seemed—”
Brent scowled. “So my girlfriend gives you a sidelong glance and you think you have the right to tell her you love her?”
“Damn it, Brent.” Evan pushed himself from the couch and paced across the carpet. “Try and see it from my point of view. I was in love with her. There was a chance she returned those feelings, but momentum was carrying her forward to marry you.”
“Momentum?” Brent’s sharp voice slashed through Evan.
“I know she cares about you, but what if it’s me she really loves? Don’t you want her to be happy?”
“Don’t give me that crap. Of course I want her to be happy. And I’m the man who’ll make her happy.”
Evan stopped pacing and faced Brent again. “Look, I just had to give it a shot, okay? My happiness is important, too.”
“More important than mine?”
“Of course not. But if she was in love with you, she would have said no to me.”
“Which she did.”
“That’s true. And if you two had gotten married, it would have ended there. I would have known she was with the man she truly loved. But…”
“But what?” Brent said with narrowed eyes.
“But then you left and it’s become clear Crystal does have feelings for me. Now it’s a matter of letting her figure out which one of us she wants to spend the rest of her life with.”
* * *
Crystal heard Brent’s and Evan’s raised voices through the door but couldn’t tell what they were saying. She wrung her hands together. What a mess.
A few minutes later, a tap sounded at the door.
“Crystal, it’s Evan. May I come in?”
Poor Evan. How must he be feeling about all this?
“Yes, come in.” She turned to face the door as he stepped inside.
“So … how are you doing?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Confused. Uncertain. I need time to process everything that’s happened.”
“I assume with Brent here…” He gazed at his suitcase standing on the rack next to hers. “Maybe I should sleep in the guest room.”
Oh, God, the thought of sleeping in here with Evan, and Brent in the next room … it didn’t seem right. Damn, what a mess.
She nodded. “Thank you for understanding.” Oh, damn, did Evan think Brent would be sleeping in here with her? Did Brent? “Um … there’s only one guest room, and…”
“If you’re worried about Brent, he’s already crashed in the sunroom.”
She nodded. “So the two of you talked?”
“A little. Then he glared daggers at me and stormed off. He found the couch in the sunroom and grabbed the spare bedding from the cupboard.” Evan leaned against the dresser. “I think we have some tense times ahead. Crystal, I’m sorry I caused this whole mess. But I’ve got to say, no matter what happens between Brent and me, I’m glad I told you how I feel. I know you’re going to have a hard decision ahead, but … I’m still hoping you’ll choose me.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. She knew once she calmed down, she should choose Brent. Now that she knew Brent hadn’t walked out on her because he didn’t love her, that he’d done it as a reaction to feeling betrayed, she had to view everything in a whole new light. Brent was the sensible, logical choice. He was her fiancé. They’d been in love for years. They’d been planning the wedding for months. Everything pointed to that decision.
But he shouldn’t have walked out on her. The fact that he would do that did not bode well for the health of their marriage.
She glanced at Evan. Concern for her burned in his eyes. The time they’d spent together the past two days had forced her to take another look at her feelings for him. And now she could no longer lie to herself. She could no longer deny she was falling in love with Evan.
Even though she had never fallen out of love with Brent.
* * *
Crystal lay staring at the ceiling in the dark room, fully aware of the fact that Evan slept in the room right next to hers, and Brent was asleep on the couch in
Brent scowled. “So my girlfriend gives you a sidelong glance and you think you have the right to tell her you love her?”
“Damn it, Brent.” Evan pushed himself from the couch and paced across the carpet. “Try and see it from my point of view. I was in love with her. There was a chance she returned those feelings, but momentum was carrying her forward to marry you.”
“Momentum?” Brent’s sharp voice slashed through Evan.
“I know she cares about you, but what if it’s me she really loves? Don’t you want her to be happy?”
“Don’t give me that crap. Of course I want her to be happy. And I’m the man who’ll make her happy.”
Evan stopped pacing and faced Brent again. “Look, I just had to give it a shot, okay? My happiness is important, too.”
“More important than mine?”
“Of course not. But if she was in love with you, she would have said no to me.”
“Which she did.”
“That’s true. And if you two had gotten married, it would have ended there. I would have known she was with the man she truly loved. But…”
“But what?” Brent said with narrowed eyes.
“But then you left and it’s become clear Crystal does have feelings for me. Now it’s a matter of letting her figure out which one of us she wants to spend the rest of her life with.”
* * *
Crystal heard Brent’s and Evan’s raised voices through the door but couldn’t tell what they were saying. She wrung her hands together. What a mess.
A few minutes later, a tap sounded at the door.
“Crystal, it’s Evan. May I come in?”
Poor Evan. How must he be feeling about all this?
“Yes, come in.” She turned to face the door as he stepped inside.
“So … how are you doing?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Confused. Uncertain. I need time to process everything that’s happened.”
“I assume with Brent here…” He gazed at his suitcase standing on the rack next to hers. “Maybe I should sleep in the guest room.”
Oh, God, the thought of sleeping in here with Evan, and Brent in the next room … it didn’t seem right. Damn, what a mess.
She nodded. “Thank you for understanding.” Oh, damn, did Evan think Brent would be sleeping in here with her? Did Brent? “Um … there’s only one guest room, and…”
“If you’re worried about Brent, he’s already crashed in the sunroom.”
She nodded. “So the two of you talked?”
“A little. Then he glared daggers at me and stormed off. He found the couch in the sunroom and grabbed the spare bedding from the cupboard.” Evan leaned against the dresser. “I think we have some tense times ahead. Crystal, I’m sorry I caused this whole mess. But I’ve got to say, no matter what happens between Brent and me, I’m glad I told you how I feel. I know you’re going to have a hard decision ahead, but … I’m still hoping you’ll choose me.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. She knew once she calmed down, she should choose Brent. Now that she knew Brent hadn’t walked out on her because he didn’t love her, that he’d done it as a reaction to feeling betrayed, she had to view everything in a whole new light. Brent was the sensible, logical choice. He was her fiancé. They’d been in love for years. They’d been planning the wedding for months. Everything pointed to that decision.
But he shouldn’t have walked out on her. The fact that he would do that did not bode well for the health of their marriage.
She glanced at Evan. Concern for her burned in his eyes. The time they’d spent together the past two days had forced her to take another look at her feelings for him. And now she could no longer lie to herself. She could no longer deny she was falling in love with Evan.
Even though she had never fallen out of love with Brent.
* * *
Crystal lay staring at the ceiling in the dark room, fully aware of the fact that Evan slept in the room right next to hers, and Brent was asleep on the couch in
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