Page 58 of Wedding or Not

“So you’ve been in love all this time?”

“All this time.” He meets my eyes. “She just never saw it before.”

What the hell?

My heart hammers and my breath hitches like I actually believe him.

“You two are really cute. Thanks for letting us feature you. Blossom Park is gorgeous, and I hope everyone realizes what a perfect spot for a wedding it is.”

“We hope that too,” I say, recovering from my emotional upheaval at Wes’s acting. “It’s such a special place. We hope a lot more people decide to begin the rest of their lives here.”

The magazine folks start wrapping up after that, and an hour later they’re gone.

I’m so exhausted that I’m about to drop, and I suspect Wes feels similar. He’s not even muttering little comments to try to make me laugh anymore.

“Thank God that’s over,” he breathes as we wave the people off.

“That’s for sure.”

“It went well though, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. I don’t see how it could have gone better.”

“Me too.”

I peer up at his face. “You’re a good actor.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Way better than I expected. Why did you never try out for theater in school?”

“I never even thought about it.” He gives me a wink. “Maybe it’s a secret talent I’ve had all this time that was even a secret to me.”

“I guess so.”

It really was remarkable. For a few moments earlier today, I could have sworn he was really in love with me.

CHAPTER 19

More than a week later on Sunday evening, Wes and I are squeezed together in one oversized chair in the living room of the cottage Grace shares with the three youngest girls.

There’s usually exactly the right number of seats for the entire family, but Wes’s presence has disrupted the normal seating system.

We’re playing charades today, so the dining table isn’t a good option. When Wes volunteered to sit on the floor, Parker declared that he and I should snuggle together in my chair instead, teasing that caused Tessa to roll on the floor with hilarity.

I was about to give the girls the response the taunting deserved, but Wes replied that he’s always up to a challenge, and he squeezed into my chair with me.

It’s one of those they call a chair and a half, so there’s definitely extra room. But both of us fitting into it means he has to put his arm around me and our hips and thighs are pressed together.

I’m not opposed to such an arrangement, and it’s a fitting response to the girls’ teasing.

But it also means I’ve had to be far closer to Wes than is entirely comfortable.

Slightly uncomfortable because it keeps… giving me ideas.

The game of charades is predictably loud fun with frequent breaks to eat the variety of appetizers—tapas, Grace calls them—that make up our dinner tonight. But I’m relieved to get a few minutes of breathing room when it’s Wes’s turn and he gets out of the chair to check the prompt.

For such a contained man, he’s actually pretty good at charades.