Payton felt self-conscious. Sitting there with two women, similar in age to herself, one a doctor and one a lawyer, she didn’t know if she’d ever felt more inadequate. If Benny were to ask her what she did, what would she say? That she was on the board of a number of charities, planning various events, phone drives—or in plainer terms, planning parties and what kind of wine goes best with cocktail wieners.
Payton knew one thing, however. She wouldn’t be gopher to her mother and her dozens of charity events, not anymore. She meant what she’d said to her mother. She was going to do something with more purpose. Whether she had her approval or not.
“How’s your big wedding coming?” Benny asked, taking a pull from a beer. “And how come your fiancé didn’t come down with you?”
Payton set her glass down. With surprising calm and relief, she said, “The wedding’s off.” The more she said it, the more real it finally seemed. She really was doing this. Or not doing this, rather.
“You’re kidding.” Benny’s eyes rounded like saucers. “What happened?”#p#分页标题#e#
The sting of Brad’s betrayal was lessening and Payton imparted the worst of it to Benny who added appropriate epitaphs and groans as the occasion warranted. She was funny and open and, surprisingly, even more sarcastic than Kate.
As Payton finished, she cautioned a glance over at Cruz and realized he was watching them, a strange look on his face. She wondered if he could hear their conversation from there and if, for all she knew, he’d been following it all along. It gave her a certain level of embarrassment and excitement to think so. Meeting her gaze and realizing she’d caught him, he dropped his own back to his phone.
“Well, you’re holding up pretty well, which I’d say is a good sign that you made the right decision,” Benny said.
“Yes, well, don’t tell that to my mother or she’ll murder you on the spot. She’s…having a harder time with it.”
Benny grinned. “I’ll bet.”
“Which means she’s going to be an even bigger pill later when she watches my best friend get married, thinking about everything she’s going to miss. Speaking of which…” Payton said and turned to Kate, looking so bright and happy and relaxed, “…you should probably be getting upstairs if we’re going to get you and Dominic married before the sun sets. Just like you always dreamed.”
Kate smiled over at Dominic, all the love she had for him shining in her eyes.
Payton’s own heart tightened in happiness and joy and, admittedly, a little envy.
How would it be to be able to express that love for someone you cared deeply about, without worry, without restraint? Kate had asked her how she felt about Cruz, and she’d managed to sidestep the question then.
Then there’d been the moment on the elevator, when their eyes met and she’d seen such yearning, such naked desire on his face, she’d been stunned. It seemed to echo what surely was reflected on her own face. He’d been about to kiss her, she was almost certain, and had anticipated the touch of his lips, the rush of blood flushing through her body, and her belly had fluttered—or perhaps it had been the motion from the elevator dropping. But then the moment was over and she was left breathless and frustrated.
She couldn’t deny that somehow, in the past few days, she’d dropped whatever defenses she’d put up where Cruz Sorensen was concerned and begun to possibly, just possibly, fall in love with the big brute. Just a little.
A man who hours before had said the moment that had culminated in their saying I do before God and the church full of people had all been a mistake.
“How you feeling?” Cruz asked, hazarding a look to his right, where the man of the hour was standing.
“Never better,” Dominic said with a surprising amount of calmness.
Cruz studied his brother’s face for any signs of distress or nervousness, even though both emotions weren’t anywhere near his more laidback brother’s usual MO. But the only emotion he could see was something akin to excitement, happiness, and a sort of…peace. As if he knew everything he’d ever wanted was about to be his. Which from what Cruz could tell from seeing the couple together over the past few months, was likely true. Other than his own parents, Cruz didn’t know if he’d ever seen two people more in love and right for each other. “Yeah. I can see that. You’re a lucky man.”
“Don’t I know it. I just hope that someday you’ll be standing where I am. Having found the one woman who you know will make you the happiest man on the face of the planet.”