Page 61 of Take My Name

He holds out the container, but when I reach for it, he leans in and presses his lips to my cheek.

“See you tomorrow night. Wear a dress.”

I’m in such a state of shock, an “mm-hmm” is all I can get out before climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Thank you for the cheesecake.” I hold it up stupidly.

“It was my pleasure.” He smirks. “G’night, Maze.”

“Night, Warren.”

He closes the door, and as usual, waits for me to drive away.

My heart races the whole way home with jumbled thoughts as I try to make sense of these suppressed feelings.

Warren and I didn’t separate because we stopped loving each other. Had I never moved, we’d probably still be madly in love and living happily.

But I did move and met Hayes.

Who makes me happy.

And I promised to marry him because we’re in love.

However, if that were true…would I be having doubts after reuniting with my husband who never moved on from me?

This would be so much easier if he had.

But the thought of him with someone else makes me sick to my stomach, so maybe that’s all the answer I need.

chapter eleven

Warren

Talkingto Landen on the phone for a couple hours was a nice break from the thoughts roaming freely in my head. We decided to write our letter to the parole board together, and by the end, we had a strong case. It’s weighing heavily on his mind, as it is for me too, but the majority of my focus is on Maisie and the way my heart hasn’t stopped beating rapidly since she showed up on my doorstep.

She’s a constant loop in my head.

The way she smiles and a crimson blush covers her cheeks and neck.

How she smelled like me after her shower and I had to actively think of something else so I didn’t pop a boner.

The way she laughed when I tickled and chased her around like we’d been doing it for years.

Something changed yesterday, and I know she felt it too.

Swimming in the river brought me back to the night I proposed and how happy we were together. And maybe it did for her too. She opened up a bit more and let loose. Her stuck-upexterior is dissolving with each passing day we spend with each other.

We’re nearly halfway through our week and I’m doing whatever it takes to make the most of it. That might not be fair of me considering she’s engaged, but I’m not going to make her picking him over me an easy choice. I want her conflicted and confused so she finally has to admit her feelings for me.

Before I leave work early for the day, I check with Bodie, who’s having an animated conversation with Ricky.

“Everythin’ okay?” I approach them.

“Tryin’ to convince him to go to Ladies’ Night with me tomorrow at Honky’s since we’re both painfully single. Tryin’ to teach him how to line dance.” He grabs his belt and pops his hips, mimicking the moves but doing a poor job at it.

“You think that’s gonna get you girls?” I taunt, cackling.

“At the very least, drunk girls with daddy issues.” Bodie grins. “You should come!”