Page 193 of The Reason I Married Him
I drop my hand to my side and stare back at Echo. “So what? Uh, Echo, I’m not supposed to be falling for him.”
“Says who?”
“Says our agreement. Says him. I know it might seem like the man is all over me, because he is, but he’s just pretending. Trust me, he’s drilled it into me that this is all a façade. When he callsme baby, when he’s holding me and kissing me? It’s just a job for him. Meanwhile, I’m over here, soaking up every ounce of him and wishing that it was real. Like . . . how? How did this happen? How did I happen to fall for an irritating, annoying, sarcastic man who grates on my nerves?”
“Does he grate on your nerves, or does he see you for who you are and push you past your comfort zone?”
I look over at Echo and say, “I came here to be delusional, not for you to point out the obvious.”
She chuckles. “Come on, Aubree. Is it so bad that you’re falling for the man you’re marrying in a few days?”
“Yes,” I nearly shout. “He doesn’t feel the same way.”
“Have you asked him?” She lifts a brow at me.
“How the hell am I supposed to ask that?” In a whiny voice, I say, “Hey Wyatt, I was wondering if you like me the way I like you.” I shake my head. “Come on, there is no proper way to bring that up.”
“Sure there is. You sit him down, look him in the eye, and say, ‘I know you’re probably not expecting this, but over these past two weeks, I’ve come to the realization that I like you more than a friend.’”
I nearly gag.
“That is not something I want to say to him.”
She chuckles. “Well, you could break it down like that.”
“And then what? Have him tell me thank you, and that he likes me as a friend? That’s just asking to be humiliated.”
“Or,” she says, “he could say something like . . .” In a deep voice, she continues, “Aubree, I’ve come to find you quite attractive in the past two weeks as well, and I’d like to explore the possibilities of a real relationship.”
I gawk at her.
Unblinking.
Unmoving.
And after a few seconds of silence, I say, “That’s a terrible impression of him. He’d never say that.”
She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Well, then what would he say?”
“Uh . . .” I drop my voice and say, “Aw, Aubree, you loving on me? That’s so cute.” I clear my throat and say, “It would be condescending but not condescending. It would be confusing, and he’d joke about it, and as he teased me, I’d melt, right there, on the spot.”
“I think he’d be more sensitive toward your feelings.”
“Or he’d be so stunned that the only way he’d know how to react is by joking about it. And I couldn’t take the joke. I like him too much to have my feelings teased.”
“But if you like him, don’t you think you should at least let him know, especially since you two are getting married?”
“I don’t?—”
“Aubree?” Wyatt calls out, and I feel all the blood drain from my face.
“Oh my God,” I mouth to Echo. “Do you think he heard us?”
“Aubree, where are you? I can hear you.”
“Holy fuck!” I whisper. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”
“Shhhh,” Echo says, gesturing with her hands for me to cool it. She clears her throat and shouts, “Back here.”
