He never missed an opportunity to tell me how in love with me he was, and how sure he was about us together.
At the time, it had felt flattering and reassuring in a way I’d never experienced before. I’d never had a man choose me the way Trevor had.
Now, sitting in Charli’s flower shop with a wedding binder open in front of me and my fiancé nowhere to be found, a strange, uncomfortable thought crept in.
Holy shit.
I’d been swept up before I’d even realized what was happening.
Had I been love bombed?
I shook my head slightly, as if I could physically dislodge the thought. Because if I let myself believe that, then I would have to admit that I’d been incredibly stupid.
But what if I was just overreacting? Plenty of people were over-the-top romantic at the start of something new. A natural fading of that attention was normal. Love didn’t need to look like the movies with dramatic fireworks all the time.
What I was feeling was just pre-wedding jitters. And witheverything going on with the development project and now the committee, no wonder I was feeling overwhelmed by it all.
With a sigh, I reached for the binder again. Planning something concrete felt easier than untangling emotions I didn’t quite know what to do with yet.
I flipped it open to a set of pictures featuring wildflowers making up the bouquets. Much more my style. Simple white daisies had always been my favorite.
“I like this,” I said honestly.
Charli nodded, but she didn’t seem excited that I’d finally made a choice. “Are you sure you want to do this today?”
“Yes.” The word snapped out too fast.
“It’s just…all the questions about Noa and?—”
“Honestly, I’m just a little overwhelmed, that’s all. I’m sure I’ll feel better once I’ve scratched a few more things off my list.” I forced a laugh. “I’m just being dramatic.”
She didn’t believe me. I could see it on her face.
But she let me lie, because that’s what you do for someone who isn’t ready to tell the truth.
The worst part was realizing I wasn’t even lying to her.
I was lying to myself.
Chapter Five
Jess
Iarrived at the trailhead exactly on time, and of course, Preston Lyons was already there, frowning at his watch as if I were twenty minutes late.
Frankly, it was a miracle I hadn’t been late because I couldn’t find my hiking boots or my pack earlier that morning.
It had been so long since I’d been for a proper hike that all my gear had been pushed deep in the recesses of my closet.
My boots were dusty and felt foreign on my feet. But oddly good, too.
Sure, I would have rather gone on a hike with pretty much anyone else besides Preston, but if it took a forced hike with my arch nemesis to get me outside on a beautiful Saturday morning, I’d take it.
Especially after the week I’d had. My days had been filled with fielding calls from people who were interested in our new development but had heard rumors that the town was going to block the progress, and were worried about their deposits. Never mind the ever-growing list of wedding tasks that I’dbeen mostly putting off. It turned out that avoiding the tasks didn’t actually make me feel better. In fact, it had the opposite effect.
Every time I thought about the stupid list, my blood pressure rose.
Which was just another reason I was glad for the hike this morning. A little fresh air and physical activity was going to do me some good.
