Page 86 of Miss Belief

Teagan

My heart was racing, and hope was ready to leak out of my eyes in the form of tears if I wasn’t careful. But insecurity reigned supreme and was not ready to let me accept his words.

“Reid, even if I quit the club, I’m not the type of girl you want to bring home to your family or who will make the best impression at a business dinner.”

“You’d make an amazing impression by just being yourself. Do you even realize what a breath of fresh air you are? You’ve always been unapologetic about who you are, so don’t go apologizing now.”

“How can you say that to me? You spent so much time prepping, molding me into the version of a girlfriend you wanted people to see at the wedding, from the designer clothes to the fake background. I even had to have a separate pair of shoes for every outfit because, oh, the horror of wearing the same pair twice.”

His mouth opened and closed. Finally, he found the words. “I bought the clothes and shoes because I didn’t want you to have to deal with any judgment from the people at the wedding. We were only supposed to be faking things, so I just wanted you to feel like you could fit in with that crowd over the weekend. In hindsight—I’m sorry. I never cared what you wore. I only cared that you should feel comfortable in the face of extreme cattiness. As for the fake background about your parents and education, that was your idea. I went with it because your true history was nobody’s business, and I didn’t want you to be in a vulnerable position with respect to the assholes I knew would be in attendance. I moved over six thousand miles away in order to leave behind the materialistic trappings of the world I grew up in. The last thing I want in my life is another woman like Vanessa. If for a moment you thought I could ever be embarrassed by your past or what you’d wear, then fuck—I really screwed this up.”

“You didn’t screw it up. I guess I didn’t consider your perspective.”

He framed my face with his hands. “I’ve never in my life had a connection like I have with you, Teagan. You not only make it easy to be with you, but you also make it easy to be myself. That’s something I never had until I met you.”

“It’s easy to be with you too. But you can’t date someone who dropped out of high school, barely got her GED, and takes her clothes off for money.” I hated the insecurity reflected in my words.

“The hell I can’t. I don’t give a rat’s ass about your education or what you did in order to earn the money for your niece’s treatment. If anything, I’m in awe of how incredible you are. I wouldn’t wish your upbringing on anyone, but it’s clear it’s made you the strong woman I see before me.”

“Well, most of the time that ‘strong woman’ is a big old act.” It was the first time I’d ever admitted it out loud.

He smiled. “I’m well aware of your tough-girl act, but I’m also aware of the sweet—” Kiss. “—soft—” Kiss. “—but fierce—” Kiss. “—passionate—” Kiss. “—sexy as hell—” Kiss. “—loyal—” Kiss. “—hates shopping, expensive luggage, and mornings side of you. Sarcasm may be your armor to keep people from getting close to you, but I promise your heart is safe with me.”

Butter in the hot sun stood a better chance than I did against melting with his words.

“Where do we go from here?” I had no clue how to proceed in a relationship.

“Maybe we can talk about next steps, now that we’ve got all of our secrets behind us—” He paused, probably noticing the guilt I could feel registering on my face. “It is the last secret, right?”

I stepped back to give him a sheepish grin. “Um, it’s not a big secret per se. In the scheme of things, I consider it more of a confession.”

“What confession?”

It was time to put it all out there. “I may have had a teeny, tiny crush on you over the last year.”

His eyes widened. “How tiny are we talking?”

“Scale of one to ten?”

“Sure.”

“Ten, with stalkerish tendencies upgrading the package to a twelve point five.”

His immediate laughter was a relief, as was the way his eyes danced with amusement as he captured my lips. “I didn’t have a clue. I guess I’m flattered, and a little surprised, considering you had to stage an intervention for me.”

“You bounced back pretty quickly into the Reid I adored.”

“You know what they say about crushes. They typically end with a letdown.”

“I’ve yet to find one.”

“Good to know. What else is on your mind?”

“I struggle to believe good things can happen to me. And as previously discussed, I don’t know if I have the tools to manage a relationship.”

He leaned in, his nose below my ear. “How about I give you some options,” he whispered. “Would that ease your mind?”

Was it any wonder I was gone for this man? He got me. I’d never connected with anyone else on the same level. “I could go for some options.”