing.” His upbringing was wild and unexpected whereas hers had been mapped-out and boxed-in. Had she grown into the woman her parents had cultivated, or had she chosen her own path? Spontaneity was a rare trait in the Meadows family. The idea that she’d been popped out of a mold of their making bothered her. Sure, she’d had a mostly good childhood, but no one wanted to believe they’d been crafted in a laboratory like Edward Scissorhands.

Trick polished off his beer and set the empty glass on the table. Their night was coming to a fast close.

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