“Good night, Elliot.”
He leans in and, for a moment, I think he’s about to kiss me. But at the last second, he swerves and presses his mouth to my cheek.
Whispering in my ear, he says, “Just in case someone is watching us.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Disappointment floods my chest, making me question if I’m coming down with a virus or something—because nowhere in the history of forever would I be disappointed by Elliot Thorne not putting his lips on mine.
This entire night has just thrown me for a loop and I’m beginning to go crazy. That’s it.
“Talk to you soon,” he says as I make my way out to my car. He stands in the doorway, waiting for me to safely slide into my front seat and pull out of his driveway before he retreats inside his house.
And as I drive home, I go back over multiple moments from the night, wondering if Elliot’s rules were more for me, or for him.
But why would he need those rules?
Unless playing pretend isn’t as easy as he thought it would be, which is what I’m slowly starting to realize the more real this entire situation gets.
Chapter 14
Elliot
Something Past Due
“Looks like there’s a new wedding to plan.” My father’s voice echoes down the hallway of the office, making me freeze as I read through my emails. “Yes, Elliot is engaged again. Well, they haven’t set a date yet, but I imagine it will be soon.” More silence. “Great, Eric. Yes, I’ll give him the message. Uh huh. Talk soon.”
It’s not uncommon for my father to take business calls with the door open, but this one sounded personal. My curiosity spikes, leading me to his office to find him scrolling through his cell phone. “How is Eric?”
My father lifts his gaze to me. Setting his phone down, he clears his throat. “Well, and he sends his congratulations.”
“So, you’re telling people then?”
Myfather’s eyebrow arches. “Why wouldn’t I? I mean, you’re getting married and that’s something to celebrate, especially after what happened with your first wedding.”
Wincing, I cast my gaze over my shoulder to the front reception desk where Tori is clicking away on her computer. “Yes, and normally the ex-fiancée wouldn’t be around to witness a second engagement.”
My father shrugs. “Look, I brought her back because I thought that’s what you would want.”
I scoff. “Really? Why didn’t you fucking ask me first then? Because I sure as hell would have told you otherwise.”
He waves a hand like my point is invalid. “You need to realize that sometimes I know what’s best for you. I certainly wouldn’t have picked Dilynne Clark for you, that’s for sure.”
Something about the way he says that makes my blood boil. “Good thing I don’t care about your opinion then, huh?”
He huffs out a laugh. “Clearly.” Glancing back up at me, he continues. “But since you’re hell-bent on ruining your future, I’d appreciate it if you would set a date soon, preferably in the next few months.”
“Why?”
His gaze drifts from mine over to the computer. “There’s no sense in prolonging the inevitable, is there? If this is the one, then make the woman your wife.”
“What if we want to take our time?”
“That’s absurd. It’s already the end of June. If you wait too long to secure a venue, it will be too cold for an outdoor wedding.”
“What if we want an indoor wedding?”
“What kind of monster gets married indoors?”
“When did my father become a wedding guru?”