Cue the urge to gag from me.
Claire looks up at him, her fingers twisting her ring. She has a small, tentative smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
Zach looks back at the crowd and grins. “A month ago, when my parents told me I needed to move out, I’m not gonna lie, I panicked.” He laughs out loud. “But I knew that Claire, being the supportive girlfriend she is, would make the best sugar mama. So it was an easy choice to pop the question and make it official!”
Wait…what?
I look around at everyone in attendance, and the discomfort is clear in their expressions. At the front, Claire’s eyes are wider than saucers. Apparently she didn’t even know this was the catalyst for the proposal. I glance over at Zach’s parents, who stand with frozen smiles on their faces. It looks like they’ve been holding onto some very interesting information.
Zach continues, unaware of the shift in the room. “Claire works so hard, I don’t even need to find a job! I’m so thankful for her. This is the best night ever, and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He hands the microphone back to Claire’s mom, pumps his fist in the air, and plants a sloppy kiss on Claire’s lips.
This is ridiculous. He’s a chaotic mess who’s just admitted to everyone that he’s being a lazy dolt and relying on Claire to support him. What kind of woman would stick with that man?
As I watch Claire kiss him back, I know what kind of woman would stick with him. Claire would. And not because she loves him—maybe she does, I don’t know. But because she’s an honorable woman, one who wants to make her parents happy, and doesn’t think she deserves the kind of love that will sweep her off her feet.
But she does.
She deserves someone who will treat her like the queen she is, rewarded for the hard work she does instead of expecting it.
Someone like me.
I’ve seen enough. As the crowd gives a restrained applause, I lean over and say to Christopher, “I’m heading out.”
He looks at me, then at Claire and Zach, and finally his eyes return to me with an understanding I wouldn’t have expected from Christopher David. Maybe I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve, which is just another reminder that I need to leave.
He doesn’t fight me this time, just raises a hand in a wave. I return the gesture and exit through the double doors. The cold air hits me in the face, and I fight the urge to turn back and get one more glance at Claire, because I know if I see her, I probably won’t be able to leave after all.
CHAPTER 17
Claire
Light filtersthrough my window on Saturday morning, and I groan in my half-asleep state. It’s the morning after the engagement party, and my social battery is completely drained. All I want to do today is lie in bed and read a good book as a reward for finishing my synopsis. Ryan hasn’t gotten back to me yet with his thoughts, but I’m in break mode until I hear from him. And thinking of Ryan reminds me of last night—how I watched him leave as soon as Zach finished his humiliating speech.
I have to talk to Zach.
I’d put on a brave face last night at the party, but certain things aren’t sitting right. First of all, I don’t like surprises. And these back-to-back surprises have been too much for me. But besides that, the comments he made during his speech… Well, let’s just say I’m shocked. Not only did he let it slip that the only reason he proposed was to have somewhere to live, but he very publicly claimed that he has no intention of working and will be relying on me to support us.
Neither of those things is okay.
So I’m going to talk to him today. I need to be brave and say my piece.
Groggy, I step out of bed and rub my eyes, stumbling to the bathroom. I look like a wreck. I was so exhausted last night, I didn’t wash off any of my makeup or undo my hair. First step, shower. If I want to have any ground to stand on with Zach, I need to get myself together.
An hour later, I’m showered and coffee-ed, and I step out my door, grabbing my keys off the hook. One glance at my left hand reminds me that I forgot my engagement ring. With a groan, I rush back into the bathroom and grab it off the sink.
It’s bad, but I haven’t felt the need to buy a cute little ring bowl or anything to keep it safe. It’s probably because it’s fake, and Zach already said not to worry about losing it. I’m also not really attached to the look of it. It’s too…ostentatious. I’d love something understated and classic. That’s probably something I should bring up with him when it’s time to buy a real diamond ring.
Slipping the ring on my finger, I rush to the front door and lock it behind me. On the drive over to Zach’s house, I remind myself of the points I want to make to him. First off, no more surprises. And second… Well, what IS the point to make about his confession? Just to find out the truth?
My heart sinks as the words he spoke settle in more and more. He wouldn’t have proposed if his parents hadn’t wanted him out. Was he planning on ever getting married?
I need to be brave and direct and ask him myself.
And if he says no, that he wasn’t planning on getting married…then what? Would I call off the engagement? Break up with him entirely?
A weird sensation comes over me. One that feels like…relief. And freedom and excitement.
Oh, no. Rein it in, Claire.
