The Weekend Girlfriend (9 page)

“Reese looks nervous. They have been together ten years, why would he be nervous now?”

“Hush,” I said, elbowing Kyle in the ribs. “It’s sweet. He loves your sister very much.”

“He better,” Kyle muttered as the music swelled. I smiled and squeezed his hand, so glad that they were having such a beautiful day for the wedding. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a soft orange glow that mingled with the soft candlelight that surrounded the backyard. I had watched from the window as the hired wedding help had worked all morning transforming the space into the romantic setting that it was now. It was simple and perfect, just like the love that this couple was about to make official. A small group of about fifty were standing as the bridal march started from the three-piece orchestra in the background, with Kyle and I right next to his parents. He looked too handsome for his own good in a gray pinstripe with a shirt and tie to match his eyes. I had chosen a blue dress of my own, a gauzy number that left one shoulder bare and hugged my curves. The look on Kyle’s face when I emerged from the bathroom told me what his mind was already thinking.

Unfortunately, we would have no time for hanky-panky afterward. Our suitcases were already packed and our boarding passes printed out for the last flight out of North Carolina tonight. There was no reason to stay any longer once he saw off his sister on her honeymoon. It saddened me to know that it was almost over, that we would be returning to reality in a few hours.

Nicole and her dad walked down the petal covered aisle toward Reese, and I sighed at how beautiful she looked in her simple gown, how Reese wiped back a tear as she approached the altar. Kyle pulled me closer to him and I resisted the urge to lay my head on his shoulder, instead watching as their father placed Nicole’s hand in her soon to be husband’s. In the span of a few minutes, it was all over and Reese was kissing Nicole, while everyone else was wiping their eyes and clapping.

“Just beautiful,” Julia was saying, clasping her hands together as they walked back down the aisle. “Not what I would have wanted, but it suited them.”

I chose not to respond as Kyle tugged me out of the aisle and toward the massive tent that would house the reception. “Why do women always cry at weddings?”

“Because we hope ours is just as beautiful,” I said softly as we walked hand-in-hand behind his parents. “And that we will be so lucky to find someone that loves us the same.”

“Have you found that someone, Jess?” Kyle asked softly as we neared the entrance.

“That’s a silly question, Kyle. If I had, I would already be married.” I laughed hollowly, though my heart knew I had found someone very special indeed. “So lucky for you, I am still free and clear to do your dastardly deeds.”

Kyle grunted and pulled us out of the line, away from the crowd and in the shadow of the house. “I haven’t properly thanked you for this weekend, for all of your help.”

“Oh, I think you have thanked me over and over again,” I laughed as he grabbed my hands with his. “I do believe it was at least three times last night.”

Kyle flushed a deep red and I bit back a grin myself, loving to see him embarrassed for once. “Still,” he continued, clearing his throat. “I couldn’t think of anyone else that would have made this as easy as you had. I appreciate all that you have done, Jess.”

“Well, you are welcome,” I responded, tugging at his hands. “Come on, I know your mom has some good food in that tent.”

“Wait,” he said, pulling me back in front of him before letting go to reach into his coat pocket. “I got you something for putting up with me.”

“But you are doubling my salary, remember?” I teased, my throat going dry as he pulled out a small box tied with a green bow.
Don’t even think that way, there is no way possible that would be what I would want it to be,
I told myself as I eyed the box.

“Yeah, well, I am going to do that too,” he said, handing me the box. “This is something extra. Go on, open it.”

My hands trembling, I pulled the ribbon and opened the lid, gasping slightly as I laid my eyes on the most perfect round diamond pendant I had ever seen. Wow, didn’t see that coming whatsoever. It was gorgeous, a perfect cut, not that I expected anything different with Kyle. Under any other circumstance, I would be jumping up and down about this gift from this man, but the timing was all wrong, the reason was all wrong. He didn’t need to pay me for the sex we had and that was what it felt like. “I-I can’t accept this,” I stammered, closing the lid and pushing it toward him. “Really. Thanks for the gesture but it wouldn’t be right.”

“But I bought it for you,” he said as I forced the box back into his hand. The hurt look on his face was like a dagger to my heart, but I forced a smile as I closed his fingers around the box. “Any woman would be happy to have that, I swear, but not in this situation. You don’t owe me anything for, well, anything.”

He was silent for a moment as he looked at the box and then at me, his eyes full of conflict. “Well, I can’t make you take it,” he finally said slowly, placing the box back into his coat pocket. “But I feel like I owe you something.”

“Not a thing,” I forced out, grabbing his arm. “Come on, let’s go join the party while we can.”

***

“Well, here we are.”

I nodded and grabbed my suitcase before it could go around the baggage claim again, giving him a smile as he helped me get it over the edge. “Yep, at least it was a smooth flight.” And it had been. We had left as soon as the newlyweds had, giving our goodbyes to his family and hopping on the plane right before takeoff. The ride had been in silence, with me feigning sleep just to avoid the awkward conversation we were now forced to have.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” he was asking as we walked toward the exit, where a luxury car sat idling in the loading zone. “There’s a car waiting for us. I will drop you off wherever you want.”

“No, no I am fine,” I stated, stopping right in front of the car. “Besides, it’s out of your way to take me home. I can get my own car.”

“I don’t mind,” he insisted as the driver took his suitcase. “Really, Jess.”

I shook my head and pulled my coat closer to my body, the heaviness of the goodbye weighing on my heart. “Well, thanks for the interesting weekend. I enjoyed meeting your family and seeing your hometown.”

Kyle’s jaw worked as he looked at me, his blue eyes unreadable as he reached out and pulled me toward him, enveloping me into his arms. I fought back the tears as he hugged me close, his scent imprinting itself in my brain. I didn’t want to leave him, hell, I didn’t want to be denying the last ride we were going to have together but my heart couldn’t take the sadness that was settling in. No matter how long I dragged it out, the end result was still going to be the same. I would go home to an empty bed, to the feeling that something was missing in my life. I would piece my heart back together and he would move on.

His hand went into my hair and I sniffed back a tear, his familiar touch causing my throat to burn with emotion. “Ah, Jess,” he said, his lips grazing my forehead. “Come home with me, just tonight. We can give ourselves one more day.”

“I can’t,” I forced out, though parts of me were screaming out otherwise. Pushing out of his arms, I wiped at my eyes and gave him a smile, noting that his expression was unlike anything I had ever seen from him.

“I never meant for this goodbye to be so hard,” he said, touching my wet cheek. “I never meant to make you cry.”

“I’ve got to go,” I said, stepping out of his touch. “See you on Monday.”

He opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it, nodding as he went for the car door. “Have a safe trip home then.”

I cried all the way home. The cab driver must have thought me to be crazy the way he kept glancing in his mirror but I didn’t care. I hurt all over, already missing his presence, his touch. I gave the driver an extra tip and a watery smile as he hastily handed me my suitcase, his eyes wide as he wasted no time climbing back into his car and driving away.

With a swipe of my eyes, I climbed the stairs to my apartment and opened the door, where a startled Gretchen met me just inside.

“Oh honey,” she exclaimed, taking my suitcase and closing the door.

“I-I…” I forced out, collapsing on the couch.

“I told you,” she said softly, taking a seat next to me. “I knew you would fall in love with him. I think you already were before you left anyway.”

“I don’t need a lecture,” I forced out, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “Really.”

“Sorry, I just don’t know what to say,” she muttered, reaching for her phone. “Chinese or pizza?”

“Chinese,” I said, knowing that she knew the only way to comfort me. She nodded and pressed the speed dial while I flung myself back on the couch, Kyle’s scent still clinging to my coat. I knew it was going to be hard, but I hadn’t expected it to feel like this.

“Did you tell him?” Gretchen asked as she hung up.

“Tell him what?” I asked, flinging an arm over my eyes.

“Tell him how you feel.”

“Yeah, right. Are you serious?”

“Well, he might feel the same,” she said slowly as I looked at her with a frown. “I mean, how’s to know nowadays anyway? Maybe you tamed the playboy. It’s obvious something went on between you two or he wouldn’t have kept having sex with you. Men might like easy women to have fun with but they also like that warm fuzzy feeling no matter what they say.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think he had those types of feelings,” I muttered, pulling off my coat and flinging it into the corner to get rid of his smell. I mean, he had given no indication or had I not read between the lines? We were talking about a man who had yet to commit to anyone or anything except his job. Of course he wouldn’t spell it out to me, but did I dare hope? Did I dare wish? “Shit, you might be right,” I said to Gretchen, jumping off the couch and grabbing my coat.

“Where are you going?” she asked as I retrieved my purse off the counter.

“I’m going to find out,” I said, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Well, Chinese if it doesn’t work out!” she called as I flung open the door and went down the hall. If it didn’t work out I was going to need lots of Chinese and alcohol.

***

It took all of fifteen minutes for me to arrive at Kyle’s house, anticipation and nervousness welling up inside as I paid the driver and walked up to the steps. I was about to take a big gamble with my heart; the rest of my life might depend on whether he took me in or left me on the street to nurse my broken heart.

With a deep breath I knocked on the door, once then twice as I realized it was well past midnight and he probably was already in bed. What was I thinking? This wasn’t the time to be confronting him about his feelings for me! It could easily wait until tomorrow or the next day or I could just walk away, none the wiser.

“Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to come in?”

Surprised, I looked up to find Kyle above me, casually leaning against the doorframe, bare-chested and grinning. “I-uh.”

“Come on in, Jess.”

I gulped and moved inside, taking in the familiar surroundings with a grimace.

He shut the door and grabbed my arm, spinning me around to collide with his bare chest. His lips pressed down on mine hungrily as he pushed us against the foyer wall.

“I. Knew. You. Would,” he said between kisses, his lips greedily tracing the arch of my neck. “God, I missed you.”

“No, wait,” I started as he began to shred my coat. “I’m not here for that.”

Kyle stopped his assault and pushed away from me, running a hand through his hair. “What are you here for then? Did you forget something?”

“I did,” I said softly, pushing away from the wall. I could see the way he was already closing up to me, the shuttered look moving over his handsome features, and sighed, touching my fingers to his bare chest, right above his heart. “I forgot to tell you I love you.”

He stilled and looked away, his jaw working, and I felt my heart break in that moment. I had made a mistake, one that couldn’t be taken back. “I’m sorry, I will go now.”

“No,” he said, pulling on my arm as I turned toward the door. “No.”

I looked up at him and nearly stopped breathing as he smiled at me, a heart-stopping smile that touched my very core. “God, Jess, I love you too. I should have told you earlier but you were so insistent on riding in your own damn car. I thought you needed space so I was going to wait until tomorrow.”

“Y-you love me?” I squeaked out as he pulled me against him, his hands framing my face.

“Hell yes I do,” he said, kissing my lips gently. “You are unlike any other woman I have ever encountered. I would be a fool to let you go now.”

“Oh Kyle,” I breathed, not believing that this could be real.

“I have something for you,” he said, pulling back from me as I thought of all the naughty things I was going to do to this man tonight. He freaking loved me! Me of all people in this entire world. This was beyond a dream come true and if it was a dream, I was going to refuse to wake up.

“I don’t care what it is, just come back,” I told him.

“Oh no, you aren’t going to deny me this,” he grinned, moving upstairs. “Be right back, love.”

I nearly melted into the floor as I threw off my coat and shoes, doing a little twirl in the foyer. This was craziness. I was in love with this awesome man and he actually loved me too! I couldn’t believe it, not in a million years.

His footsteps sounded on the stairs and I looked up to find him still grinning at me, his eyes mirroring my own. “Listen, I know we haven’t been together in this capacity for long,” he said, coming to stand right before me. “But I think I fell in love with you the night you threw up in my bathroom. From then on, I have thought about you, dreamed about you, Jess.” He brought his hand in front of us, where a little box sat on his palm, tied with a green ribbon. “And this is for you. I won’t accept no this time.”

Remembering the necklace, I bit back an inward smile and took the box, more than happy to accept it now. Now, everything was different between us.

Pulling on the ribbon, I opened the lid and promptly dropped the box, my hands going to my mouth in surprise. No way.

Kyle laughed as he scooped up the box, dropping to one knee as he held it back up toward me. “I bought this before we left for the wedding. I was playing on a hunch and hoping to God I was right. I love you, only you and am perfectly happy with a long engagement if you would like before we marry as long as you promise not to ever make me come back to this house alone. Marry me, Jess, and make me the happiest damn guy on the planet.”

“Yes,” I squealed, throwing myself at him. “Oh my God, yes!”

Laughing, we fell to the floor, me landing on top of him as I kissed every inch of his face. “I love you so much. I swear this has to be a dream.”

“A dream come true,” he said softly, searching my eyes with his. I gave him a long, shuddering kiss before moving off him so we could both sit on the foyer floor, my hands shaking as he plucked the diamond ring out of the box and slid it on my finger, the gem twinkling in the light.

“This is so unexpected,” I said softly, my eyes tearing as he kissed my hand. “Well, I guess I must put my resignation in now.” Could I still work at his office as his fiancée?

“I don’t give a damn if you do or not,” he said immediately, his eyes twinkling with laughter. “You are one of the best damn paralegals I’ve ever had. I just want to know, how soon can you move in?”