She pulls back and looks at me.
Reallylooks at me. “I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“God, Laney,I don’t want to tell you. Please don’t make me tell you. It’s not about you. You didn’t do anything wrong. This is something older than all of us, and you and I can’t fix it. It’s done. Bean & Nugget is gone. And this is one more thing Icannotdeal with today.” She wipes her eyes. “You need to go. Go see Theo.”
I flinch.
“Laney.”
“He doesn’t want me,” I whisper.
“Laney.”
“I know. I know. We’re not even dating, but you heard him.You heard him. I was a vacation fling, and he doesn’t wantPlainy-Laney. He doesn’t want me to judge him. He doesn’t want me to expect anything from him.” My eyes are stinging. “He doesn’t want me to hurt him.”
She grabs me by the arm and tugs me down the walkway.
The one to my bungalow.
My bungalow with Theo.
“He saved a litter of kittens and their mama cat and that’s why the other bedroom in his bungalow is blocked off,” I whisper. “He saved a litter of kittens. He tried to save Emma’s wedding. Andhe’s a porn star. And Mom’s right. The press—they’ll care.I don’t want to care. Butthe entire world has seen him naked. And I can’t—I want—I can’t—”
I can’t let it go.
Every woman on the planet can see my boyfriend’s naked penis.
Oh my god.
There are some who have probably seen it more than I have.
And he doesn’t want to be my boyfriend.
“Go. Talk. To. Him.” Sabrina shoves me softly as we reach the bungalow.
I dig my room key out of the secret pocket in my dress—I’ll get my phone later from the bridal suite—and let myself inside.
The hide-a-bed is still sticking up weirdly in the living room.
But the open primary bedroom door makes me suck in a breath.
I scurry across the rug to peek in.
And when I get there, I have to stifle a sob.
Theo’s here. He’s taken off his suit jacket and has his white button-down half-open over the sleeveless white shirt beneath while he works his way around the room, putting the kittens in a cat carrier.
“What are you doing?”
He doesn’t look up at me.
Doesn’t answer.
Like he’s waiting for me to reject him so he doesn’t have to be the one to reject me again.
I can’t do that.
