Project Runaway Bride(50)

She’d opted for a cute little sundress from her sister’s summer collection and a pair of burnt-orange espadrilles—not Zoe’s creation, she had to admit—that matched the giant poppies on the dress’s skirt. It was something she would have worn to the shop or out to lunch, or even just to work in the loft’s design studio on a day when she was feeling bright and sunny.

But today, it had been a waste of time to try to look even halfway presentable. A total waste of makeup, as Zoe would say.

The click of the latch at her back carried a weight of finality, yet it didn’t bother her. She didn’t particularly care.

And that was good. Better than good. It was a relief. Her ticket to freedom, really.

With a smile slowly spreading across her face, she took the three wide steps in front of her with a bit of a bounce and walked down the brick walk to the tree-lined street of the cozy, upscale neighborhood that had nearly become her home.

Stepping off the curb, she rounded the hood of her car with every intention of climbing in and driving back to her parents’. Maybe stopping at their favorite bakery along the way to pick up a cake or pie or a dozen of the shop’s giant specialty cookies because she suddenly felt like celebrating.

But at the last minute, she raised her head and stumbled to a halt. Across the street, with the nose of his Mercedes pointing in the opposite direction of her own car, Reid stood there, leaning against the driver’s side of the glossy black vehicle.

“Reid,” she breathed in surprise. Maybe the day hadn’t been such a waste of makeup after all. “What are you doing here?”

He pushed away from the car, letting his crossed arms drop, and strode in her direction.

“I came to see for myself,” he said.

His cool tone was the first sign she had that this probably wasn’t going to be a warm and fuzzy meeting. Which was a shame, because she’d actually been in a good mood, verging on almost warm and fuzzy, only a few seconds ago for the first time in a long time.

Her shoulders slumped a bit and her voice was resigned when she asked, “See what for yourself?”

“This.” He tipped his head toward the sprawling colonial behind her. “That you couldn’t wait to get back to your fiancé, even after you promised you wouldn’t. Even knowing you’re pregnant with my child.”

Juliet opened her mouth to respond. She was ready to snap at him, to tell him that—pregnant with his child or not—he had no right to track her every move, to confront her at every turn, to accuse her of crimes she hadn’t committed.

Then she paused, a sudden sort of serene realization washing over her.

“You’re never going to trust me, are you?” she asked quietly, making it more of a statement than a question, since she already knew the answer. “After everything that’s passed between us—baby or no baby, ex-fiancé or no ex-fiancé—you’re always going to suspect me of something. You’re always going to be waiting to interrogate me because you think I’ve been up to something behind your back.”

She shook her head, gaze flicking toward the ground as a wave of sadness spilled over her. She hadn’t envisioned a happily-ever-after future with Reid any more than she could see herself crawling back to Paul and being happy with him for the next fifty years.

But she and Reid were going to share a child. They were going to be in close, regular contact, probably for the rest of their lives. It would have been nice if those interactions could have been friendly and polite.

It seemed that wasn’t going to be the case, though, and that hurt more than she would have thought.

“For the record,” she told him, “I never promised not to see or speak with Paul again. But I can promise you that we’re not getting back together. Even if I were interested—which I so completely am not—” she gave a roll of her eyes “—I doubt Paul would be any more. At least judging by the fact that he had another woman naked in his bed when I arrived. And not for the first time. Apparently he’s been seeing other women all along. He took great satisfaction in pointing out that he’d been willing to marry me for appearances’ sake, but he’d certainly never intended to give up his extracurricular activities.”

Reid’s eyes widened a millimeter, and Juliet was inordinately pleased that she’d been able to shock him with that piece of information.

“That’s right,” she continued. “It looks like we’ve both moved on. And it’s for the best, believe me. But I needed to apologize for what I did to him that day at the church. My actions were unacceptable, and even though he didn’t deserve me, he didn’t deserve that, either.”