Page 20 of Wilder’s Mistake

Wilder closes the door behind us.

“You asked why I wasn’t panicking.”

“You looked almost pleased.”

“I was.”

“About waking up married?”

“About waking up married to you.”

My breath catches. There’s no smile to soften the words, nowhere for me to hide from them.

“You already told me you wanted me before Vegas.”

“I wanted more than one night. Waking up married didn’t scare me.”

“It still doesn’t?”

“No.”

I sit on the edge of the bed. “Then why didn’t you ever say anything when I kept turning up with other men?”

“Because I thought they were what you wanted.”

“They were easier.”

His expression tightens. “That’s not the same thing.”

“No. If one of them left, only he left. If you and I went wrong, Nora would be caught between us every time we were in the same room.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“It’s why I kept my hands off you.”

“You still spent six years saying things designed to make me blush.”

The corner of his mouth shifts. “Had to have something.”

“I didn’t want to risk the best friendship I’ve ever had for one night.”

“Neither did I.”

The room goes quiet.

“One night was never what I wanted from you.”

I look down at my hands. “The men I dated weren’t bad men.”

“Didn’t say they were.”

“They were kind. Predictable. I knew what a year with them would look like before the first month ended.”

“And that was enough?”

“It was quiet.”