"Yeah, but imagine how it looked. You're standing there all close together, and she's clutching your arm all lovey-dovey, and you're smiling and laughing like you're having the time of your life." I swallowed at the memory. "It just looked really bad, you know?"
"So you did what? Left with another guy?"
"Aren't you listening?" I said. "It wasn't like that. He stopped by to tell my sister something, and it wasn't great news. If you want the truth, it really sucked. And I wasalreadyupset because of you and Natalia, and I'd had all that spiked eggnog, and I wasn't thinking straight, that's all."
Was I babbling?
Probably.
And judging from Bryce's expression, none of this was doing a lick of good.
I gave him a pleading look. "And after what happened with Dillon, I guess I'm just a little wary, that's all."
This made him frown. "Who's Dillon?"
"If you truly want to know…" I glanced past him. "Maybe you'll let me in? ItisChristmas after all."
Chapter 49
Bryce
Call me a sucker, but I stepped aside and motioned her in.
About the Mitchell thing, the jury was still out. Yeah, Harper had offered an explanation, but whether it was a good one, I was still trying to decide.
When she sat down on the sofa, I headed for the nearby chair. As my ass hit the seat, I looked to her and said, "Alright. Who's Dillon?"
She let out a long, unsteady breath. "Well, if you must know, he was the guy IthoughtI would marry."
I wasn't liking the sounds ofthat."Youthought?"
"Yeah, well, it seemed to be heading that way. We dated off and on for like four years, and he kept hinting around, saying things like, 'You're the one,' and 'If we have kids, what would we name them?' Stuff like that."
I studied her face. "That sounds likemorethan a hint."
"Yeah, well, that's whatIthought. And one time, a friend of mine spotted him shopping for rings – and not the birthstone kind either. It was right before Christmas, and like an idiot, I figured he was planning to pop the question."
Thank God he hadn't.
I stiffened. Where hadthatthought come from?
In a carefully neutral tone, I asked, "But he didn't?"
"Not onlythat," she said. "He told me on New Year's Day that he wanted to see other people, maybe date around a bit before settling down."
The guy sounded like a douchebag.And as much as I didn't like the idea of Harper marrying someone else, I didn't like the idea of her getting jerked around either.
Talk about messed up.
I asked, "So how'd you take it?"
"Not great," she said. "It's not like I was dying to get married, and honestly, I had my share of doubts." She paused. "I mean, he and I didn't mesh nearly as well as you andIdo, but we'd been together for so long, it just seemed inevitable, you know?"
As I nodded, I considered what I'd just learned. Out of everything she'd just said, the meshing thing hit home the hardest.Harper was right.Wedidmesh. In fact, we meshed a lot better than I ever had with Natalia.
WasINatalia's Dillon? I hadn't led her on, not likethat.Even so, I should've ended it long before I had – if only so both of us could move on.
From the sofa, Harper asked, "Andthen, do you want to know what happened?"
