Page 91 of The Wedding Situation Romance

And with that, I leave.

Chapter 37

Quinn

Life is good.

Traffic is especially bad today. The kind of New York traffic when I wonder if it would be better just to use public transportation. I’ve passed no less than six fender benders. People are honking so fluidly it’s just one long sound. It blends yelling of grumpy people, the screeching of tires, the jackhammers and excavators, creating a city cacophony. And yet, as I cruise along (well, crawl along, I’m barely moving), knowing full well that I am going to be late to my coffee date with Reid, I am in a good mood.

Ashley has updated me no less than three times on how well their counseling is going, which is more music to my ears. From the sound of it, they’re going to go weekly, which is currently out of the budget, but considering that this meeting is literally to talk about the money end of things, I’m not worried.

I’m not worried about anything, to be honest. The last wedding really solidified what I was hoping for. That maybe Reid isn’t who I thought. He’s jaded and scarred, yes. Afraid for sure. But truly anti-love? No. Anti-marriage? I don’t think so.

Our last night in the yurt gave me a lot of hope, actually that Reid is actually a romantic at heart; he was just burned so badly by a woman he loved that he built a bunker around his house, complete with barbed wire. Add to that working in an industry where he is constantly surrounded by worst-case scenarios, and it was a recipe for all kinds of pride and prejudice.

I giggle at my own joke.

Because as I think about it, we are very Darcy and Elizabeth. And in the end, like Mr. Darcy, he softened. I saw it in his eyes that night. The sex was different. Hungry and raw, of course. But it was also intimate. We were naked on the inside and on the outside. His eyes opened as his forehead pressed against mine. And even if we didn’t say the words, we felt them. We felt them deeply enough that we didn’t need to say them.

I’m tearing up just thinking about it, and I am grateful that I decided to go out sans makeup today. I took a two-hour bath, read a good chunk of the newest Tessa Bailey novel, and soaked until I was a giant, rose-scented prune. It was, in a word, lovely.

Now, as I drive to talk to Reid about the contract (and maybe other things…), in a light blue summer dress and flip-flops, nothing, and I mean nothing, could ever bring me down.

I see him from behind as soon as I walk in. His naturally rigid body is professional, and his good posture is notable from all the way across the shop. He is sitting in a corner away from everyone else and doesn’t seem to notice me yet.

I sneak up behind him and put my hands over his eyes.

“Guess who?” I ask, biting back a smile.

“No one I know…” he says, and I giggle, tugging my hands away.

“You’re funny,” I tell him, tossing my things in one of the chairs.

“Interesting. I wasn’t joking,” he says.

I plant a kiss on his lips, and he doesn’t kiss me back. Then I realize he doesn’t have coffee.

“I’m sorry I’m so late,” I tell him. “Traffic was horrendous. I also may have gotten a little lost in a new book. Tessa Bailey’s stories are a bit wild, but they get me every time. I wish I could tell a story like that.”

“Can you not?” he asks, and I tilt my head, slightly confused.

“Can I not what?” I ask.

“Tell a story,” he states, his eyes flashing up at me.

The man is truly in a mood.

“Okay…someone definitely hasn’t had their coffee yet,” I say, still smiling despite his disposition. “I’m going to grab an iced latte. Maybe the cinnamon dolce. What would you like, and I’ll grab it for you?”

“Don’t bother,” he mutters.

Okay. Now I’m a bit concerned. Not just that, but I’m also a bit annoyed. This isn’t the Reid I know. The Reid Iusedto know, maybe. But not the new Reid.

“What’s going on with you?” I ask, sitting down in front of him. Reid’s scowl doesn’t waver. He looks angry as hell. But also…he kind of just looks like hell in general. Like he hasn’t eaten or slept or anything.

“I have a better idea,” he says. “Why don’tyoutellmewhat’s going on?”

Now I’m truly lost.