Page 53 of Something like Desire

“What are you doing here?” I nearly shout when Jayden comes to a stop in front of me, red-faced and glassy-eyed, swaying in place.

He ignores the question and thrusts the roses at me. “These are for you,” he says loudly.

I grab his hand and pull him into the seat beside me. Claire catches the vibe, stands, and politely gestures that she’ll give us some space.

“Giving me roses at my sister’s wedding?” I whisper. “That’s not usually something people do.”

Jayden gazes at me, his eyes almost crossed, probably cursed with a case of double vision. Maybe he sees two of me—two mortified copies of me—at this point. I wouldn’t be surprised.

He clears his throat dramatically. “I’m tired of Gia’s stupid, darn wedding and you giving all your time to her when she’s never done diddly squat for you. This wedding has put distance between us, Lexi, and I’m not waiting one more minute.”

Before I have a chance to react, he springs to his feet and approaches Larry, and the next thing I know, he’s got the microphone. Abort mission. Abort it now. Someone should have passed on the memo that we’ve had more than enough speeches for one evening. Train wreck number two, coming right up.

“Congratulations to the happy couple,” Jayden says, too loud. “May their marriage be long and successful. Gia sure did a lot of planning, planning that took the love of my life away from me. So, let’s raise our glasses and toast to them. To Gia and Mark!”

The guests exchange uneasy looks but raise their glasses anyway. Slowly, the room joins in the chorus: “To Gia and Mark.”

“Speaking of the love of my life and losing her. I wanted to add that since this is a place for love, I’m sure Gia won’t mind sharing a moment of spotlight with her sister, who pretty much manages her life.”

Gia jumps to her feet, eyes blazing. “Jayden, what the hell!” She points at our cousin. “Jeez, Larry, what kind of MC are you? Take the microphone away from him. Now!”

Larry slowly approaches Jayden, but Jayden holds up a hand, stopping him. Larry tries again, and Jayden responds with a karate chop in the air. Larry throws up both hands in surrender and backs away, shaking his head like he’s thinking,Maybe this isn’t such a good business venture after all.

“All of that aside,” Jayden continues. “I’d like to ask Lexi a question.”

My heart starts thumping a mile a minute. I’m frozen in my chair. I want to go and grab the microphone away from him—I doubt he’d try to karate chop me too—but it’s like I’m cemented in place, watching it unravel in horror and not able to do anything to stop it.

“Lexi, we met almost ten years ago today at Pub Night. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were going to be in my life for a long time. And I’m confident enough now to say that I’d like you in my life forever. Not only are you beautiful, but you are also the most caring, helpful, and beautiful soul I know. You bring out the best in everyone around you and I wanted to ask...”

I know exactly where this is headed. The word “stop” is on the tip of my tongue, but I’m frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights of a Mack truck, unable to move, unable to speak. Helplessness crashes over me, and I feel like everyone watching can see my heart pounding through my dress.

Jayden bends down on one knee and pulls a small, dark-blue velvet ring box from his pocket. He opens it to reveal a sparkling diamond ring that has my innards twisting.

“Alexis Elizabeth Callen, would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”

The silence that follows is astounding. In a room of nearly two hundred people, not a single soul moves. All eyes are fixed on me. I still can’t find my voice, but suddenly my legs start working again—and they’re not just casually working either. It appears that they have a mind of their own and it’s set into flight mode. First, I’m standing, and then suddenly I’m running, bumping people aside as I bolt toward the door. I fling it open, race through the foyer, push through the heavy oak doors, and burst out into the garden.

The sky above is black, speckled with stars. The night air is still, so calm, a sharp contrast to the absolute storm raging inside my head.

I crouch behind the bushes at the back of the building and drop down hard onto the ground. The slit in my dress rips open even more, flashing way more skin than I want. If I don’t clamp it shut, when I stand back up, my underwear will practically be hanging out.Shit.

I drag a trembling hand over my slick, sweaty face, gasping for breath in sharp, ragged bursts. What the hell just happened? Jayden. Quiet, predictable Jayden, who usually has two glasses of winetopsbefore he falls asleep, shows up to my sister’s wedding, insults her, and then proposes to me? Complete bombshell dropped. How is this real life?

And more importantly, how long can I really stay out here? What should I do next? Of course I don’t have my cell phone at a crucial time like this. My breathing finally slows, and I hear Maren calling my name.

“Lexi, I know you’re hiding here somewhere. Come out. The coast is clear.”

I stand up, holding my dress carefully, and step out from my spot on the soil. “Hey.”

Maren rushes forward to meet me on the grass, linking arms with me and guiding me toward a bench near the trellis.

I let go of my dress to sit down and Maren gasps. “Whoa. You definitely took that dress from conservative to sexy since I last saw you.”

“Sure did,” I say with a sigh. “I hope the wedding guests won’t mind seeing my Spanx. They’ve been through the wringer already. What’s one more tacky detail?”

“Don’t worry about Jayden. I told him he needed to give you time and that wedding proposals at weddings are seriously uncool. Got Liv to drive him home.”

“Is he okay?” I ask softly.