Delicate Promises (Southern Bride 2)

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted that, too, but things changed. I…got called to a mission that morning and it freaked me out. I had every intention of asking you to be mine. Exclusively. Then…shit changed.”

His shoulders came up in a half shrug. I stared at him; my mouth gaped open.

“Shit. Changed?”

Miles nodded.

“Just that quickly? With a flick of a switch, you went from making me yours, to telling me to go date another man. How fucked up is that, Miles?”

He didn’t answer me.

“Seems to me you must not have wanted that future so badly after all,” I added.

A frustrated sigh slipped through his lips. “You don’t understand.”

“You’re right!” I said, laughing. “I don’t understand at all. The only thing I do know for sure is you are done playing games with my heart. You come back here and demand I marry you because you need a bride for some crazy ass reason. Well, no thank you, Miles. I’m not anyone’s consolation prize.”

“I never said you were a consolation prize.”

His eyes almost seemed to plead. It tugged at my heart strings that were long since tied up in knots. The ones that hung to hope that he loved me enough to want to be with me, simply for that one reason.

Love.

“You never even asked me on a date, Miles. Ever. I’ve sat by and watched you date other women in high school, and yes, we slept together and shared some amazing moments, but you have never truly given me the respect I deserved. And I let you do that. I’m not doing it anymore. I deserve better.”

He had the decency to look away as he kicked at something nonexistent on the ground.

Spinning on the heels of my boots, I started back down the steps when I felt him take my arm. My stomach dipped, and I fought to keep from getting dizzy. Why did his touch affect me so?

“Wait, Kynslee, don’t go.”

I stopped walking but stared straight ahead. I didn’t want him to see how my breathing had sped up, simply from his touch.

“Go out with me tonight,” Miles said, his voice low and rough.

My eyes grew wide. “What?”

My voice cracked slightly and that pissed me off.

The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and I swore my knees wobbled. “Go out with me tonight.”

“Go out? Like what do you mean?”

He laughed, and I loved the way it vibrated through my body, but I quickly pushed that all to the side.

“I’m asking you out on a date, Kynslee. It’s been awhile since we’ve…hung out. I guess I should have asked you out before I asked you to marry me. No, I mean, I don’t guess, I know I should have. I went about this all wrong.”

My mouth fell open. “A date?”

“Yes.”

Not at all what I was expecting. Was this some sort of pity date? That asshole!

“Um.” I hated that it was all that I could manage to say. He’d thrown me for a loop, and my heart and my mind hadn’t been ready.

“Did you already have plans?” he asked, a look of disappointment crossing over his face.

“Plans?”

“Did you fall and hit your head by any chance?”

“Fall?”

Miles rolled his eyes. “Kynslee, what is with all the one-syllable replies? I’m asking you out tonight. It’s a simple yes or no.”

Think, Kynslee. My God, don’t just stand here like a stupid fool.

“Yes. I mean no. No!”

“Yes, you have plans, yes, you hit your head, or yes, you’ll go out with me? Or no, you don’t have plans, no, you didn’t hit your head, or no, you won’t go out with me? Even though you just asked me to ask you out.”

And there came the anger again. Thank you, Miles, for reminding me why this was a bad idea. You seem to never disappointment me.

“I didn’t ask you to ask me out! I’m not going out with you on some fucking pity date, you jerk.”

He rolled his eyes. “Jesus Christ, you’re still as difficult as you’ve always been.”

“Excuse me?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Raising my brow, I said, “I complained that you’ve never asked me out, so you turn around and do it but the only reason you asked is because I complained, and you think I’m supposed to be grateful for a pity request? Screw that.”

He laughed. “Holy shit, I barely kept up with that. And no, this isn’t a pity date. I can freely admit I’ve gone about this all wrong and am trying to fix this situation. Why won’t you give me another chance?”

“You think you went about it all wrong? Yeah, no, Miles. This is your sad attempt at slipping in and thinking you can talk me into this sham of a marriage. And honestly, I have no idea why now of all times you want to get married and settle down. No one else took you up on the offer of matrimony? So I’d also be your pity fiancée? Nope, not happening.”