Falling for the Groomsman (Wedding Dare #1)(38)
Author: Diane Alberts

Oh my God. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to move to be with her. Actually move. This was huge. Gigantic. Amazing. When she got home, he’d be there—oh, crap.

She wasn’t going to be there anymore. How could she have forgotten, for even a fraction of a second, that she was moving? He had no idea. She hadn’t told him.

The whole room spun around her, and she closed her eyes tight. “Tyler…I-I need to sit down. I think I’m going to pass out.”

Tyler’s fingers flexed on hers, but he led her back to her chair, gently guiding her to sit. “I didn’t think it would be that much of a shock, considering how this week has gone so far. Put your head between your knees and breathe in small spurts.”

She did as he suggested, her eyes still closed. At least she couldn’t see him staring at her with concern in his eyes. She didn’t deserve his kindness. She’d played him and he didn’t even know it. Used him to complete her stupid list, because she’d wanted any excuse to be with him. To spend time with him. “Water,” she croaked. “I need water.”

“I’ll go get it,” he said, his voice tight.

Obviously. She’d just had a panic attack when he’d told her he wanted to be with her—that he was willing to move to a completely different state to be with her. She couldn’t blame him for his terseness one bit. But she hadn’t been expecting that at all. She was leaving, for the love of God.

Moving to Maine. He was too late.

Silk rustled, and a hand rested on her knee. “You all right, honey?”

Mrs. Dresco squatted in front of her. “I’m fine. I’m just…I made a mistake and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“What mistake did you make?” Tyler asked, his voice tighter than before. “Can you excuse us, Mom? We need to talk.”

Mrs. Dresco nodded, looking between Tyler and Christine with curiosity clear in her eyes. “Of course.”

Tyler watched her go, and knelt at Christine’s feet in her place. He handed her the glass of water, and she took it gratefully. “Drink it all.”

Christine gulped down the water and lowered the empty cup to her lap. She clung to it as if it would give her all the answers in the world. As if it would fix this current mess she’d found herself in. He wasn’t supposed to want more from her—and she wasn’t supposed to, either. That possibility had never even occurred to Christine.

But he did. If she was being honest? So did she.

But she didn’t know how to get it.

“Tyler, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Wait. Let me go first.” He placed his hands on her legs, squeezing gently. “Look, I know it’s a big step for you. To trust me again.” His fingers flexed on her. He caught her gaze, his own vulnerable and raw and open in a way she’d never have expected. He laughed again, the sound hoarse. “I know it’s crazy that I’m willing to move to a different city after a few days back in each other’s company—believe me, I know—but hell, it worked for Kady and Colt. Why can’t it work for us?”

“Tyler,” she said, her voice breaking.

He squeezed her hands. “We can make this work between us. I know it. I could make you so damned happy, if you’ll let me. Just let me.”

She had a feeling he could, too. She’d never felt as alive as she had when she’d been in his arms. But what was she supposed to do? He’d taken a job to be with her, and she wasn’t even going to be in Boulder anymore. Was she supposed to give up her new job back home, because he was ready to move to her city to be with her in some blind leap of faith? Give up her job back home with her brother, whom she missed like hell, to give them a chance at becoming something?

She couldn’t do that…could she? God, she didn’t know.

This was a huge thing. Freaking huge. Her heart sped up, choking her when it seemed to leap into her throat. She’d never expected this to happen. Not in a million years.

She’d fallen hard for Tyler back in Mexico, and a small part of her had always fantasized about him crawling back and confessing he was in love with her. Begging her for another chance with tears streaming down his cheeks or something else equally ludicrous. She would laugh and tell him no, and he would crawl away brokenhearted.

But now he was here, and he’d told her he wanted to be with her…and she had no clue what to say because she wanted to be with him, too.

“Red,” he said, his voice low. He caught her arms in his hands, squeezing gently. “Say something. You’re kind of freaking me out here.”

She’d been silent too long. He watched her as if he’d handed her his heart and she’d stomped on it with a stiletto. “Tyler, I’m moving.”

His fingers twitched on her. “I know. You have to leave your old apartment. But we can make sure it isn’t too far from my new place. We can coordinate this ahead of time.”

“No, you don’t get it. I’m moving moving.” She took a deep breath and added, “Back home, to Maine. I leave next week.”

“Maine,” he said, his voice hollow. “You didn’t think this was pertinent information to share with me before?”

“No, I didn’t.” She crumpled her dress in her fists and started babbling. “When I came here, I made a list of things to do before I left this part of my life behind me. I was supposed to find random men and do crazy sex things with them, but I saw you and I couldn’t think of any other guys. Then my whole list became yours, in a way.” She laughed uneasily. “We had sex outside. Kissed in an elevator. Heck, I even got a little payback when I—”

“Payback,” he echoed. He let go of her, his face going pale. “Jesus.”

“Yeah. Stupid, huh? I even wrote it on my list. Get payback on Tyler. But it turned into so much more.” She laughed nervously, knowing she was making a mess of trying to explain herself. But her head was still reeling from his desire to see her again. Never in a million years had she expected him to want more. “You weren’t supposed to want more than a fling. Neither was I, but now—”

“Shit.” He stood and backed away from her, watching her with a look in his eyes that said he half expected her to strike if he got too close. Like a poisonous viper. “I never stood a chance with you, did I? It all makes sense now.”

Wait. What was he talking about? What made sense? He wasn’t making any sense at all, even if he thought he was. “W-What do you mean?”