Page 101 of Perfect Assumption

Meadow flaps her hand at him “Is he really as gorgeous in person as he is in photos?”

“More so,” I confirm.

“Damn,” Kody bites out as Meadow lets out a dreamy sigh.

I lift my soda to my lips and catch Kristoffer’s eye where he’s standing a few feet away talking with another group of people. He lifts his glass in a toast. I lift mine back and mouth,Thank you, Kristoffer.Mentally I add,For everything.

His face softens as if he knows.

* * *

On the balcony that night,clad in only Ward’s sweater and a pair of thick socks, I remember Kristoffer’s words to me.You handle vultures by letting the people who love you inside and holding them close.

It’s time to tell Ward the rest of what happened to me. I can’t hold back with him anymore. If this means the end of us, then I’ll have gained so much from this relationship—the inner certitude of who I am and the kind of man I need to be with me. But inside me, in the heart that’s glowing alive, I know that’s not the case. He’s going to understand.

I hear the door open behind me. “Aren’t you freezing?” Ward wraps his arms around me, burying his face in my neck.

“I’m too nervous to be cold.”

“Nervous? Why?”

“I never thought I’d ever tell a man I was in love with him before, but tonight I knew for certain I was.”

His entire body stills. It’s as motionless as the water on the lake in front of me. “What did you say?”

“I said, I love you.”

He whirls me around. “Thank God.” But just before he kisses me, I place a hand on his chest.

“I’m terrified, Ward. I need to tell you the rest.”

“There’s more?”

I nod. “There’s the who.”

Thirty-Nine

Ward

Michael Clarke made a bold statement at a board of directors meeting about enacting a Code of Business Ethics at XMedia and all subsidiaries. Many will remember Clarke was accused of sexually assaulting a woman during his college years. Is this move prompted on repairing his reputation or true concern for his workforce?

— StellaNova

When Angie whispers the names of the two men who abused her in the dark of the night, my arms become immobile. I’m ashamed my first thought is,Could there be two sets of two men with the same name?Then I realize the improbability of that, and the pieces begin to fit together in my mind one by one like a puzzle.

Louie’s comment. Angie’s almost violent physical reaction. Her unwillingness to drink something someone else prepared without watching them. Her desire to spend time alone, almost sheltering herself away from people.

It all collides together and slams into me brutally.

Somehow, someway, the boys of my childhood who I turned to in the worst of days caused a living agony for the woman I love in the prime of hers. My arms slowly slip from around her. Once again, my world has shifted on its axis. I suppress the urge to go out and harm my boyhood friends as she continues on with her explanation.

“Every time Michael Clarke is mentioned in the media, the story manifests itself all over again. I’ve never felt strong enough to love myself so I could fall in love.” Her eyes—in some ways still so innocent—meet mine. “Until now. Until you. But there’s a huge price you’ll be paying. I’ve worked so hard all these years to downplay who and what I am. The moment we’re seen together, the media will have a field day.”

“That’s the reason you didn’t want to go anywhere?”

“That and I’ve honestly enjoyed just getting to know you, Ward. I don’t need fancy dinners. I’d rather spend the rest of my life with someone who thought to throw a tablecloth over our coffee table. But I know being a part of your life means events like tonight.”

“Trust me, nights like tonight are rare.”