“I guess.”
Grant frowned. “You guess? You either loved him or you didn’t.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It should be.” He scowled. “I heard he called the wedding off the day before. What a dick.”
She laughed at that. “On that you’re right. But I think I might have been to blame for our relationship going sour. I loved the idea of getting married more than I loved him, I think. I mean, I didn’t realize that at the time. I was head over heels happy. Saying yes took no effort. But after that, he started to grow distant. I told myself not to worry about it. He wanted to wait to have kids, to get more comfortable in his business. That made sense.” It still didn’t excuse what he’d done, though.
“So I helped Sam get more contacts. I know everyone in this town. I helped him grow his business, and he expanded quickly. Then, somehow, I lost track that we weren’t doing much together anymore. Maybe I was lost in all the wedding planning, so I never saw him drifting away. Or attaching himself at the mouth to Tammy Baylor,” she said drily. “Oh, wait, it’s Tammy Ellison now.”
“What happened?” Grant leaned forward, looking deeply into her eyes. “I can’t imagine a man choosing anyone over you.”
She warmed, his look of appreciation overwhelming the shimmer of hurt still inside her, so much less than it had been, yet the pain of being rejected for someone better remained. “I couldn’t imagine it either. But I guess Sam wanted someone... not me. Tammy’s quieter, prettier, from a richer family,” she tacked on, feeling petty.
“Quieter I get. From a richer family, sure. But no way she’s prettier.”
“Thanks, Grant.” She had to laugh. “Are you saying I’m loud and poor but pretty?”
“I guess.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips.
The touch of his mouth set her on fire, but it was the sincerity in his gaze that had her heart pounding.
“He didn’t deserve you.”
She let him kiss her hand a second time before tugging it back and had to clear her throat to speak. “Yes, that’s what I’ve been telling myself since we broke it off.”
“How long, exactly, has it been?”
“Over a year. We were supposed to marry last spring. I won’t lie. He devastated me. He called it off—by phone—the day before. Everything had been booked, and it wasn’t cheap. Thankfully, we were having a small wedding, so though I lost a ton of money on the flowers, cake, and venue, it was less than it could have been.”
“Wait. He broke it off and left you with the bill?” Grant looked incensed.
His fury on her behalf made her smile. “He did indeed. But I turned it into a party, and my friends and family had a hell of a meal and a mean cake. The DJ was excellent, and we hated on Sam for hours.”
“Wish I could have been there.” His expression turned dark as he glanced down. “I had no idea you’d even been nearly married until Cade told me months after the fact. That asshole.”
“Grant. It’s not Cade’s fault.”
He met her gaze and smiled, though it felt forced, somehow. “No. But I need to blame someone.” He took her hand in his again. “How could you think Sam Ellison would be the right guy for you? Did he appreciate how smart you are? How hard you work? How much you take care of your family?”
“Wow. You’re good for my ego.” She gave a nervous laugh, not sure what to do with the intensity in his eyes.
“What did you mean when you said you guess you loved him?”
She bit her lip. “I thought long and hard after it all happened, a failed engagement. Being left at the altar. Yeah, it scarred me. I don’t think I’ll ever want a long engagement again, or even a wedding at a church or with a lot of guests. It was traumatizing.”
“I’ll bet.” He rubbed his thumb over her hand. She felt comfort, and something deeper. Something raw and powerful. And scary as heck.
“At the time, when we were dating, Sam and I clicked. Emotionally, mentally, physically. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized my feelings were about not being so alone. Not that we were a perfect couple, but that I was finally part of a couple.”
“Huh?”
She withdrew her hand. “For so long I’ve dated but not steadily. I’ve watched friends and family marry or couple up and move on, yet I’m always on my own. Working long hours, doing favors for everyone but myself. So finally, I had someone to be with that took care of me. And I took care of him. My special guy.” She sighed. “I can’t say he was only with me to use me for my contacts, but it didn’t help the way he ended things.”
“He was a coward and a fuckwit.”
“Grant.” She snickered. “He was, though. He could have called it off way before the wedding. And dating Tammy days after we broke up did make it look as if he’d been seeing her while we dated, though she was supposedly his ex. Heck, he could have been dating her. I was so busy with wedding plans I had been paying less attention to him.”
