“I can swing by on Wednesday afternoon. I’m out of town until then.” Nix’s focus shifts my way. “What do you think, Char? This is the one, right?”
I stand, chest tightening as I cross to the mirror. Up close, the look is even more devastating—the subtle weave of the linen shirt, the way the vest swells above his pecs, the mixture ofpower and sophistication that I know will have every woman at the reception drooling the second he slides onto the dance floor.
And that’ll bebeforethey see the way he moves.
After?
Well, after, I may have to beat them off my date with my extendable selfie stick.
I make a mental note to tuck it into my purse on the big day as I make a micro-adjustment to his collar. “Yes. This is the one. You look incredible.”
But I sound flat, almost…sad.
Of course, Nix notices.
His eyes narrow. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” I nod with more enthusiasm than I feel, doing my best to recapture the thrill of the revenge fantasy.
I imagine walking into the wedding with my gorgeous, hotter, smarter, better-than-my-ex-in-every-way date. Teddy’s face when he sees us together. Madison’s smug, self-satisfied smile cracking at the edges. Every single person in that ballroom understanding exactly who won, and who lost…
I know Teddy’s friends and coworkers well. I know how much they love to gossip and how quickly they turn on each other at the first sign of weakness.
I can practically hear the whispers now…
Oh my God, is that Charlotte’s date?
Jesus Christ. Teddy must want to die.
Just shrivel up and die!
I bet he’s regretting inviting her to the wedding now.
Or at least giving her the option for a plus-one.
The vicious laughter at my ex’s expense will be sweet.
Vicious and cruel and sweet, but…
I smooth a hand down to rest on the soft satin vest, over Nix’s heart. Then, I lift my gaze and whisper, “What if we don’t go?”
The tailor clears his throat, clearly sensing some sort of shit is about to hit the fan. “I’ll be up front when you decide,” he says, backing away. “Please, take your time. There’s no rush.”
“Thank you,” Nix murmurs, but he barely glances the man’s way. He’s too busy frowning down at me, confusion in his eyes. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t you want to go?” A hint of concern flickers in his expression. “Are you worried it will be too hard or something? That maybe the old feelings might?—”
“God no,” I cut in with a rush of breath. “No. Not even a little bit. Ew.” I shake my head with a laugh as I stroke two fingers down the front of my throat. “That honestly almost made me throw up a little.”
“Good,” he rumbles. “You scared me for a minute. So, if it’s not that, then…what’s up?” He smooths a stray hair from my temple. “You don’t have to feel bad about giving him a taste of his own medicine on his wedding day, you know. He started this with what he said in that article. You’re just giving him the clap back he deserves. Honestly, he’s asking for it. If he didn’t want to deal with potential ex drama, he shouldn’t have invited you to the wedding.”
“I know,” I say. “And this isn’t about feeling bad for Teddy or worried about ruining Madison’s big day. I just…” I shrug, shaking my head again. “I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right anymore. I just…don’t care. I don’t care what they think about me, or what our mutual friends think, or what they say when I don’t show up at the wedding. I just don’t care.” I let out a laugh that feels like freedom. “I honestly couldn’t give less of a shit.”
I meet his eyes again, lips curving into a shy smile as I confess, “I just care about us. About enjoying how fine you look in this suit without worrying about dumb people from my past who are dumb and stupid and annoying and dumb.”
“Super dumb,” he agrees, his gaze warm on mine. “I really like that you just care about us. I really likeus. Period.”
I laugh, the icky feeling fading as he hugs me close. “Me, too. So, should I un-RSVP? And you can tell the team you’re available for that Saturday night game?”
“Now hold on there, woman, not so fast.” He chews his bottom lip for a beat as if working through a math problem in his head. “What if we did something else? I already put in to take the game off for the wedding, and there’s a lull in the schedule after. We’d have five whole days. We could get into a lot of trouble in our fancy clothes, we won’t be wearing to Teddy’s stupid wedding in five days.”
