Max could only stare at the back of Angie’s cab as it drove away. He never could find the right words to help her. The more he talked to her, the more he made things worse. Why did he keep screwing up?

“We’ll see you at the house,” said his mother. “Tell your fiancée she’s welcome to come by anytime she wants company. The poor girl.” She and Trina went to their car, both looking sad.

Steve broke away from the people and came to him. “We’re all worried about Angie.”

So was he. “She’s upset by Jordan’s lies.” He only added to her pain. “I wasn’t going to ask her to stay.”

“Of course not. Just between us, I don’t blame you for socking the deadbeat in the jaw. If he talked about my wife, well, let’s just say I’d have to retire my nice guy reputation.”

Max shoved his hands in his pockets. His right hand still hurt from where he hit Jordan. “I’m not a nice guy. My father was. He would’ve handled this differently.”

Steven weighed his point. “Your father may have chosen more restraint, but you have passion. You defend the people you love.”

Max lifted his head. Love? He knew he cared about Angie and her family. There were times when it felt like Raymond was his own son. He admired the strength and quiet dignity he saw in her grandmother, the same qualities Angie displayed. He’d do anything for Angie if it meant seeing her smile at him.

Was Steve right? Did he love her? His answer came in the form of an ache when he thought of having to move on after the contractual engagement ended. Time was running out. “Excuse me. I have to follow my fiancée.”

Steven gave a sage nod. “Better get moving if you want to catch up with her. Charley and I can handle this crowd.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He nodded his thanks to Steve and jumped in his Jag. I’m coming, Angie. Please wait for me.

Angie asked the cab driver to take her to the Cedar Pavilion in Harper Park. She wanted time to collect herself before going home to speak to her grandmother.

She paid the cab driver her fare once she reached her destination. He looked at the charge on the meter and then at her, perplexed. “You don’t want me to wait?”

“I could be here for a while. It’s fine. I’m within walking distance of my house.”

The driver cast another dubious gaze, this time at the heels on her feet when she got out of the cab. “If you say so.” He drove away.

She stepped onto the grass and took off her tight-fitting shoes. Sunlight warmed the tops of her feet while the grass tickled her toes. Heels in hand, she strolled the path to the pavilion. A couple months ago, this was where she and Max took their engagement pictures.

She looked out at the empty pavilion. She remembered the pretty off-white dress she wore for the pictures. She walked closer and saw the spot where one of the columns was lined with ivy and creeping moss. The photographer had her and Max stand there for several poses. That was where Max took her in his arms for a kiss. She still had her copy of the picture. Why did she decide to keep it?

“Oh, who am I kidding?” she mumbled aloud. She still had feelings for Max even after all these years. She let herself get carried away again, and just as before, there was nothing she could say or do about it to make those feelings go away.

The rumble of a convertible tore her gaze away from the pavilion. Max parked his Jag, engine still running, and jumped out of the car. “Angie, there’s something I have to say to you.”

She shook her head. “I know I shouldn’t have left the ceremony. You don’t have to tell me.”

“I don’t care about the ceremony anymore. I care about you.”

He looked so athletic and handsome, even with his suit jacket wrinkled and his hair out of place. There she went again, letting her attraction to him get in the way of good sense.

“Angie,” he went on, “I’m sorry for acting like a jerk. Today and before. I want to know if you’re going to be alright.”

She turned her back to him. “Like you said, people will eventually stop talking about what they heard and move on. I’ll get over it, too, the way I get over everything else.”

She heard his footsteps. He got in front of her. “What do you mean?”

Her stomach tightened. She dropped her shoes on the ground. “I had a big crush on you in high school. I wanted you to notice me and you never did.” She looked left, then up at the sky, any place except his searching blue eyes. “You probably think I’m immature for even mentioning it, but those feelings are still there. I tried to get rid of them. They’ve just grown up and evolved into something deeper.”

“Angie, if you’re immature, then I’m just a big kid, too.”

She met him eye to eye again. “What are you saying, Max?”

He took her hands in his. “I know everything happened fast with the engagement. I kept dragging you to event after event, but I enjoyed those times with you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I’ve seen a different side to you each time. You’re kind, sweet, and funny. Not to mention you make my eyes fall out of my head each time I see you in a new dress.”

“Wow, there’s something I’m comfortable envisioning.”

“There’s the humor I’m talking about.” He gave her hands a squeeze. “Angie, I was dense in high school, but I like to think I grew a couple brain cells since then.” He smiled, and he almost looked bashful while doing it. “What I’m saying is, I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”

She felt elated and a little lightheaded at the same time. “We’re alone now. Kiss me like you mean it.”

He pressed his lips to hers and gave her a kiss that sent tingles up and down her spine, the kind of kiss that told her in no uncertain terms how he felt. The sun warmed her back and neck, feeling almost as good as his arms wrapped around her.

She hated when the kiss ended. “Oh.”

“What?” He kept his arms around her waist.

“There’s still our little pretend engagement to deal with.”

“It doesn’t have to be pretend. I don’t know about you, but I can keep this up forever or at least until November seventeenth when the wedding’s scheduled.”

“Let me change my shoes first.” Angie stepped back into her heels with a grimace. “These bad boys weren’t made to go the distance.”

He offered his arm to help her to his car. When they got in, he took her left hand, interlaced his fingers with hers, and kissed it. She settled in the seat, bracing herself in case he decided to hit the gas.

This time, Max took it slow. The ride beneath the sunny June sky was nice and easy.