want. And it became clear over the past couple of years that we were moving in different directions. But…” She paused and took another deep breath. “I made a huge mistake. Instead of being honest with him and ending things, I…”
Fletcher felt his spine tighten and it seemed that the entire crowd was holding their breath together.
“…had an affair.”
There was a collective gasp. Jason looked completely stunned. Fletcher felt shock and rage arch through him.
“But,” Jordan said quickly. “Jason and I tried to work it out. Again, we had been together so long. We truly love each other. Still, in the end, I fell in love with someone else. I told him right before he went on stage last night. Which was totally unfair of me. So he was still shocked and hurt and felt he had to go through with the proposal. But then he realized we were over and how he really felt for Viv and…” She stopped and looked at Jason. “I’m so happy that Jason found Vivian, and now we can both move on with our lives and be happy.” She reached out and took Jason’s hand. “I’m so sorry and thank you for forgiving me and I’m so glad we’re going to keep being friends.”
The crowd was clearly shocked. No one said anything for several long beats. Which was enough time for Jordan to make it halfway to where Fletcher was standing.
But finally, someone said, “You cheated on Jason?”
That seemed to loosen everyone’s tongues.
“Who’s the guy?”
“Jason, how long have you known?”
“This is all your fault?”
“He forgives you?”
Jordan made her way to Fletcher almost robotically.
He met her partway and immediately reached for her and tucked her under his arm. He glowered at the first two people who tried to step close.
“Are you the guy?” one of them asked with a gasp.
“Who are you?”
“Wow, huge balls to just show up here like this!”
Okay, now they cared who he was.
“That’s Fletcher.”
The entire crowd rotated back to face forward again as Jason spoke.
Under Fletcher’s arm, Jordan trembled slightly.
Fletcher glanced down at her. “What the hell?” he asked in a whisper. “You had an affair?”
She looked up at him with a frown. “Of course not.”
“Then what —”
“I’m trying to make him look good.”
Jesus. Fletcher shoved a hand through his hair. Of course she was. And of course, without having planned anything, this was what she’d come up with. She was willing to be the bad guy, take the blame for the breakup, let everyone go on thinking that Jason was some big hero.
Fuck.
“Fletcher and Jordan have been friends since they were in first grade,” Jason said. “He came to be with her after everything happened last night. I’m really grateful for their friendship. I felt huge relief knowing he was here with her.”
Fletcher met the other man’s eyes. He realized Jason was trying to downplay what people thought was going on between Fletcher and Jordan. Maybe just to help them get out of the casino without a mob scene. But he was clearly lending Fletcher his support and, in essence, telling the crowd that he was not a threat or someone they should be angry with.
Well, he did not need Jason Young’s help.
“Okay, so if you’ll excuse us, Jordan and I have an appointment.” Fletcher said, raising his voice to carry over the cluster of people.
Then he turned, with his arm still around Jordan, and started for the second door on the right.
He yanked on the gold handle and nudged Jordan through the door.
The last thing he heard before the heavy door bumped shut behind them was, “Oh my God, they’re getting married!”
6
“Hello, can I help you?”
Jordan looked at the woman coming across the lobby of the wedding chapel toward her and Fletcher.
The wedding chapel.
Well, one of them needed help.
And yeah, it might be her because her heart was pounding and her stomach felt like she’d swallowed a hundred butterflies.
She and Fletcher weren’t actually getting married.
But dammit if she wasn’t feeling pretty swoony about the way he’d swept her off in front of everyone that way.
She’d really been trying to help Jason. Did she want to be labeled a cheater in the press? Well, no. But it wasn’t like she’d planned that out. And did it matter? It was much better for her to be the pariah than Jason, who was losing fans over the breakup.
And then Fletcher came in and swept her off to a wedding chapel? How could she not feel a little swoony? Maybe they thought she