“Go sit. I’ll make this snappy.” He winks and then he’s gone. Him and his smoldering touch venture out of the church and into the hallway where Allie was screaming for him.
My heels click on the wooden planks of the old church until I find a pew to sit in that’s not too near the front. Thank goodness Edie is busy talking to who I suspect are relatives in the second pew. My mind is like a tornado with thoughts whipping around, never landing on an answer. There are only two people who know the full situation, so I open up our group text stream.
Me: Girls, girls, girls. I’m in trouble.
Three dots appear immediately.
Chelsea: Already slept with him?
Victoria: You mean I won!?
Me: What are you talking about? No I haven’t slept with him and won what? Are you guys betting on my sex life?
Chelsea: For once I predicted later than Vic. She had you giving it up your first night there.
Victoria: Thanks, Chels. I just think…alone in a hotel room? You do the math.
Me: Well, I was able to keep my panties on, thank you.
Chelsea: What about your bra? Any motorboat action?
Me: And to think I was texting you guys for advice.
Victoria: We have to have a little fun. What’s up?
Chelsea: You can’t blame me, I need some fun in my life. Dean doesn’t want me even walking too far.
Me: Tell Dean you aren’t the first woman to carry a child. And I think I want to sleep with Roarke.
Victoria: Duh
Chelsea: I second the duh.
Me: Girls!?
Victoria: Han, you’ve wanted to sleep with him for months now.
Have I? No, I’ve definitely hated him.
Chelsea: What’s that saying? There’s a thin line between love and hate?
Victoria: Yep, that’s it.
Me: I don’t love the man.
Chelsea: No, but you want to sleep with him.
It’s annoying when they have a point.
Victoria: I’m the rational one, right?
Chelsea: I’m ignoring that assumption.
Me: What does that have to do with it?
Victoria: If you want him, explore it. Sleep with him and see what you feel after. You aren’t committing to walking down the aisle or anything.
Chelsea: He screwed her over. Hard to get past that.
Victoria: It was his JOB. He’s going to great lengths to make it up to her and seriously, Hannah, did he leave you destitute?
I chew on my inner lip. Of course not. But it’s the principle of the thing.
Chelsea: He still took half her shit.
Victoria: It’s a divorce, Chels. I know you and Dean didn’t have anything to split up, but I took half of Pete’s shit, too.
Chelsea: Pete’s a douche.
Victoria: Some days, but all Roarke did was his job. If Hannah had been his client, we’d be singing his praises right now.
Me: His reputation in Chicago is not exactly upstanding.
Victoria: Sure, but since when do you care what people think?
Match Point, Vic.
Chelsea: Vic, are you arguing for the defense now?
Victoria: Let’s say I had a conversation with Reed about the whole thing last night and the bastard made a good defensive argument about Roarke.
Me: You told him about me and Roarke?
Victoria: It’s Reed. He’s like a woman.
Chelsea: Um…yeah, no he’s not.
Me: I second Chelsea on that one.
Me: What was his argument?
Victoria: He said that Roarke seems to like you. That he’s going to great lengths to get you to like him, which isn’t his usual style. That Roarke walks around like he couldn’t give a shit that there’s probably ten hitmen after him at any one time. But that when it comes to you, he’s different and that usually means something when you’re a guy.
My heart softens thinking of Reed’s earlier revelation to me.
Chelsea: Damn Reed.
Victoria: Hannah, there’s no harm in letting him in a little.
Chelsea: If you’re already feeling something, it’s too late. You don’t have to give him the keys to the kingdom. Just let him sneak in the window one night. Maybe you win big.
Me: Or maybe I lose everything.
Chelsea: Nah, you can’t lose when you’re a millionaire. Lol
I stare down at my phone, my girlfriends’ advice ringing so close to what I’ve told them in the past.
Me: Thanks, ladies.
Victoria: Just jump, Hannah. We’ll catch you if he doesn’t.
I smile, even though they can’t see me.
Me: What would I do without you girls?
Chelsea: Live a really boring life. You want to talk about my bowel movements now?
Victoria: Shit, Jade’s calling me.
Me: Rehearsal’s about to start.
Chelsea: I knew that’d get everyone off this text string. ;)
I chuckle and silence my phone, shoving it inside my clutch.
Sitting there and waiting for things to begin, I contemplate all the girlfriends I’ve had in the past. None of them very loyal. All of them with agendas of their own. I have no doubt that Victoria speaks the truth. If Roarke breaks me, they’ll be there to piece me back together. And with that revelation, I make a conscious decision to give Roarke a real chance.
Chapter Nineteen
After the text convo with Chelsea and Victoria, Roarke appeared different to me. As he walked with Allie’s arm through his own down the aisle, his attractiveness notched up another level. His eyes found mine and I didn’t shift my gaze. After he pretends to give Allie away, he sits in the first pew next to his mother, and I yearn to feel his strong body next to mine.
The pastor finishes his pretend ceremony and instead of Allie and Wyatt pretending to kiss, they go at each other like they’ve been reunited after months apart. The groomsmen whistle and the bridesmaids clap.
I wonder if they fight on purpose for the make-up sex? I probably shouldn’t be thinking that in a church.
Roarke rises from his seat and stops at my pew, his hand out for me.
As I rise from my seat, my hand falls into his and he wastes no time in linking our fingers and escorting me out of the building.
“We have to go to dinner and then we’re free,” he whispers when everyone starts filing out to their cars.
“Where’s dinner?” I ask.
“We’re going to a restaurant on the outskirts of town.” He opens my door as usual and rounds the front of the Range Rover over to his side.
I spot his mom sliding into an older BMW while a man hops into the driver’s seat.
All the cars are in a procession line, winding through the streets of downtown Woods Parlor. After a minute or so, Roarke turns on some music to fill the silence in the car.
Chelsea and Victoria’s words continue to wreak havoc in my head. Both the devil and the angel are propped on my shoulders, each weighing in with their advice.
“You okay?” Roarke’s hand slides to my knee and a million shivers cascade up my thigh hitting the bullseye between my legs.
I stare over at him, seeing him for the man he is, the man I didn’t know he was, only weeks ago. “I didn’t know you at all.”