Page 22 of Mister McStudmuffin

Madison turns her attention back to me. “Tell me everything.”

“She works for H & J,” I start. “It was her first day of work and I saw her across the room.” I look over at Chelsea. “I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. We were introduced and we shook hands.”

“And I felt sparks the moment our skin touched,” Chelsea says.

“Exactly.” I look back at Hayes’s sister. “I didn’t ask her out right away. I knew someone had told her about Brenda.” I make a scary face.

“She was a straight-up lunatic,” Madison says.

“True. But that’s not the story most people at the office know. They just know that after she and I, uh, went out, she was fired.”

“Well yeah, you don’t want to ask someone out at the office after they’ve heard that story,” Madison confirms.

“Exactly. So I was smooth. I moved her into my office and made her my personal assistant. Well, that was her title, but it was really about mentoring her. She’s brilliant and I knew she would benefit from working directly with the accounts instead of waiting to work her way up the chain.”

Hayes laughs. “Dude, you were anything but smooth. The other guys and I knew you were head over ass in love when you texted Helen to buy a desk over the weekend.”

I don’t even deny it. I just shrug.

Chelsea looks up at me, questions and something else heating her eyes.

“Anyways, after we’d worked together for a couple of months and I knew she felt comfortable in her job security, I asked her out. Initially, she wanted to keep our romance a secret. Didn’t want to develop a reputation.”

“No one wants to be that girl,” Chelsea says. “The one he earns her way that way.”

“So she made me work for it. But all that time, I’d paid close attention to everything about her. I wooed her with coffee, special monthly snacks and Terminator memorabilia.” I look back at my girl. “I never wanted her to doubt, for a moment, that I was in this for good.”

Her breath shudders. And then Dane and the preacher walk up to the makeshift altar at the front of all the chairs.

“You can tell me more later,” Madison says. “So nice to meet you, Chelsea.”

“Nice to meet you too. I still want to know about this ‘hottie’ thing,” Chelsea says.

“Oh, for sure. I’ll give you all the details.”

The music starts and Luna walks down the aisle, then the Wedding March begins and we all get to our feet. I wrap my arm around Chelsea, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Then we watch as Dane and Shelby promise to love each other forever. And I can’t wait to do the same thing with Chelsea.

chapter

twelve

Chelsea

The reception is briefer than originally planned because the skies opened up and poured torrential rain down on us. I’m betting the bride and groom got some amazing wedding pictures out of it, though. Since they were out dancing in the rain as if that’s what they’d intended all along.

We’ve been riding in relative silence since we left. My body is still buzzing from all the little touches and glances JD gave me at the wedding. Pretending that we were really a couple.

“Why?” I finally ask.

“Why what?”

“Why did you do all of that? Say all of that tonight?”

“We’re almost to my house, then we can get dried off and not be in the dark for this conversation. Sound good?”

“Sure.” I mean no, it doesn’t sound good. I want him to tell me now. Was tonight some kind of punishment for me? Teasing me with what I could have had with him?