Chapter 52

Chapter 52

I waited for Noah inside Miranda’s Brew at lunch, twirling the ring box between my hands. I knew that Lily was right, that I needed to return it if I was not going to marry him, but I did not want to hurt Noah. He had been so sweet to me and had been such a great help with this case against Bob, and I didn’t want to drag him down.

“Crystall”

I startled at the sound of Noah’s voice. I stashed the ring box in my

“Noah!” I called, waving him over.

coat pocket and instinctually grabbed my latte.

Noah took the seat opposite me and set down his green table on the small table.

“I’m glad to:

fight}}}

you, though a bit surprised,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure how much we were going to be seeing each other atter you showed up at my house with the Alpha King to retrieve your things.”

Internally, I cringed. He was not making this easier.

I reached for Noah’s hand and held it. He did not move away.

“Noah, you know that you’re my friend, right?”

Noah frowned but nodded.

“Then of course I’d want to see you.”

“To help you with your case against Bob.”

“That’s not why I asked you here today.”

“Then why?”

I felt him squeeze my hand ever so slightly, like a desperate plea for good news that I could not respond positively to.

“Actually, Noah, it’s about this.”

I pulled the ring box out of my coat pocket and set it on the table between us.

For a moment, Noah sat up straighter, and a light entered his eyes that had not been there before. The poor man must have thought that I had changed my mind. I couldn’t let him think that for long.

“I can’t keep this, I continued.

Noah immediately deflated.

“Why not?” he asked. I told you that it was yours.”

“And I told you, I can’t marry you, Noah.”

”

“I know what you said, Crystal. That doesn’t mean that-

“That what? I won’t change my mind? So long as I have Bob to take care of, I can’t commit myself to any man.”

“That still doesn’t mean that you can’t keep the ring. I know that we might not get married, I’ve made peace with that, but I still want you to have it. It was made for you, so it should be with you.”

I shook my head adamantly and pushed the box in his direction.

“I cannot, in good conscience, keep it. I don’t want to give you the wrong idea, to give either of us false hope.”

He sighed and shook his head but took the ring box, regardless.

“Does this have anything to do with the Alpha King?” he asked, eyeing me.

My heart raced. My fingers tapped on my latté rapidly.

“No.” I said as I took a sip of my drink. “Like I said, so long as I’m trying to get myself justice, I won’t be able to commit myself to any man.”

I returned to Ever After Weddings bridal shop feeling a little lighter, yet simultaneously a little guiltier. I had done the right thing, but I knew that Noah had been hurt by my actions. I shouldn’t have taken the ring in the first place, but what was I supposed to do when I had already hurt him by rejecting his proposal?

I berated myself and told myself that I shouldn’t dwell on these matters. They would only bring me down, and I had a long day still ahead of me. My coworkers needed me to be at my best.

As I entered the shop, I was surprised to see Terri already at the counter entertaining a client. That didn’t surprise me nearly. as much as the client himself.

“Andrew!”

Andrew turned his imposing frame to me, looking me up and down, assessing me. Suddenly, I felt underdressed in my modest red sundress, black maxi coat, and knee-length boots.

“Hello, Crystal,” he said.

“What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to go over the latest developments in the wedding planning” He lifted his chin at me, as though daring me to challenge that claim. “That is what you do here, right?”

“Of course, of course.” I motioned towards the nearby table. “If you’re ready, I can grab your folder, and we can get started.”

“Presumptuous of you to assume that I want to continue working with you.”

Heat flooded my cheeks.

“Oh, I’m sorry. If you would rather, Terri can take over-

“I’m teasing you, Crystal. I’m perfectly fine with us continuing to work together on my daughter’s wedding/I am an adult,

after all.”

My face blushed even deeper.

“I see. Well, then, take a seat, and I will be right over.”

As Andrew sat down at the table, I went behind the counter to retrieve the folder for Lisa and Bob’s wedding. Terri pretended to assist me so that she could whisper in my ear.

“What is going on with you and the Alpha King?” she asked.

“It’s a long story.” I whispered back.

“I’m not doing anything later.”

“Depending on how well this goes, we’ll see if I feel like sharing.”

“Mmhmm

w

1 lightly smacked her on the arm with the folder.

“Go work on the Stevenson-Marigold wedding or something?

“All right, all right. This conversation isn’t over, though.”

I went to sit down next to Andrew. As I opened the folder, my forearm brushed against Andrew’s. Goosebumps spread across my skin from the contact, but I forced myself to focus.

“So, where would you like to start? You saw the progress that Nikolas is making on Lisa’s dress when we were there, and now that we have a set date, I have been able to secure the location…”

“How about we start with the budget? I would like to ensure that we’re not going too far over.”

“Of course. Let me bring that up.”

I turned to the spreadsheet where I kept track of the expenses and remaining budget. Andrew leaned in closer, pressing his shoulder against me and bringing his face within inches of mine. I could hardly breathe from the desire running through me and straight to my groin, but I reminded myself that I was at work and needed to remain in control.

Besides, Andrew was still probably mad about the ring.

Andrew had me go back to the beginning of the budget and explain every expense to him. It felt like an exercise in fruitlessness to me, considering we had gone over some of these expenses multiple times before, but I would do anything to make him happy at this point. It also made me happy just to be interacting with him.

I was about to turn the page to the next spreadsheet when Andrew suddenly grabbed my wrist, I looked up at him.

His expression was serious with a hint of contemplation to it. He lifted his other hand and moved a stray hair behind my ear.

“Crystal,” he said, “I have a question to ask you, something not related to the wedding, and I want you to be completely honest with me.”

I nodded, mesmerized.

“Are you in love with Noah?”