“Are you kidding me right now? Pawning me off on your mother?”
“I would have thought you’d want to distract her, considering she’s taking a proverbial sledgehammer to Meredith’s wedding right now.”
“What are you talking about?”
I pull her to the side, pointing towards the men still working tirelessly on the lawn. “Do you not realize that she’s completely taken over? Meredith is distraught, Grant’s pissed, and I’m sure that banquet hall is going to look like a goddamn cotillion.”
“And that’s my concern because . . . ?”
Katherine crosses her arms, and I see the truth. This lie. This scheme. It never was for Meredith and Grant. It’s always been for her.
“God, I’ve been a fucking idiot,” I laugh, in an attempt to keep from completely losing it. “I put my whole life on hold for you. I let you stay at my apartment. Hell, I’ve been sleeping on that fucking couch you picked out for months because I thought you were actually having a hard time.”
“I am,” she pleads.
“Only because you have to keep up this facade of perfection. You can’t be single. You can’t live in an apartment without crown molding or chic appliances. You can’t be seen as not having it all together. Well, newsflash, most of us don’t have it together. We areall struggling in one way or another and you can’t keep using that as motivation to throw yourself pity parties.”
“That’s harsh.”
“It’s the truth,” I say, turning my back to her, seething. All these months, all these missed opportunities with Mira because I didn’t want to be an asshole. But instead I’ve been a chump.
“And this,” I say, motioning between us. “This whole thing between us, the fake dating, the playing nice. I thought we were doing this to protect Meredith, to make things easier for her. But now that she’s getting absolutely steamrollered by Susan, the only thing you seem to care about is keeping up this charade. And for what? Because you think we’re going to get back together?”
Katherine’s lip quivers as Susan shouts from the passenger-side window. “Katherine. I have the Franklins on the line and they’re ready to make a deal.”
She doesn’t argue. She plasters on a fake smile, one I’ve come to recognize, and makes her way towards my mother.
And as I watch their taillights fade into the distance, I know that I’m done pretending.
27 Mira
Outside I find Hudson’s leaning against the Jeep, arms crossed as he stares into the distance. He’s wearing tapered tan trousers and a mossy green sports coat that complements his freckled complexion. His auburn hair is unruly, in that just-woke-up way I love, and his stubble is more defined, landing in that sweet spot between beard and five o’clock shadow. And his undershirt is a vibrant paisley print of gold and burgundy. He takes a moment to notice me, but when he does, he offers me a dimpled grin and it takes every bit of willpower I have not to grab him by his bolo tie and pull him in for a kiss.
“You look ...” He trails off, his eyes tracing along my curves with desire, and heat rushes to my cheeks. “Incredible.”
“Thank Vanessa, she did all the work,” I say as he removes my bag and slings it over his shoulder.
After blowing out my hair, contouring my face, and applying a shimmery powder to all my exposed skin, she sent me out the door to Hudson like a fairy godmother.
“Her dress?” he asks, biting his lip in appreciation.
The gold dress hugs my curves in all the right places, creating a Grecian ruching all down my body. There is a slit up the side that makes it completely impractical for work, but with the way Hudson is staring, I’d wear it every day.
I nod, smoothing out the silky fabric beneath my palms. “She really should start a rental service. I think she’d make a killing.”
“Ask her how much it would be for me to buy it.”
“Why? Want me to wear it on date night?” I ask playfully.
Hudson matches my smile and presses his lips just below my ear. “Just in case I end up ripping it off you later.”
The comment sends an instant pulse between my legs. If Hudson had been this confident in the bar, Finn would have had to install protective glass for all the people who’d have thrown themselves at him.
“Get a room, you guys,” Vanessa says, coming around the corner, Adrian trailing behind her.
“We had one but you barged in,” Hudson says, resting his hand on the small of my back. I’m glad we don’t have to hide in front of them.
“I told them they could ride with us, since they missed the shuttle,” I explain, and Hudson opens the back door for Vanessa. Always the gentleman.
