Page 27 of One Vow

Wow, I went full-on lame ass. “I’ll just come along. You won’t even know I’m there.”

She looked at Sofia while I watched her. I could almost see her mind spinning, trying to figure out a way to keep me from going along. “Oh, come on. I’m bored.”

She didn’t waver.

“One trip instead of two. Environmentally responsible.” I added that last bit in, just for good measure. Sofia rolled her eyes at the flimsy straws I continued to grasp at. “After, I’ll buy us all lunch.”

“Damn, Felicity. Just tell him so he can stop this…whatever this is.” Sofia wiggled her finger in front of me.

Lis shook her head and sighed.

“It’s a book signing.” She wouldn’t meet my eyes as she twisted her hands and continued speaking. “I write romance novels.”

“And she’s really good.” Sofia shot Felicity a wink. “Even without the slightest shred of romance in her life.”

Felicity pfft-ed then crossed and uncrossed her arms, shook her head, and pfft-ed again. “I have plenty of romance in my life.”

Sofia laughed. “Writing love scenes between Scottish lairds and regency ladies is not romance in your life.”

Lis’s face reddened. Then marooned. Then went downright brick colored. “I would never put a laird with a regency socialite.” She shook her head. “And that isn’t my only romance.”

Fuck, how I wanted it to be. Selfishly.

Sofia chuckled. “So, you’re finally willing to admit you named your vibrator?”

“Maybe we could talk about this later.” Lis’s words came deep and through gritted teeth.

I remembered a vibrator, from a very long time ago. One she’d named after me. Surely, it wasn’t the same one?

Sofia straightened, sobered, and huffed out a loud breath. “Of course. You have to get dressed anyway because we have to go.”

Oh, I had to go buy some books. The thought of reading Felicity’s words, of reading about the worlds she created made me smile. She’d done it. She’d achieved her dream. I wanted to hug her and congratulate her with champagne. I wanted to tell her how proud I was between kisses.

Instead, I watched her walk away, and Sofia watched me.

“You know I’ll kill you, right?” Sofia dead-eyed me hard.

Of course, I knew she’d want to. Whether or not she could…

“You almost broke her last time.”

Sofia knew her gut punches. Mastered their delivery.

“I’m not here to hurt her.” The last thing I ever wanted to do was to cause Felicity a moment of pain. It was hard enough to live with what I’d done to her all those years ago.

“Hmm.” She laughed, short, sharp, and angry. “I don’t think you can help it because you don’t know.”

She paused for a quick scoff and a head shake. “You just don’t know.”

“Then tell me.” Doing what I’d done, leaving her, was hard enough. Hearing how it affected Felicity would probably kill me, but I deserved it. “And while you’re at it, tell me how to fix it.”

She nodded. “Don’t sleep with her. And stop being the charming fuck who hangs her Christmas lights and tells her she looks pretty in the morning. Don’t build her up to tear her down. And for the love of all things dear, go to a hotel. The last thing she needs is 24/7 of all of that.” She waved her hands in front of me like I was today’s next item up for bid.

“I can’t. Hotels are all booked.” If I didn’t sound the least bit depressed about staying with Felicity, I couldn’t help it.

She rolled her eyes. “You can lie to yourself all you want, Finn.”

I wasn’t lying to myself. I was lying to her, but she wasn’t going to take a breath so I could admit it.