“No,” he admitted openly—although that emotionless mask was still in place. “That is not at all what I’m saying.”
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t swallow. I was totally paralyzed by his words and what they could mean. Did he want to do it again? Sober this time? Drunk again? Did he just want a hookup? Did he want to run away together?
What the hell did any of this mean?
Instead of asking any of those questions, I managed a weak, strained, barely audible, “Oh.”
He nodded as if he expected that kind of response from me. “Yeah, oh.” He stood straight, putting inches between us, making me instantly cold. He turned and when he was at the door to the bathroom, he added, “There’s something about you, Baptiste.” His gray eyes turned silvery with heat, pinning me in place and stealing whatever response I was trying to spit out. “I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s enough that I know this isn’t The End. This is just the beginning.”
It took me a full five minutes after he’d left to collect myself. I leaned against the counter, hoping I wasn’t somehow ruining my dress, but not strong enough to care.
When I could finally trust my shaky legs to walk back to the office, my blush had turned to a ghostly whiteness that made me look like a corpse.
I could handle a one-night stand like a pro. He was right about me. I really was the one-night stand fairy. I took no prisoners. I left no witnesses. I got in. I got out. I got what I wanted. And I moved on with my life.
Or at least I used to. And I was determined to do that now.
That was what men liked anyway. At least all the men I had known. And not only the men I’d personally experienced in these situations.
My dad was the same way. My brother, until recently had been the same way. Every man I’d ever known had preferred one-night stands to the drama of bad relationships.
Tony, my mom’s husband, isn’t like that, my mind whispered to my battered, barely-beating heart.Killian isn’t like that. Wyatt’s not like that.
True, I had to admit. But they were the small minority compared to the rest of the male population I’d experienced.
And I hardly doubted—no offense Vera—that Vann was in the one percent of decent guys after last night’s shenanigans.
We’d had a good time. We’d had too much to drink. And then we’d had each other in a number of debauched and delicious ways.
But now it was time to go our separate directions. Besides, tonight was the last night I had open in all the foreseeable future and beyond. I was married to my restaurant after this.
And Vann… Vann had his life to return to.
He would always be a good, but fuzzy memory to me. And I would be the same to him. And hopefully, one day, in the future, I would settle into being okay with adding another fuzzy night with a man to my list.
The. End.
Fourteen
Despite my peptalk and firm resolve, I still had to walk down the aisle with Vann. If I thought it was going to be awkward before our little bathroom chat, I had no idea what was in store for me after.
In hindsight, I probably should have ditched the whole affair completely.
Was there such thing as a runaway bridesmaid?
I could be the first. I liked to blaze my own trail.
But instead of following that instinct, I’d gotten into line next to Vann and slipped my arm through his. He hadn’t held me especially close, but he hadn’t stood cumbersomely away either. I could feel the warmth of his body and the smooth tux fabric that did silly things to my head. And my resolve.
I caught another whiff of him—he smelled so amazing. And considering he likely didn’t use an arsenal of skin care products and army of makeup magicians to freshen his face, he managed to look the opposite of hungover.
God, he was a good-looking man.
Congrats to those Delane kids. They had good genes.
We were first up, having places on the outside of the bridal train. I liked to think of myself as closer to Vera than Kaya, but it also made sense for Kaya to walk down the aisle with her boyfriend and for the only two single people in the bridal party to walk next to each other.
Killian sat Jo in place of his mother, and I tried not to sniffle. It was easier to ignore Vann when I realized I would have to fight all my emotions to survive this wedding without sobbing uncontrollably.
