A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,25
women so you’re just better at kissing than most guys.”
Her assessment of him was so at odds with his actual life that he started to laugh. “Abby, I’m socially awkward. There have been women, but not many.”
“I’m not sure I believe you. I think there are hordes of women.”
“Not even close.”
“Then they’re really stupid, but I’m okay with that. More for me.”
She picked up their drinks and handed him his. He took it, then put his arm around her. He didn’t know if Abby was teasing or not and he didn’t care. Right now he felt as if he could take on the world.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“AFTER ALL THIS PLANNING, I can’t believe the wedding is only a few days away,” Liz said as they looked at the ballroom up at the resort.
“I know. It’s happening so fast,” Abby said.
Saturday Melissa and Davis would be married. Sunday morning they would drive to San Francisco for their flight to Hawaii. More significant to her, Joaquin would be heading back to Los Angeles.
Although they’d spent every day together since his return from visiting his brother, they never talked about what would happen after the wedding. Were they going to stay in touch, continue to see each other? She knew what she wanted, but was less sure about him. Obviously he liked her, liked being with her, but was she a fling or something more?
Abby didn’t like feeling unsure and she certainly didn’t want to be one of those women who wondered rather than asked. She’d always been fairly straightforward when it came to the guys in her life. But this time, she couldn’t seem to form the words—mostly because she was afraid he would say something she didn’t want to hear.
“Abby?” Liz asked.
“Sorry. Did you say something?”
Her mom smiled at her. “I think we’re done here. We’ve delivered the votives and place cards. We’ve gone over everything on the checklist. Now we just have to wait for Melissa to come home Wednesday night, and then we’re going to have a wedding.”
Less than a week, Abby thought glumly. She had less than a week until Joaquin went back to being a gifted surgeon and she stayed here, getting ready for the school year to start.
“Are you all right?” Liz asked as they walked back to her car for the drive to town.
“Just thinking about stuff.”
“Joaquin?” Liz unlocked the car. “I couldn’t help noticing how much you two have been hanging out. It’s more than just being polite to a future family member.”
“I know.” Abby slid onto the passenger seat. “I wasn’t sure what to expect with him, but he’s really nice and fun and I like him.”
“But?”
“But when the wedding’s over, he’s going back to LA and I have no idea what happens after that. I know I should ask, but I can’t.” She bit her lower lip. “I’m scared.”
“Because you’re falling in love with him?”
The gentle question caught Abby by surprise. “What? Love? No. It’s too soon. I’ve never been in love. I probably should have been but I didn’t ever feel that way and it would be ridiculous for me to fall for him.”
Liz drove out of the parking lot without saying anything.
Abby sighed. “You really think I’m falling in love with him?”
“I can’t answer that question, honey. You have to.”
Love Joaquin? Could she? Did she? It would explain a lot. How she thought about him all the time and couldn’t wait to be with him and how she was worried about him leaving.
“He lives in Los Angeles. I have a teaching job here.”
“People make long-distance relationships work all the time. It’s...what? A seven-hour drive or less than an hour by plane. He’s not moving to Mars.”
“Mars would be more difficult,” Abby said. “I should talk to him, huh? Ask him what he expects after the wedding.”
“That would be a good start.”
“Right. The mature decision.” She looked at her mom. “What if he doesn’t like me?”
Liz smiled. “You know he does. It’s not a matter of if but how much. And what his expectations are. You might also want to think about what you want. He’s going to ask you.”
What did she want? “I want to keep seeing him. I want us to be exclusive. I want to see where this goes.”
She wanted to let her feelings grow and then she wanted to make love with him, she thought. She wanted him to be her first one and maybe, just maybe, her only one.
“Then tell him that. Tell him you think he’s special