Love to Hate You (Hope Valley #9) - Jessica Prince Page 0,59
it turned out, Micah didn’t shy away from public displays, and it surprised me—pleasantly—to discover he was such a tactile person.
But as the evening wore on, I began to notice an unusual amount of attention coming our way. At first I attributed it to the fact that we’d entered my house only a few steps away from being enemies, then came out a while later as a couple. I assumed it wouldn’t take long for the interest to wear off and everyone to adjust, but the more he touched me, the more fascinating we seemed to become.
“What’s the deal with everyone being so interested in what’s going on with Micah and me? Is it a small town thing or something? I don’t get it.”
“More like it’s a Micah Langford thing.”
My head canted to the side in confusion. “What does that mean?”
“Oh, it’s nothing bad,” she said quickly. “In fact, it’s actually pretty great. We’re just not used to seeing Micah being so touchy-feely is all.”
“So, he’s kind of private?”
“Not really. I mean, when he’s interested in a woman he has no problem showing it, but that hardly ever lasts longer than a night. Micah’s not really known around here for being the relationship type. He’s had too much fun being single, if you know what I mean.”
I could tell by her tone that she was only teasing, but there was no stopping that sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. It was like swallowing a brick. “So, what you’re saying is he’s a player.”
Her eyes lit with understanding as she looked at me. Giving a slow shake of her head, she replied, “No. I wouldn’t say a player. He just liked the bachelor lifestyle. But, Hayden, no one has ever seen him with a woman how he was with you Saturday. Not in all the years he’s lived here. Micah Langford doesn’t hold hands. I watched him with you. It was like he couldn’t touch you enough. Any time you started to drift out of his reach, he was quick to pull you back.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything. It could’ve been the after-effect of really amazing sex,” I insisted.
She made a face that screamed girl please. “An after-effect that lasted six hours?”
“It was really amazing sex.”
“Then maybe that’s part of what makes you the exception for him, instead of the rule.”
“What if I’m not ready to be anyone’s exception?” I asked on a whisper. Most women in my shoes would’ve been giddy with excitement at having landed a man like Micah. But after everything that happened with Alex, I had a built-in defense mechanism that wouldn’t let me spiral too far into hope like that. I had to remain realistic.
“Mac, my marriage only just ended. A few months ago, I was with the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I spent years thinking Alex was the love of my life. I’m barely over the shockwaves of my whole life crashing down around my feet, then bam! I meet this guy, like a minute after my world implodes, and the connection to him is so intense it scares the living hell out of me. What will people think if I jump headfirst into something else that fast?”
“Who gives a shit what anyone else thinks?” she exclaimed passionately. “Babe, I hate to break it to you, but your friends back in the city were a bunch of stuck-up assholes, and from what you’ve told me, your snobby-ass family isn’t much better. The people who truly care about you just want you to be happy, however that comes about. Let those dickheads from your previous life stand in their glass houses throwing stones. You be happy and leave them to their miserable existences. Karma comes around for people like that in her own time. Trust me.”
The knot of tension that had begun to form in my shoulders slowly started to loosen. But I wasn’t quite ready to throw in the towel just yet. “It’s not only me I have to take into consideration, Mac. I’ve got a little girl who has to live with the consequences of every decision I make.”
Her head jerked back and her brows furrowed incredulously. “You act as if you’ve made one bad decision after another. You haven’t done anything wrong, Hay. Your marriage ended because of him, not you. Stop shouldering the blame for that. You’re a fantastic mother. And as far as I can see, you can do