Everyone cheered again. “Anyway, thanks again for coming. We’re glad you could be here to celebrate with us.”
A million voices started talking at once, then Travis was pulled off for a round of backslapping congratulations. Walking on air, Lily spotted some jackets on one of the couches. Picking up the coats, she headed to the back bedroom to put them with the rest of the pile. The sound of malicious, cutting laughter stopped her dead in her tracks. She pressed herself into the shadows in the corner of the hallway.
“Can you believe what a cow she is?”
“Oh my God, she’s huge,” a second woman said.
“No kidding. I remember once when Travis said I needed to spend more time at the gym. And I’m a size four!”
“He told my friend Jenny that she needed to get rid of her love handles.”
The first woman let out an angry snort. “How do you think that red-haired bitch got him to marry her?”
A man’s voice chipped in with a faint British accent. “Probably got knocked up, and poor Travis felt like he had to do the right thing.”
“It’s awful,” agreed the second women. “He’s so beautiful, but her! Can you even imagine what their kids are going to look like?”
All three of them laughed nastily. “When she was filling our glasses earlier I barely stopped myself from accidentally spilling it down her dress.”
They all laughed again. “Oh, I wish you had. That would have showed her. Oh good, the bathroom’s finally free.”
Tears streamed down Lily’s cheeks as she walked away from Travis’s awful coworkers. Why had she thought for a minute that she could fit in with these people? Each one was more polished, better-looking than the next. None of them had ever spent a moment worrying about their clothes, or their hair, or whether they were going to say something stupid if they opened their mouths in public.
Just as she had suspected, the past month with Travis was nothing more than a dream.
A dream that she was finally going to have wake up from, like it or not.
Sniffling, Lily fixed her makeup and wiped her eyes in the mirror. She had to make it through the party in one piece. Once they were alone, she would tell Travis that things weren’t working out. Surely, in no time at all, he’d find a perfect woman to fall in love with and marry.
A knock on the door startled her out of her misery. “Sweetheart?” Travis poked his head around the door. “Oh good, I was hoping I’d find you in here. Alone.” He waggled his eyebrows and grabbed her, stealing a kiss. “Have you been crying?”
Lily shook her head and forced a smile. “No,” she insisted.
Travis ran his tongue over her lips. “I could swear I taste salty tears,” he said quietly. “Is something wrong, Lily?”
“I had something in my eye,” she lied. “We should probably get back out there, or people will be wondering where we are.”
Travis still looked concerned, but he was kind enough to leave the reason for her red eyes alone. Moving into teasing mode, he said, “They’ll know exactly what we’re doing, us being newlyweds and all.”
Lily’s heart clenched with sorrow. He was so precious, but he deserved so much more than she could ever be. Someone who could stand beside him, beautiful and self-assured, not some dumpy girl with nothing going for her. Not some loser who wouldn’t know how to be a good wife and companion if she had an instruction booklet printed across her thighs.
He kissed her softly, then pulled back. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Lily pressed her face into his neck and breathed in his wonderful, masculine scent. She wanted to stay like that forever, but such embraces would soon be nothing more than poignant memories. She just wasn’t strong enough to fake it. Not with Travis.
She let go of him and took a step back. “No, I’m not all right.”
He reached for her, but again, she stepped away. Hurt flashed in his eyes. “What’s going on, Lily?”
She swallowed hard. What was she supposed to say when she was about to push away the only man she’d ever loved? The only man she ever would love. “This isn’t going to work out,” she said softly.
He looked like he didn’t know what language she was speaking. “What isn’t going to work out?” Each word ground from his lips like gravel.
She forced herself to look him in the eye. “Us,” she said, barreling ahead before he did or said something that would make her change her mind. “You’ve been so good to me this month. The job, the trip, the marriage.”
Travis exploded. “Do you actually think I married you to be good to you?”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I’ll never forget these past weeks. They were incredible. All my dreams came true.”
He grabbed her shoulders hard. “I didn’t marry you to be nice to you. I married you because I love you.
Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said to you? Do you think it’s this good between everyone?”
Lily ignored the throbbing in her shoulders as she struggled to finish what she’d so foolishly started. “Even if you mink you love—” she began, but Travis cut her words off as he pushed her away from him. She stumbled into the corner of the bed and fell back onto it.
“What else can I possibly do to convince you that I love you?” he roared.
Angry at everything and nothing at the same time, Lily struggled to get back on her feet. “I’ll never be a size two. I’m never going to be able stand next to you without people laughing and wondering how you got stuck with me. You’ll hear soon enough how I tricked you into marriage by getting pregnant, and how our children are going to be fat and ugly like me,” she yelled in fury, hating herself more with every word that spilled from her lips, but unable to stop. “I’ll never be able to fit into your world. Never! Can’t you see what you married? Can’t you see that it’s just going to be like it was with Janica and Luke in Italy over and over again, forever?”
Travis made a move to comfort her, but she stopped him by blurting out, “Give me one possible reason why you should love me.”
Travis went completely still. “I can think of a thousand reasons, Lily.” Her heart stopped beating altogether as she waited for him to tell her what they were. Instead, his sad words were like a slap across the face.
“If you ever realize what those reasons are, Lily, let me know. Because I’ll be waiting.”
A million voices started talking at once, then Travis was pulled off for a round of backslapping congratulations. Walking on air, Lily spotted some jackets on one of the couches. Picking up the coats, she headed to the back bedroom to put them with the rest of the pile. The sound of malicious, cutting laughter stopped her dead in her tracks. She pressed herself into the shadows in the corner of the hallway.
“Can you believe what a cow she is?”
“Oh my God, she’s huge,” a second woman said.
“No kidding. I remember once when Travis said I needed to spend more time at the gym. And I’m a size four!”
“He told my friend Jenny that she needed to get rid of her love handles.”
The first woman let out an angry snort. “How do you think that red-haired bitch got him to marry her?”
A man’s voice chipped in with a faint British accent. “Probably got knocked up, and poor Travis felt like he had to do the right thing.”
“It’s awful,” agreed the second women. “He’s so beautiful, but her! Can you even imagine what their kids are going to look like?”
All three of them laughed nastily. “When she was filling our glasses earlier I barely stopped myself from accidentally spilling it down her dress.”
They all laughed again. “Oh, I wish you had. That would have showed her. Oh good, the bathroom’s finally free.”
Tears streamed down Lily’s cheeks as she walked away from Travis’s awful coworkers. Why had she thought for a minute that she could fit in with these people? Each one was more polished, better-looking than the next. None of them had ever spent a moment worrying about their clothes, or their hair, or whether they were going to say something stupid if they opened their mouths in public.
Just as she had suspected, the past month with Travis was nothing more than a dream.
A dream that she was finally going to have wake up from, like it or not.
Sniffling, Lily fixed her makeup and wiped her eyes in the mirror. She had to make it through the party in one piece. Once they were alone, she would tell Travis that things weren’t working out. Surely, in no time at all, he’d find a perfect woman to fall in love with and marry.
A knock on the door startled her out of her misery. “Sweetheart?” Travis poked his head around the door. “Oh good, I was hoping I’d find you in here. Alone.” He waggled his eyebrows and grabbed her, stealing a kiss. “Have you been crying?”
Lily shook her head and forced a smile. “No,” she insisted.
Travis ran his tongue over her lips. “I could swear I taste salty tears,” he said quietly. “Is something wrong, Lily?”
“I had something in my eye,” she lied. “We should probably get back out there, or people will be wondering where we are.”
Travis still looked concerned, but he was kind enough to leave the reason for her red eyes alone. Moving into teasing mode, he said, “They’ll know exactly what we’re doing, us being newlyweds and all.”
Lily’s heart clenched with sorrow. He was so precious, but he deserved so much more than she could ever be. Someone who could stand beside him, beautiful and self-assured, not some dumpy girl with nothing going for her. Not some loser who wouldn’t know how to be a good wife and companion if she had an instruction booklet printed across her thighs.
He kissed her softly, then pulled back. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Lily pressed her face into his neck and breathed in his wonderful, masculine scent. She wanted to stay like that forever, but such embraces would soon be nothing more than poignant memories. She just wasn’t strong enough to fake it. Not with Travis.
She let go of him and took a step back. “No, I’m not all right.”
He reached for her, but again, she stepped away. Hurt flashed in his eyes. “What’s going on, Lily?”
She swallowed hard. What was she supposed to say when she was about to push away the only man she’d ever loved? The only man she ever would love. “This isn’t going to work out,” she said softly.
He looked like he didn’t know what language she was speaking. “What isn’t going to work out?” Each word ground from his lips like gravel.
She forced herself to look him in the eye. “Us,” she said, barreling ahead before he did or said something that would make her change her mind. “You’ve been so good to me this month. The job, the trip, the marriage.”
Travis exploded. “Do you actually think I married you to be good to you?”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I’ll never forget these past weeks. They were incredible. All my dreams came true.”
He grabbed her shoulders hard. “I didn’t marry you to be nice to you. I married you because I love you.
Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said to you? Do you think it’s this good between everyone?”
Lily ignored the throbbing in her shoulders as she struggled to finish what she’d so foolishly started. “Even if you mink you love—” she began, but Travis cut her words off as he pushed her away from him. She stumbled into the corner of the bed and fell back onto it.
“What else can I possibly do to convince you that I love you?” he roared.
Angry at everything and nothing at the same time, Lily struggled to get back on her feet. “I’ll never be a size two. I’m never going to be able stand next to you without people laughing and wondering how you got stuck with me. You’ll hear soon enough how I tricked you into marriage by getting pregnant, and how our children are going to be fat and ugly like me,” she yelled in fury, hating herself more with every word that spilled from her lips, but unable to stop. “I’ll never be able to fit into your world. Never! Can’t you see what you married? Can’t you see that it’s just going to be like it was with Janica and Luke in Italy over and over again, forever?”
Travis made a move to comfort her, but she stopped him by blurting out, “Give me one possible reason why you should love me.”
Travis went completely still. “I can think of a thousand reasons, Lily.” Her heart stopped beating altogether as she waited for him to tell her what they were. Instead, his sad words were like a slap across the face.
“If you ever realize what those reasons are, Lily, let me know. Because I’ll be waiting.”
