I look him dead in the eye. "You. What makes you think I want to marry you?"
"Excuse me?" His perfectly groomed eyebrows pinch together.
"You're not a catch, Brian."
His mouth opens, then closes.
"You believe you're so much hotter than you actually are," I continue, my voice growing stronger. "Conceit and vanity are not attractive traits despite what your other yes-men tell you."
Brian stares at me, shock ripples across his face. He glances around, suddenly aware of the attention we're attracting. His mouth twitches as he tries to tamp down his anger. "Meredith, are you trying to be funny?"
I stand, my chair scrapes against the floor. "Maybe. Not as funny as you. Because the idea of marrying you is the biggest joke I've ever heard."
I grab my purse from the back of my chair. Cole is instantly at my side, a solid presence radiating approval.
But I'm not done. I turn back to Brian, who's frozen in his chair, his face flushing an alarming shade of purple. I smile sweetly at him.
"I don't need to lose weight for you to carry me. You're just weak and pathetic. The only heavy thing you could carry is your ego."
A woman at the next table snorts into her wine glass. A man across the room coughs to hide his laugh.
Brian's mouth opens and closes like a fish yanked from water. No sound comes out.
I turn on my heels and walk out with Cole, head high, heart pounding.
The moment the restaurant doors close behind us, adrenaline surges through me. I feel light-headed, almost giddy. By the time we reach the SUV, my hands are shaking, but it's not from fear.
No, it's relief. Massive relief. A huge weight off my shoulders.
So this is what it feels like to stand up for myself. To speak my mind. To not let anyone walk all over me.
Cole unlocks the doors with a press of a button. I slide into the passenger seat, and he gets behind the wheel.
The moment the doors close, sealing us once more into our private bubble, I burst into wild, free laughter. With laughter-drenched tears. I fill my lungs.
"Did you see his face?" I gasp between peals of laughter. "I thought his head was going to explode."
When Cole doesn't immediately respond, I turn to look at him. He's smirking, but his eyes tell something else. It's dark with desire, and he's staring at me like he's already taking off each layer of clothing.
"That," he says, voice low and rough, "was the hottest thing I've ever witnessed."
My laughter fades. "Really?"
"Watching you eviscerate that asshole while looking like a fucking goddess? I'm never going to recover."
The tension that's been simmering between us all morning ignites. I reach for him the same moment he reaches for me. Our mouths crash together in a desperate, hungry kiss that makes yesterday's seem tame by comparison.
God, he kisses like a beast.
His hand slides into my hair, tilting my head back to deepen the kiss. I clutch at his shoulders, trying to pull him closer despite the console between us. His other hand slides up my thigh, bunching the fabric of my skirt.
When we break apart, we're both breathing hard, and the windows have started to fog.
"Why did that feel so freeing?" I ask, my voice barely steady.
Cole cups my face, his thumb grazes my jaw. "Because you finally stopped shrinking yourself to make other people comfortable."
I stare at him, and something clicks into place inside me. All these years, I've been making myself smaller, quieter, less, because I thought that's what I was supposed to do. Polite, meek Merry. What I was supposed to be. How a proper heiress behaves.
