longer to see if he would come back to me. Seeing Reggie with Danni in the cabin made it seem final. It really was the end. It was the end of my relationship with the man I’d put all of my faith in, and it was the very last time I was going to cry about it, so I let it all out.
My makeup stained Derek’s shirt when I pulled away. I looked up at him through my red eyes. “I’m so sorry about your shirt. I can get that out.”
He shook his head. I looked at my wedding dress, balling a fistful in my hand as I walked over to the fireplace. I stuffed the dress in with the logs and lit a match.
“We had over 150 guests coming. 150 people cared enough about our love to spend money on this trip. We had purple tulips and white lilies, a five-course meal, and one of the best DJs in the country. It was going to be an affair for the ages.”
He walked next to me as orange embers slowly burned my dress black.
“Was it your dream wedding?”
I turned to him with a smirk on my face. “Surprisingly, no. In fact, I think it was my mother’s dream wedding. She did more planning than I did. I followed her advice whenever she told me that what I wanted was a bad choice. Still, it would have been nice.”
“Well, I have no doubt you’ll have your dream wedding one day.”
I knotted my fingers together, the growing flames putting me in a serene, almost trance-like state.
“Have you ever been married?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
Forcing my eyes away from the flames, I looked to Derek. “Ever want to be?”
He shrugged.
I stared at my fingers, studying the tan line where my engagement ring sat for 18 months.
I sighed. “Breakups happen to all of us, I guess. Still, I think mine is up there as one of the worst possible scenarios.”
He let out a quiet snort that I didn’t think I was supposed to hear, but he didn’t respond.
“Sounds like you have a war story of your own.”
He shrugged, downing the rest of his coffee. “Don’t we all?”
“That bad, huh? Spill it.”
“Nothing to say.”
“Oh, come on. Knowing I’m not the only one who’s ever gone through something might cheer me up.”
He walked his empty mug into the kitchen, and I followed close behind, knowing he was trying to get away.
“I don’t like living in the past,” he said from the sink, his back to me as he rinsed off the mug.
I threw my hands in the air. “Well, just tell me something about yourself, Derek. Anything. How old are you?”
His jaw tightened. “Too old.”
“Where do you live?”
“Everywhere. I stay here a lot, and a few other rental properties throughout the country.”
“Forget it.”
“I have to head out for a bit. New renters coming in one of the cabins today,” he said when he turned to me.
I pressed my lips into a hard line. “Gee, thanks for telling me. It must’ve been difficult for you to divulge all that personal information.”
I groaned and spun around to walk away, but not before noticing the small grin on his lips. He walked up to me, leaning over once he reached me. A chill ran down my spine as his lips lightly brushed against my ear.
“I’m going to get you for that mouth of yours later,” he said in a low grumble before whisking past me.
I spun around and watched him walk up the stairs. His indirect answers were beginning to annoy me, but at that moment I could only think about one thing.
10
He left the cabin a few minutes later, and the house became eerily quiet. I felt out of place. My get-away was hijacked, I was alone in a stranger’s cabin, and I had nothing to distract me from the fact that it was about to be my nonexistent wedding day. Why was I still in Colorado?
The snow had stopped, so it was time to check flights once more. There was a flight in a few hours; if I left right away, I could make it and be home by dinner.
My finger hovered over the button to book the flight, but I didn’t click it; why was I hesitant?
I sighed, trying to avoid the
My makeup stained Derek’s shirt when I pulled away. I looked up at him through my red eyes. “I’m so sorry about your shirt. I can get that out.”
He shook his head. I looked at my wedding dress, balling a fistful in my hand as I walked over to the fireplace. I stuffed the dress in with the logs and lit a match.
“We had over 150 guests coming. 150 people cared enough about our love to spend money on this trip. We had purple tulips and white lilies, a five-course meal, and one of the best DJs in the country. It was going to be an affair for the ages.”
He walked next to me as orange embers slowly burned my dress black.
“Was it your dream wedding?”
I turned to him with a smirk on my face. “Surprisingly, no. In fact, I think it was my mother’s dream wedding. She did more planning than I did. I followed her advice whenever she told me that what I wanted was a bad choice. Still, it would have been nice.”
“Well, I have no doubt you’ll have your dream wedding one day.”
I knotted my fingers together, the growing flames putting me in a serene, almost trance-like state.
“Have you ever been married?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
Forcing my eyes away from the flames, I looked to Derek. “Ever want to be?”
He shrugged.
I stared at my fingers, studying the tan line where my engagement ring sat for 18 months.
I sighed. “Breakups happen to all of us, I guess. Still, I think mine is up there as one of the worst possible scenarios.”
He let out a quiet snort that I didn’t think I was supposed to hear, but he didn’t respond.
“Sounds like you have a war story of your own.”
He shrugged, downing the rest of his coffee. “Don’t we all?”
“That bad, huh? Spill it.”
“Nothing to say.”
“Oh, come on. Knowing I’m not the only one who’s ever gone through something might cheer me up.”
He walked his empty mug into the kitchen, and I followed close behind, knowing he was trying to get away.
“I don’t like living in the past,” he said from the sink, his back to me as he rinsed off the mug.
I threw my hands in the air. “Well, just tell me something about yourself, Derek. Anything. How old are you?”
His jaw tightened. “Too old.”
“Where do you live?”
“Everywhere. I stay here a lot, and a few other rental properties throughout the country.”
“Forget it.”
“I have to head out for a bit. New renters coming in one of the cabins today,” he said when he turned to me.
I pressed my lips into a hard line. “Gee, thanks for telling me. It must’ve been difficult for you to divulge all that personal information.”
I groaned and spun around to walk away, but not before noticing the small grin on his lips. He walked up to me, leaning over once he reached me. A chill ran down my spine as his lips lightly brushed against my ear.
“I’m going to get you for that mouth of yours later,” he said in a low grumble before whisking past me.
I spun around and watched him walk up the stairs. His indirect answers were beginning to annoy me, but at that moment I could only think about one thing.
10
He left the cabin a few minutes later, and the house became eerily quiet. I felt out of place. My get-away was hijacked, I was alone in a stranger’s cabin, and I had nothing to distract me from the fact that it was about to be my nonexistent wedding day. Why was I still in Colorado?
The snow had stopped, so it was time to check flights once more. There was a flight in a few hours; if I left right away, I could make it and be home by dinner.
My finger hovered over the button to book the flight, but I didn’t click it; why was I hesitant?
I sighed, trying to avoid the
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