“For your ex-pack?” he asked carefully.
“No,” I admitted. “We lived separately. I only saw them on weekends or sometimes for date nights.”
“Interesting,” was all he said. He sounded almost happy about that new fact.
“Okay, alpha,” I said, realizing our time was just about over. “Give me the most basic information about yourself. The things someone marrying you would know.”
“I hate onions. My closet is organized by color. I’m meticulous about my place. I have anxiety. I like being in control.”
His eyes flicked to mine. I shivered, because that could definitely be taken more than one way.
And I knew he meant it that way, too. Already I was learning his tells. He had a small smirk when teasing, serious face but burning eyes when being flirty, and his relaxed face when he was just chatting. I wanted to learn and catalog every one.
“Your turn, chaos.” Oh, a nickname. Look at us already settling into this marriage thing. I loved that he chose that particular one and not something cute. It fit better.
“Well,” I said, thinking it over. “I’ll eat almost anything. I love new experiences: food, activities, everything big and small. I love thrift stores and antique shops. They have the best clothes and fun little trinkets. This world has enough consumer trash, so I try to shop secondhand and breathe new life into things. My whole apartment is full of bright colors and organized chaos.”
He visibly winced.
“And you think with that reaction your mom is going to believe this?” I asked, throwing my hands up.
“I’ll get used to it for my fiancée,” he said calmly.
“We’ll see about that,” I said, determined now to be my unrestrained self and test his limits. “I’m guessing this is going to be a shared-room situation.”
His eyes widened like he’d never once considered it.
“You’re right,” he said slowly. “She would absolutely put us in the same room.”
“This is going to be an interesting two weeks,” I teased him. “Just do meonefavor.”
“Of course.”
“Don’t assume things about me. Don’t get mad or frustrated, and not tell me why. Ineedcommunication. I’m not a mindreader, and I’m not going to pretend to be. If you’re upset with something, just tell me so we can fix it or work through it.”
“I’m not big on confrontation, but if something really bothers me, I will.”
“Good,” I said, relaxing back against my chair with a soft smile as I stared at the landscape. “Then we’ll get along just fine.”
He reached for the radio and flipped through stations until a Christmas channel came on.
Baby, It’s Cold Outsidepoured through the speakers.
I started singing along, and to my shock, he joined in. Cole’s voice mixed with mine, and we were both grinning by the end.
We might be opposites in almost every way, but I had a feeling this ridiculous little partnership was going to work out just fine.
Aspen
It felt like the drive had taken no time at all when theWelcome to Pine Ridgesign came into view. It had only taken a little over an hour to get here but somehow I felt like I knew more about Cole than I would if we had actually been dating for months.
Honestly, we might have a real shot at convincing his family this was real.
The craziest part? I didn’t have to pretend. I genuinely liked being around him. He was funny and honest and called things exactly as he saw them, and that kind of honesty meant everything to me.
Especially after my failed wedding.
“Here we are,” Cole said.
