The Groom's Stand-In

“I like it.”

“Thank you.” She motioned toward the couches arranged for conversation around the fireplace. “Sit down. See if you can explain to me what’s going on. I assume you’ve figured it out?”

“I think so.”

He waited for her to be seated, and then he sat on the same couch, though at the other end. He turned to face her. “I didn’t realize Grace and Bryan had stayed in touch since you and I got back.”

“As far as I know, they haven’t. I’ve spoken with Bryan a few times, but the only time he mentioned Grace was when he would tell me to say hi to her for him. And I certainly can’t imagine that she would have conspired with him for anything like this.”

“Obviously, she did. Uh, Bryan can be impulsive sometimes. Especially when something amuses him.”

“So can Grace. It’s never easy to predict what she’s going to do. But this…”

Because it still made no sense to her, Chloe’s thoughts drifted from Grace’s strange behavior. She studied Donovan’s face, thinking there was some slight difference in his expression, and trying to decide what it was. “I thought you might call me after we returned to our homes. I was disappointed that you didn’t,” she admitted.

His mouth pulled a bit at one corner. “I didn’t want to intrude on your life. And I wasn’t sure you’d want to be reminded of what you went through with me.”

She shook her head. “That wouldn’t have been a problem. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about those days we spent together.”

“Neither have I.”

His low admission gave her the courage to say, “I’ve missed you, Donovan.”

He looked down at his hands. “You certainly didn’t waste any time breaking things off with Bryan. I would have thought you’d have given it a little more time.”

“I didn’t need any more time. I knew there was no future between us. I told you so in that forest, though you didn’t seem to believe me at the time.”

“I believed you. I just thought—”

“I know. You thought I’d been so traumatized by the ordeal that I couldn’t think straight. That my poor little nerves had been overwrought.”

He gave her a chiding glance in response to her sarcasm—but at least he was looking at her. “I didn’t think that, exactly. I just thought you needed more time for Bryan to convince you what a great guy he is.”

“I didn’t need to be convinced of that. Bryan is a terrific guy. A real prince. And he deserves someone better than me.”

Donovan scowled. “That’s bull. He could never find anyone better than you.”

Locking her hands in her lap, Chloe hoped her instincts about Donovan’s feelings were right. If not, she was on the verge of making a fool of herself. Not to mention the fact that she was about to risk a very painful rejection.

Despite the enormous stakes, she managed to speak evenly. “You say you want the best for Bryan. Would you honestly want him to marry someone who’s desperately in love with his best friend?”

Donovan went so still he could have been carved from marble. She wasn’t even sure he breathed for the next minute or two.

Her fingers clenched so tightly the knuckles ached when she spoke again. “You said my feelings would change when we were out of that forest and back in our real lives. You were wrong. I still feel the same way.”

His jaw clenched as he slowly shook his head. “I’m not the kind of man you’ve been looking for. I’ve never wanted marriage or kids.”

“You didn’t want them—or you never thought you would have them because of the bad experiences of your past?” she countered.

“Same difference.”

“No. Not even similar.”

“You deserve better,” he muttered, his usually bright-green eyes dark with suppressed emotion.

“I deserve the same thing Bryan does,” she whispered. “Someone who loves me.”

She watched his throat work with a hard swallow.