“It’s done, okay? How about we grab some lunch and head to the lake? My treat,” I say, hoping to redeem myself.
He smiles cautiously, then stands up to take his ringing cell out of his pocket. Excusing himself, he walks towards the tree, and the moment he answers the call, his face lights up.
I can hear the words as he speaks, saying something about the wedding and honeymoon, but shortly after, his smile fades and an argument erupts.
“I told you I don’t want to go there. Why won’t you fucking listen to me?”
He is talking loudly enough for me to hear the conversation but I pretend to be engrossed in the kids running near the church entrance.
“Eloise, I don’t give a shit what you want. You said this wedding was going to be small and uncomplicated. Not the splashy affair you’re turning it into.”
He is kicking the tree with the toe of his shoe and utters more words. “I need to go, okay?” His face softens again and a small smile escapes him. “Yeah, me too.”
I remember the “me too” at the end of the conversation. It’s the reply to “I love you.”
It was like a stab into my fantasy bubble. Reality check. No matter what he does or says, he’s marrying her. I’m just the woman carrying his baby.
Chapter Fourteen
Awkward lunch partners. Someone should create a reality show based on that. After returning from his phone call, something between us changed. Haden seemed less friendly and almost annoyed that he was forced to have lunch with me. That, in turn, put me in a foul mood. We still had another day left in each other’s company, so I took the mature approach. Or so I thought.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why are you acting like a jerk?”
Chewing his mouthful of bread at a slow and annoying pace, he eventually swallows to answer my question.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he mumbles, taking another bite to avoid talking.
“God, you’re such a woman. Whenever someone says ‘nothing’s wrong’ there is always something wrong,” I complain.
“Geez, you nag like the rest of them.”
“Did you say that I nag like the rest of them? You know what?” Whether it is the stifling heat or the anger consuming me, my body temperature rises and suddenly I feel woozy. “I’m jumping into the lake.”
His knee jerk reaction is laughable. I had jumped into this lake a million times and today was no exception. Taking my wedges off, I carry them and place them on a rock. It would have been a good idea to wear my swimmers, but this heat was overbearing and my dress would dry within minutes.
“There could be anything in that lake,” he warns me.
“Can’t be as bad as what’s beside me,” I mutter under my breath.
My feet move towards the shoreline, and instantly, cool water graces my skin as I breathe a sigh of relief. Moving further in, my muscles relax as I sink my entire body. A couple of kids are playing in the water not too far away, and on this hot summer day, I can’t think of a better way to pass the time.
The Jerk is standing on the sand bank, watching me in amusement.
“What?” I yell out. “Worried you’ll get that pretty hairstyle of yours wet?”
Didn’t Vicky say he’s into extreme sports? Not that lake swimming is an extreme sport, but reality is, who knows what is lurking in the murky water?
He takes off his shoes and places them beside mine. Next he pulls his shirt off, revealing his perfect—and I mean perfect—set of abs. Shit, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Wearing only his shorts, he takes his glasses off and hides them in his shoes. Moving towards the edge of the rock, he dives in, causing a huge splash before he resurfaces right beside me.
“FYI, I’m not afraid to get my hair wet,” he says, out of breath and way too close to me.
“Could have fooled me. Thought you were an adrenaline junkie . . . or what was it your Facebook said?”
“You’ve stalked me?” He grins, swimming around me like a hunter circling its prey.
“Uh . . . no, not me. Vicky did. She’s the social media whore.”
“You stalked me,” he gloats.