Page 66 of Between Never and Forever

“Um, yeah.” I jumped off the bed. “And I am going to show everyone that.” Pink squinted at me like she wasn’t at all convinced. My gaze flicked toward the stupid dresser. I whispered out, “I’m really going to do it this time. With this concert, with this contract…” I hesitated but I said the next words like I was getting rid my own demons. “With Dex. With everyone.”

“Huh?” Olive’s face contorted now like she was confused, but I was on a roll.

“I’m going to show him I can handle every single thing he throws at me, and I’m going to do it well.”

That seemed to spark life back into Pink and pulled her from whatever nightmares were weighing her down. She punched at the ceiling. “Absolutely. Fuck that man up.”

“Now, wait a minute. Slow down.” Olive had to put a damper on our newfound goals. “You and Dex could probably use a time out so we can think about what happened last time and—”

“What happened last time?” Pink looked between us. “Oh my God. What? Tell me right now.”

And of course Olive blurted out that I’d been a virgin, that now I wasn’t, and that she thought Dex still had feelings for me. She ended with: “So, they’re going to fall in love all over again, and we’re either going to be attending a real wedding or scraping her off the bathroom floor.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not going to cry over him. Honestly. We haven’t even done anything really since, and now I’m just stuck staring at that dresser.”

“What’s with the dresser?” Olive frowned.

That prompted me telling them about the Ben Wa ball too. “It’s taunting me!”

Pink stomped over to the dresser and whipped open the drawer. She looked between me and it. “You’re putting that thing in tonight. You got this.”

“Do I, though?” I tilted my head.

“Yes, because you can do this, right?”

I nodded and gulped while Olive looked on at both of us with doubt in her eyes. “I know I shouldn’t, but I’m still going to say be careful. The Hardy brothers are—”

“We can handle any man. We’rewomen,” Pink cut her off with a glare. “Women handle men. Not the other way around.”

They left me with that thought bouncing around in my head. I ate alone and stared at the drawer. I stared at my bedroom door, too, wondering if Dex would come home.

But of course Penelope texted me his schedule and he had a dinner meeting. I liked his assistant from the little interaction I’d had with her, but I still thought her texting me was ridiculous.

Late that night, I heard him come home, and I could have gone to talk to him or ask if he wanted a snack, but after a week of no real communication, it felt too awkward. We had nothing to discuss. He obviously didn’t find me capable of experiencing things with him or good enough company to talk to. He’d probably shaken the idea of me from his system already and was just following through with the contract.

Plus, my mind wasn’t in the right place after I’d lain down that night and received a text that had me feeling sick anyway.

Ezekiel: I see the fake engagement is on. I’m a bit disappointed but I’ll see you soon.

The problem with social media was it spread like wildfire, sometimes into the hands of people you didn’t want anywhere near your life.

I deleted the text without responding. Tonight, I acted like Dex and filed away my problems in a box I would ignore.

ChapterTwenty-Three

KEELANI

The next day,Dex wasn’t even there for breakfast at 5:45 after I stupidly woke up early. Instead, I talked to my dad and then got a call from Mitchell telling me I could take my time with the engagement, that he was following Dex’s lead. “He’s such an asset, Keelani, and has been really accommodating. His assistant was able to work with our PR. It’s been great. Just make sure he doesn’t dig too deep into our contractual stuff. You know how that goes.”

“I got it, Mitchell.” He always reminded me but he didn’t need to. Dex didn’t talk to me.

“Oh, and Ezekiel and I discussed your engagement. He wants to see you.”

My stomach curdled at the thought. “Discussed what?”

“That this is more for show, right?” Mitchell was prying and I guess I hesitated too long, because Mitchell laughed with relief. “Right. So, it’s more of an engagement for PR purposes. Ezekiel understands, and he just wants to discuss it.”

“What for?” I murmured.