He followed her into the living room and moved in front of her. “I’m not that guy,” he repeated slowly. “I would never hurt you like that.”
“You’re right. You’d hurt me in a new way, and wouldn’t that be great?”
“What if I didn’t hurt you at all? Of the two of us, don’t you think you’re the one with the greater ability to pull off a vendetta? You have mad skills. You could kill me with a toothpick.”
Despite her annoyance, she smiled. “You’re confusing me with a spy. I do stunt work, I don’t kill people.”
“Only because you haven’t set your mind to it.”
“You’re a real pain in my ass. You know that, right?”
He nodded. “I do, and I really like you a lot. Go out with me.”
“I don’t date.” She’d meant the words to come out defiantly, but instead they were barely a whisper.
He leaned in and kissed her. “I get it. You’re still scared. That’s okay. I’ll wait.”
She wanted to ask for how long but was too afraid of the answer. Because a guy like Javiar could have his pick of women. He was good-looking, funny, smart and sexy. There wasn’t a whole lot of bad there. Eventually he would get tired of pursuing her and go find someone who wanted what he wanted. And then she would be alone. Which was what she wanted, she reminded herself. Only, suddenly thinking that sounded a lot more lonely than it had.
Shannon accepted she was a horrible person. There was no other explanation for her unwillingness to tell her mother, who she loved, that she was engaged. She’d already waited too long, which created another problem. Her uncomfortable encounter with Ava had made her see that not telling her mom was so unfair and mean. She had to come clean without delay.
The decision made, she drove from the printers to the bridal shop where she would meet her mom for her appointment. Cindy wanted to show her the dress she’d found when she’d gone shopping with Victoria and maybe try on a few others. Itwas the perfect time to tell her about Aaron. They could hug and laugh and maybe cry, then have the fashion show.
Shannon felt both better and worse for having made the decision. When she arrived, she went inside, only to be overwhelmed by all things wedding. There were gowns everywhere—both on mannequins and in photographs on the wall. There were veil displays and a selection of every possible kind of white shoe from high-heeled designer pumps to cute ballet flats and blinged-out athletic shoes. The lighting was subtle, the music quiet. Everything about the store screamed elegance.
As Shannon looked around, she felt an odd whooshing sensation in her stomach—as if her nervous system had suddenly gone into fight or flight. Her chest got a little tight and she was having trouble catching her breath. She felt out of place and had the strangest urge to bolt. Just then her mother rushed into the store.
“You’re here!” Cindy hugged her tight. “I’m so excited. I could barely sleep last night. Isn’t this fun? Don’t you love the store? Everything is so beautiful.”
“It’s great,” Shannon managed, wondering what was wrong with her. It was a bridal shop, and she was engaged. Shouldn’t this be her fantasy morning?
Just then an older woman approached. “Cindy, hello. Ready to try on more dresses?”
“I am.” Her mom smiled at her. “I love the dress I found with Victoria, but I need your thoughts, and I’m going to try on a few others, just to be sure.”
“I have everything ready.” Angelina turned to Shannon. “Did you want to try on a few dresses today?”
What? “No. This is about my mom.”
“No one special in your life?” the salesperson asked teasingly.
“Oh, there’s a special man,” Cindy said. “Aaron. We all adore him. Now, if we could just figure out a way to get him to pop the question.” She laughed. “I keep telling Shannon I want us to have a double wedding, but so far it’s not happening.”
“A double wedding? With your daughter?” Angelina looked startled. “That would be, ah, interesting.”
“Oh, I’m just teasing.” Cindy grinned at Shannon. “Mostly.” She hugged her again. “Let’s get going on this. Oh, and, honey, I know you’re not engaged or anything, but we’re here. Please try on something. Oh, I know. The princess dress I’ve been dreaming of. It looked terrible on me, but I’d love to see you in it.”
Shannon was still struggling with her unexpected reaction to some kind of weird semi-panic attack. Her chest hurt, and she felt faintly nauseous. Before she knew what was happening, she was in a dressing room and Angelina was hanging several gorgeous gowns on a rack.
When she was alone, she stared at herself in the mirror. “Just tell her,” she whispered to her reflection. But even as she said the words, she felt her resolve fading away. Her mom was so happy about the dresses. Yes, learning about her engagement would probably delight Cindy, but the announcement would also take away from the moment. Shouldn’t she let her mom just enjoy what was happening without distraction?
Not sure if she was being selfless or cowardly, although fairly sure it was the latter, she slipped off the chain holding her engagement ring and dropped it into her bag, then reached for the first dress. A few minutes later Angelina knocked on the door, then entered to help her with the buttons.
“You look beautiful, my dear. The style suits you.”
Shannon had to admit the dress was wedding-worthy. The lace-covered, tank-style bodice was fitted to the waist before flaring out into a full skirt that cascaded to the floor. Panels of lace gave the gown movement, even when she was still. The pure white made her skin glow. Even without makeup or her hair done, she recognized she looked amazing.
Angelina finished with the buttons. The dress was a little big, so she clipped the back to make it fit better.
