Together, they spent the weeks leading up to the big ribbon-cutting ceremony lounging on the Spanish beaches, shopping, and hitting every romantic location in the city. Hugh had to work a lot, but he tried to make up for it with over-the-top evenings.

When he was gone, it gave her time to think about why she had left. Eric’s face popped into her mind over and over again. She tried to forget the look on his face when he had begged her to stay, but she couldn’t. And though she was still so angry with him and herself for what had happened, the distance made the reality of his actions wane.

She knew it could never be the same. Part of what had made them, them was a lie. But she hoped they could have a part of their friendship back. She wasn’t ready to confront that now, but maybe she would be when she got back from Barcelona. Maybe.

Hugh caught her lounging by the pool during one such instance when her mind was off thinking about what she had left behind in Vegas.

“Hey, gorgeous.” He kissed the top of her head.

She startled. “Oh, hey.”

“You seemed far away. Where were you?”

She smiled lazily to try to hide the thoughts warring through her mind. “Just excited for the ceremony tonight. Glad it’s finally here.”

“And sad that it means our time together this summer is coming to a close,” he finished for her.

“Oh, don’t remind me.”

She didn’t know what was going to happen with them after this. He had said he loved her. That left a whole lot of nagging questions in her mind, questions she was trying to avoid like the plague. What would happen from here? How could we be together when he’s married? Is this going to be a permanent arrangement? It was confusing because though she had made her decisions, she felt as if she should know more about him. She wanted to ask all the questions she had avoided before because she didn’t think they mattered. But she didn’t.

“You’re gone again.”

She laughed and tried to play it off. “No, I’m still here. How was work?”

“Everything is set up for the ceremony down to the minute details. I came to check to see if you were ready for all of this?”

“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, it will all be filmed. I’ll be showcasing you to the world.”

She swallowed. “Really? You didn’t mention that.”

“It’s been picked up by some national and international media. I didn’t want to scare you. You’ll be at my side, and I’ll do all the talking. You just have to be your beautiful self.”

“Oh. Right.” Arm candy. “Well, I’ve been in front of a camera before. So, no big deal, I guess.”

She wished he hadn’t kept it from her. It wasn’t like she was afraid to be on camera, but it was another big step. What the hell is he going to say if someone asks why I’m here with him? It was all so confusing.

“If you’re not comfortable, I can have you in a strategic position off camera.” He pulled her hand up to his lips and lightly kissed her fingers. “But I want you to be with me.”

“That’s why I’m here. Of course, I’ll be on camera with you, if that’s what you want.”

“Good.” He smiled brightly. “You should probably go get ready then. I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” she asked, her face lighting up. “You’re full of surprises.”

“I am. I like to surprise you.”

“Well, now, I’ll spend all afternoon wondering.”

He gave her an easy smile. Everything was always so easy for him. She wished she could push all her cares away so readily.

“Good. I’ll see you at the ceremony. I can’t wait to see your dress. Are you sure I can’t look ahead of time?”

“I’ve spent a lot of time keeping this secret from you! You can’t look now.”

He backed away with his hands up. “Of course. I’ll allow you to surprise me this once then.”

A couple of hours later, Bryna was refreshed with her hair pulled back into a severe twist and her makeup dark and smoky. Her dress was an exquisite floor-length racerback Dior creation, hand-beaded in bright reds, with a slit that reached to her upper thigh when the panels separated. It was both elegant and sexy.

When she walked out of the room, the look on Hugh’s face made the whole ensemble worth it.

“Now, how am I supposed to keep my hands off of you through the entire ceremony?” he asked.

She smirked, triumphant. “You’ll have to give it your best shot.”

“I am going to have a lot of jealous colleagues.”

He offered her his arm, and she fit her hand into the crook of his elbow. His lips landed on hers, tender and thoughtful, filled with all the love he professed to her on a regular basis. She still hadn’t returned the phrase, but every time he kissed her, it was as if he didn’t need to hear the words. He acted as if he could taste them.

They walked together down to the entrance. Hugh shook hands with a few people in the lobby while a bunch of people gave her the side eye. They knew she had been there with him the whole time, and still, they skeptically looked at her. Hugh didn’t even seem to notice. He grabbed her hand once more, and they walked out to the crowd of people and up onto a platform.

Then, Hugh started his speech. She stood next to him. Cameras flashed everywhere. It reminded her of the red carpet she had been on countless times with her father and Gates. All of the eyes should have made her feel better, but suddenly, she felt worse. She enjoyed this, but she didn’t love Hugh. She didn’t know if she would ever love him. She liked him. She liked their time together, but she didn’t feel that spark.

But he kept saying it. He kept saying it like love existed. Love was laced with poison, and each time she drank from the bottle, she died a slow, painful death.

The applause jolted her out of her thoughts. Hugh reached forward, holding up some impossibly large gold scissors, and cut the ribbon. There were a series of pictures, and then everyone was herded inside to the ballroom. A huge after-party was being held in all the hotel ballrooms to celebrate the new resort. Hundreds of people flooded in behind them, and Hugh smiled at them all, greeting them and thanking them for coming to the resort. He was an eternally gracious host.

“Come on, while everyone’s distracted,” he said. He took her arm and pulled her out a side door to a deserted balcony overlooking the city below.

Bryna leaned her elbows against the railing and let the breeze kiss across her skin. “That was a lot of people.”

“And everyone was watching you.”

She glanced over at him and laughed lightly. “You were the one giving the speech.”

“Hey, I would have been watching you, too, if I could have.”

“You see me all the time.”

“But not in this dress.” His hands slid down her hips.

“No. I normally wear less.”

Hugh smiled and then took a calming deep breath. He actually looked…nervous. That’s odd. He’s never like that.

“I have your surprise.”

She arched an eyebrow. Suddenly, her nerves tingled up her back in warning. She didn’t even know why, but it hit her hard.

He swallowed and then pulled out a flat blue velvet box from his jacket pocket. Her eyes locked on it.

“I told you earlier that I wasn’t ready for you to leave me after the summer. The truth is, I don’t want you to leave at all. My life is complete with you in it. I enjoy waking up every day and finding you beside me. I haven’t felt like this in a very, very long time.”

Her ears were ringing. She could barely hear what he was saying.

He opened the box, and inside was a stunning Harry Winston collar necklace of exquisite diamonds. It looked as if it weighed a ton, and it shined so bright that it was almost blinding. Her hand went to her mouth in shock.

“I love you. I know you’ve been kind of distant, and we haven’t even been together for a year, but this feels too real to me. I want it to be real for you. I didn’t know what your dress looked like, but I figured that diamonds matched everything. You always wear your B, but I wanted you to wear something of mine tonight.”