Page 79 of The Mr. Right Checklist

“Oh my gosh.” I cover my mouth, trying not to laugh. “You must’ve been so scared.”

“Nah. I knew they’d give us the ring back,” Jimmy says.

Beth elbows him, but she laughs along with everyone else. “See? Don’t you think I deserve a do-over?”

“If you want one, I’m happy to help. But sometimes the universe knows what’s right before you do. And you have to admit, that’s an unforgettable proposal you can laugh about with your kids. Maybe it was meant to be your story.” I glance at Fletch, and he gives me that special smile that makes my chest flutter. Only this time, my stomach burns with the reality of our situation. And maybe this is meant to be ours.

FLETCH

As the night wears on, the conversation turns from proposals to my parents sharing stories about times when we’ve screwed things up throughout the years, but I’m still sidetracked by what Destiny said about the universe knowing what’s right before we do. Could she be right? Could we be right? Or is seeing her with my family screwing with my head?

When we finally leave the restaurant, my mother embraces me and says, “She’s a special girl, honey. I hope we’ll see more of her.”

I glance at Destiny as she exchanges phone numbers with Beth, and say, “I hope so, too.”

After a round of goodbyes and promises between the girls to keep in touch, we head home. “You have an incredible family,” Destiny says softly. “I really like Beth, too. I’d give anything to be able to hire her one day. You’re really lucky to have them all in your life.”

“I am lucky. Thanks for going tonight.”

She doesn’t follow it up with her typical upbeat ramblings, and I noticed she didn’t eat much of her dinner, which makes me wonder if I messed up by inviting her. “Was tonight too much, sunshine? Being around my family? Did it make you miss yours even more?”

“I always miss my family. I had a really nice time tonight. I’m just tired.”

She’s quiet the rest of the way back to her place. When I pull into her driveway, she turns to me with an uneasy expression and says, “I’m not feeling that well. I think I’ve been working too hard and just need a good night’s rest. Would you mind if we stay at our own places tonight?”

My gut sinks. “No, of course not.” I reach for my door.

“You don’t need to walk me up. You should get back to Molly.”

I clench my jaw, trying not to react. I shouldn’t feel like she’s brushing me off, given our situationship, but after spending nearly every night together the last couple of weeks, this sure as hell feels like a brush-off.

“Thanks for tonight. Your family is really special.”

“So are you, sunshine. Molly and I’ll miss you.” I lean in and kiss her. “Get some rest.”

I watch her head inside without her usual peppy steps and can’t shake the feeling that things have changed.

Chapter Twenty-Three

FLETCH

I wake with the same uncomfortable feeling the next morning and check my phone. I texted Destiny forty minutes after I dropped her off, but she still hasn’t responded. She said she was tired, and maybe she was, but I have a feeling that was just her way of letting me down easy instead of saying she needed space.

I go for a long run, mentally replaying last night a hundred times. The more I pick it apart, the clearer I see how unfair it was to ask her to go with me. My brothers can be a lot to handle, but bringing my parents and Beth into the equation probably not only made her feel her losses even more deeply but allowed that boundless heart of hers to take hold. I should have realized it would make things harder for her, but man, I wanted her there with me.

Her voice whispers through my mind—When we stage our breakup, we’ll do it in a way that doesn’t make them hate me—making me see how fucked up it was that I thought we might actually have a chance together. As much as it hurts to admit it to myself, if she thought I was her Mr. Right, she would have worded that very differently.

By the time I finish my run and shower, it’s after nine, and I still haven’t heard from Destiny. Even on the rare mornings when we don’t wake up together, we’ve exchanged several texts by this time. Nothing is sitting right with me, so I thumb out another text to her. Good morning, sunshine. I hope you got some rest. Molly and I missed you last night. I read it over and delete the last line. If she wants space, she doesn’t need pressure.

Fuck. If that’s the case, I shouldn’t even text her.

This is another reason I don’t do relationships. They’re messy and complicated and too easy to fuck up. No matter how I look at it, the way she turned me away last night spells trouble. I read the message again and add a more thoughtful line.

Fletch:

Good morning, sunshine. I hope you got some rest. I’m about to run errands. Need anything?

Ten minutes later she still hasn’t responded, and I’m wearing a path in the floor. I call Perfect Paws to see if she was called into work, but they say she’s not scheduled until Tuesday. I’m tempted to head over to her place, but I’m not going to be that annoyingly clingy guy. Instead, I sit down to do some work. Half an hour later I’m still unable to concentrate, so I grab my keys and head out to run those errands.