Project Runaway Bride(45)

She’d snuggled back against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder, and it had been the most natural thing in the world to bring his arms up and wrap them around her waist.

He didn’t know how long they stayed that way, simply enjoying the silence, the crackle of the hearth, the occasional sip of wine and each other. As far as he was concerned, everything had been just about perfect. He’d even been thinking that he wouldn’t mind having Juliet around more, maybe on a permanent kind of basis.

That wasn’t something he’d considered since Valerie had walked away with their child. He’d dated, had numerous short-term affairs, but never once had the idea of making any one of those relationships long-term crossed his mind.

Then came Juliet. The wrong woman at the wrong time. Rife with conflict and secrets and lies. Yet he couldn’t seem to stay away from her.

So maybe he shouldn’t try. She was the one woman he could actually see himself spending the rest of his life with, so maybe it was time to cut out the minutiae. Maybe it was time to look beyond his past, her present, all the things that kept them apart on paper. In reality, it was probably only a matter of reprioritizing and deciding that this—whatever it was between them—was worth fighting for.

He cleared his throat, shifted slightly, preparing himself for the whole we-need-to-talk, let’s-take-the-next-big-step speech when Juliet twisted sideways in his lap so that her legs draped over his half-bare thigh. He moved with her, adjusting to the new position with a raised knee and one arm behind her back. She rested against them, easy and comfortable.

“Reid,” she said softly.

“Mmm-hmm?”

He knew what he wanted to say to her—well, in general terms, if not the exact wording—but if she had something on her mind, he was happy to talk about that first. Maybe it would buy him some time and help him get his own thoughts in order.

She took a deep breath, one he felt shudder through her delicate frame, and he held her closer, rubbing her arms in case she was growing chilled.

Without looking at him, she said, “You can’t know how much all of this has meant to me. Being here with you, spending time together.”

He tightened his hold on her even more. She might be getting cold, sitting on the floor in little more than her underwear, despite the fire burning only a few feet away, but he was rapidly growing warm with contentment.

Sadly, the sensation didn’t last long.

“But I can’t see you anymore,” she added, dousing him with the verbal equivalent of a cold shower in Antarctica.

“I’m sorry,” she said, twisting to face him while he sat as still as a marble statue. “We knew this was only temporary and probably shouldn’t have started in the first place. It’s time to stop.”

Shock and numbness gave way to understanding and the white-hot charge of anger. “You’re going through with it, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“The wedding. To that jackass.”

Juliet pulled away, climbing carefully to her feet. “No, that’s not what this is about.”

“Really?” he asked sharply, disbelief evident in his tone. He pushed himself to his feet, standing mere inches from her. He wanted to reach out and grab her, but curled his hands into fists at his side instead, afraid he might shake her if he touched her at all. Either that or kiss her stupid so she would stop all this nonsense talk about leaving.

“Of course not. It’s not a contest, Reid. If it were, you would have won. I called off the wedding and broke up with Paul to be with you these past several weeks.”

“And now you’re breaking up with me.”

“What do you want from me, Reid? I told you from the beginning that we couldn’t let this get serious. What would people think if they found out I’ve been spending all this time with you when I still haven’t made it public that I broke the engagement with Paul? As far as my friends and family are concerned, they’re just waiting for the invitations to arrive.”

“So you’re ashamed to let anyone know you’re involved with me,” he bit out with no small amount of bitterness.

“No!” With a huff, she put her hands on her hips. “For heaven’s sake, it doesn’t have anything to do with you. Not really. It’s...the timing, and...everyone’s expectations.”

She paused and took a deep breath, her chest lifting beneath his unbuttoned shirt and the silky material of her camisole. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, almost apologetic.

“My entire life, I’ve always done what my parents asked me to, what they expected of me. Zoe has always been a wild child, Lily is a free spirit, but I was their ‘good little girl.’ Maybe because I’m the eldest, I don’t know. But you have no idea how hard it was for me to work up the courage to quit my job in Connecticut and move here to work with Lily designing handbags. I was terrified of disappointing my mom and dad. And even though they accepted the decision, I don’t think they were very happy about it, which just made me feel more guilty.”