Put a Ring On It by Beth Kendrick

Author:Beth Kendrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

chapter 17

“No,” was the first thing Brighton said as she strode up the porch steps to confront her former fiancé.

Colin lifted his head and looked at her face, though he wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Brighton, I have to talk to you.”

“No.” She clenched both hands at her sides.

He held up his palms to ward her off but kept talking. “I made a mistake. A huge mistake.” He paused for a moment, his gaze darting over to the pickup truck in the driveway. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but I’m hoping that you and I can—”

“No.” She pointed imperiously off the porch. “Go.”

“Just listen,” he begged. “Please.”

He seemed so sad and sincere that she relented, keeping one hand on her hip and motioning with the other that he should continue.

“The whole thing with Genevieve was a mistake.”

She half sputtered, half laughed. “You don’t say.”

“We’re getting an annulment,” he said. “It’ll be like the whole thing never happened.” He cleared his throat and moved closer. “I could never love her the way I love you.”

She stormed to the far side of the porch, yelling over her shoulder. “But it did happen, Colin. And you don’t love me. If you did, you wouldn’t pick a fight and then marry someone you just met. Who does that?”

He hurried after her. “You married someone you just met.”

“Only because you did it first!”

“Okay, so we both did.” He sounded relieved. “We’re even.”

“We are not even, Colin. Not even close.” She kept walking toward the soothing lull of the tide on the other side of the wraparound deck. “But it doesn’t matter. We’re both married to other people and that’s the end of our story.”

“It doesn’t have to end.”

“Yes, it does.” She reached the porch railing overlooking the beach. “I never want to see you again.”

He trailed up behind her. She crossed her arms and fumed.

“I still love you, Brighton. I always will.” He dropped to his knees and grabbed the lace-trimmed hem of her gown.

“Oof.” She had to steady herself with both hands on the porch railing.

“I panicked.” He let go of her hem and seized her calves. “It was such a relief to find someone who didn’t expect anything from me.”

She tried to shake him off. “Don’t touch me.”

“Wait. Please listen,” he begged. “I know there’s no excuse for what I did, but . . .” He tightened his grip on her legs. “I’ve spent years trying to be the guy you think I am. The guy who can make decisions, get it all done. But I’m not. You don’t know who I really am.”

Brighton could see the headlights of Jake’s truck through the walls of windows. “Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around lately.” Her fiery rage tempered down to melancholy regret. “It’s over, Colin. You made the decision for both of us.” She managed to free herself and charged back to the other side of the house.

He caught her wrist as she rounded the corner. “You owe me ten minutes.”

“I don’t owe you anything.

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