It’s hard to keep my eyes off Trevor’s tall, lean, muscular frame. I can’t help but wonder what he’d look like if he let his hair grow out.
As it stands, he has a severely handsome face, and the closely shaved head only adds to his appealing, dangerous look. I’ve seen old photos, where he had a head full of loose curls, giving him a boyishly innocent look.
Either way, with his soft brown eyes thickly fringed with lashes, and his gut-clenching smile, complemented by dimples on either side, he’s a lady killer.
But I’ll be damned if he’ll be slaying this chick.
It won’t be going down like that. Not at all. He’s used to women falling at his feet. I saw that cute little waitress fawning all over him; we all did.
If Trevor thinks he can handle Megan Kane, he’s going to have to bring his A-game. Panty-melting smiles and flirtatious winks may work on less experienced women, but not me.
“What diabolical plan are you concocting in that beautiful little head of yours?” Evelynn asks accusingly.
We’re bringing up the rear behind Gina and Trevor as we enter one of the best hotels in San Francisco.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply.
“Sure you don’t. Just like you don’t know anything about Trevor’s obvious attraction to you.”
At that, I shrug my shoulders.
What am I supposed to say? I can’t help it if Trevor’s not good at masking his emotions. Although, the fact that he’s into me is obvious to everyone around us does bring a smile to my lips.
Evie puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I turn and face her.
“Don’t hurt him, okay?”
The quiet entreaty stuns me. “Why would you say that? Trevor’s a big boy. Everyone knows he’s a lady killer,” I scoff, attempting to hide the fact that her words hurt my feelings a little.
How come she’s worried above Trevor and not me—like I’m some sort of she-devil with magical powers over men?
“Trevor’s flirtatious, and he definitely loves the ladies as much as they love him. But he’s not like you, Meg. Trevor believes in love…” Evie trails off, looking ahead at Trevor and Gina laughing and talking.
She looks back at me and sighs. “I love him. And I love you. So just be careful, okay?”
Not saying a word, I give an almost imperceptible nod. Evie must have seen it because she gives me a small smile and pulls me in for a hug. I’m sure everything will be all right.
Evie knows that I’m not looking for love, and I’m pretty sure Trevor isn’t either. So, everything should work out just fine.
“What are you two back there whispering about?” Trevor teases.
“Wedding colors,” I quickly reply, looping my arm through Evie’s and hurrying to catch up with Gina and Trevor.
“So what colors have you decided on?” Gina excitedly asks Evie as we step up alongside her into the hotel’s elaborately posh banquet hall.
“Lavender, pink, and white, in honor of my springtime wedding,” Evie readily supplies.
Lucky for me, she already knew what she wanted.
Tucking that morsel of knowledge in the back of my mind, I walk forward, stretching out my hand to greet the event planner waiting for us inside the double doors.
He’s a handsome man in his mid-to-late forties, with intelligent brown eyes and a head full of neatly combed sandy-brown hair and just a touch of gray on the sides.
“Good morning, Mr. Lassiter. I’m Megan Kane. I spoke with you on the phone last week. This is my best friend and the bride-to-be, Evelynn Woods,” I say.
The sharply dressed man reaches out his hand, giving me a welcoming megawatt smile, and quickly turns his attention to Evelynn.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Kane, and of course, Ms. Woods. It will be my pleasure to show you around and tell you of all the accommodations we offer our brides and her guests,” he says, gently guiding her by the elbow.
Gina is more than eager to tag along, quickly falling into step on the other side of the friendly event planner as he lists the hotel’s excellent amenities.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if she just got a wedding planner,” Trevor breathes huskily in my ear, startling me, giving me goosebumps.
“Yes, but wedding planners are crazy expensive. Besides, I sorta kinda got help with the planning,” I grudgingly admit.
“Oh yeah? Who is it?”
“I’m not really good at this sort of thing. So I asked Jamie for help. He was so excited that he jumped right on it and gave me this,” I say, taking a list out of my purse and handing it to Trevor.
His fingers brush lightly against mine as he takes the paper from me and I feel a spark of awareness at his touch. He gives me a knowing smirk and then turns his attention to the paper.
“Wow. This is a detailed and itemized list. Jamie really went all out, but he always has been a stand-up guy,” Trevor comments, handing the paper back to me.
“My plan is to help Evie and Hunter with this wedding financially. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to pay for whatever dress she decides to buy.
“And you let me know if you change your mind about getting a wedding planner; I’ll see if I can swing that too.”
If I had a heart, it would be thawing just a little in Trevor’s favor right now. That’s so damn sweet of him. I know he’s trying to fulfill the role of a father.
Evie hasn’t said what her budget for the wedding is going to be, but I know that these things can spin out of control pretty quickly.
“Are you sure? I know you army guys don’t exactly make the big bucks.”
“I’m a single guy with no real bills to speak of. I’ve put away a nice little nest egg,” he replies, being somewhat vague about his finances.
“What, you’re not saving up for your own big wedding someday?”
He shrugs as we walk, following far behind Evie and Gina as they interrogate the event planner.
“I’m hoping that the future Mrs. Woods will be more like me and settle for a small intimate wedding, or hell, even just a civil union at the Justice of the Peace,” he confesses.
“So, you buy into this whole love thing?” I ask in surprise.
“Are you telling me you don’t?” He turns his head to look down at me, and I feel his hand graze against mine.
Our arms are swinging back and forth until his pinky catches mine and holds on.
I want to jerk it away, but I fight the urge. When I told him he couldn’t handle me in the booth at IHOP, I didn’t think he’d take that as an invitation to try and date me.
Hand-holding and long conversations are for couples or people who are dating. That’s definitely not what I’m looking for.
“Love is fleeting. It doesn’t last,” I tell him with certainty. “It only exists because people want to believe in it so badly.”
“Do you love your family?” he asks.
I know exactly where he’s going with this. “Yes. It’s just my mother and me. But that’s not the same kind of love. There’s a familial bond built from respect and a sense of… I don’t know, indebtedness.”
“I get what you’re saying. Sometimes, I feel like I owe Granny Mabel my love and respect for raising my sister and me when she didn’t have to. So, I completely understand your sense of obligation.”
Damn, that’s exactly the word I was looking for.
“But what about your love for your friends?” Trevor challenges. “That’s by choice. No familial ties or obligations there.
“Are you telling me that one day you’ll stop loving them for no reason? Or maybe because they do something to piss you off?”
Of course, I wouldn’t stop loving Evie or Gina because they did something to piss me off. Hell, I’m sure I tick them off several times a day. But we laugh, cry, scream, yell—whatever we need to do—and get over it.
Trevor’s line of questioning is getting under my skin, and I don’t like it.
I silently detach our fingers, tucking my hands into the pockets of my black jeans.
“There are all different kinds of love. And love isn’t always easy, but it’s definitely real.
With those parting words of wisdom, he jogs ahead and catches up with Evie. He slings an arm around her shoulders, kissing her on the top of her head. He looks over his shoulder back at me.
