her to go and have a good time and show those bullies who treated her so badly that they didn’t break her.”
Paris glanced over at Lacy. He wanted her old classmates to see the same thing.
Mrs. Shaw pointed a finger at Paris, gaining his attention. “But if you take her, it won’t be on the back of that motorcycle in the driveway. Lacy doesn’t ride those things.”
“Actually, Mom, I rode on the back of it with Paris two days ago.”
Mrs. Shaw looked horrified.
“Maybe he’ll let me drive it next time,” Lacy added, making all the women at the table look surprised.
“Lacy rode on the back of your bike?” Birdie asked Paris. “This is not our sister. What have you done with the real Lacy Shaw?”
He looked over at the woman in question. The real Lacy was sitting right beside him. He saw her, even if no one else did. And the last thing he wanted to do was walk away from her, which was why he needed to do just that.
* * *
An hour later, Lacy closed her front door as her guests left and leaned against it, exhaling softly.
“Your mom and sisters are great,” Paris said, standing a couple of feet away from her. “Your aunt too.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “You almost sound serious about that.”
“Well, I’m not going to lie. They were a little overwhelming.”
“A little?” Lacy grinned. “And they were subdued today. They’re usually worse.”
Paris shoved his hands in his pockets. “They love you. Can’t fault them for that.”
The way he was looking at her made her breath catch. Was he going to kiss her again?
“I guess not.”
“They want what’s best for you,” he continued. Then he looked away. “And, uh, I’m not sure that’s me, Lace.”
She straightened at the sudden shift in his tone of voice. “What?”
He ran a hand over his hair. “When we were eating just now, I realized that being your date might not be doing you any favors. Or me.”
“Wait, you’re not going to the reunion with me anymore?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I just think it’d be better if you went with someone else.”
“I don’t have anyone else,” she protested, her heart beating fast. “The reunion is in less than a week. I have my dress, and you have a matching shirt. And you’re the one I want to go with. I don’t even care about the reunion. I just want to be with you.”
He looked down for a moment. “You heard me talking to your family. I’ve lived a different life than you. I’m an ex-foster kid. My parents are felons.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t even make a marriage work.”
“Those things are in the past, Paris. I don’t care about any of that.”
He met her gaze again. “But I do. Call me selfish, but I don’t want to want you. I don’t want to want things that I know I’ll never have. It’s not in the cappuccino for me, Lacy.” His expression was pained. “I really want you to believe me when I say it’s not you, it’s me.”
Her eyes and throat burned, and she wondered if she felt worse for herself or for him. He obviously had issues, but who didn’t? One thing she’d learned since high school was that no one’s life was perfect. Her flaws were just obvious back then because of the back brace.
She’d also learned that you couldn’t make someone feel differently than they did. The only feelings you could control were your own. The old Lacy never stood up for herself. She let people trample on her and her feelings. But she’d changed. She was the new Lacy now.
She lifted her eyes to meet Paris’s and swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. “If that’s the way you feel, then I think you should go.”
Chapter Seven
On Monday afternoon, Paris looked out over the roomful of students. Everyone had their eyes on their screens and were learning to Skype. But his attention was on the librarian on the other side of the building.
When he’d driven to the library, he’d lectured himself on why he needed to back away from Lacy Shaw. Sunday’s lunch had made that crystal clear in his mind. She was smart and beautiful, the kind of woman who valued family. Paris had no idea what it even meant to have a family. He couldn’t be the kind of guy she needed.
Luckily, Lacy hadn’t even been at the counter when he’d walked in and continued toward the computer room.