“Actually, I’m pretty easy going about most things. Usually. But I’ve never wanted something this much.” His gaze was still serious and she felt her stomach flip. He dragged his thumb over her bottom lip. “But I won’t push you.”

“You’ll just tempt me?” she asked.

“Oh yes. That. For sure.” Now the slow, sexy smile curled his mouth.

“Thanks for the warning.”

He stepped back after another long look. Then he grabbed his bag from beside the door.

How had she not noticed that before? Well, she’d been on the phone with her sister, panicking about Tori and Josh and Mitch being at Buttered Up.

Mitch pulled the door open and looked back. “See ya soon.”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

He smiled and then left.

As the door shut behind him, only one thought went through her head.

I already miss him.

Well, fu… fudge.

11

One week later…

Josie and Grant’s wedding was easily the most romantic thing Paige had ever witnessed.

Of course it was. It was Josie. The most in-love-with-love person Paige had ever met. And that included their own parents and grandparents.

Josie looked gorgeous, even with tears—happy tears, of course—streaming down her face. Grant had even choked up during his vows.

The flowers were gorgeous. The music was gorgeous. Josie’s dress was gorgeous. Hell, even the bridesmaids' dresses—Paige, Zoe, Jane, and Amanda wore—were gorgeous. And when did that ever happen?

The cake was, of course, gorgeous. Zoe and Josie had made it themselves, and Paige had to admit, it was a work of art.

Paige tipped back her glass of champagne. Her first, but she intended to keep the free booze flowing. They were at the reception now, and she didn’t have to make a speech—that was Zoe’s job as maid of honor—so Paige could definitely get drunk.

She really wanted to get drunk.

She was surrounded by in-love people. Her sister and Grant. Zoe and Aiden. Jane and Dax. Whitney and Cam. Max and Elliot. Even Kelsey was here with Matt, freaking glowing as they danced.

The worst part though, was that her and Josie’s parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and, well, everyone, were so, so happy. No, it wasn’t bad that they were happy. She didn’t begrudge them that. But it did remind her that they were still sad about the Wedding Reception That Never Was.

Aka, Paige’s fuckup.

They were learning though, because only two people—and neither relatives of hers—had commented that it was her turn next. So she only needed to add two cats to her collection.

Of course, part of being around her extended family at a wedding, of all things, was she knew they were all whispering to one another about how “too bad” it was that the handsome, charming man she’d been holding hands with in the bakery last week lived so far away. What they really meant was that it was typical that Paige would finally show some interest in someone and he’d be out of reach. But Josie telling them all that Josh was from Louisiana and he owned his own business there, and, no, there was no way he could move to Iowa, did keep them from bugging Paige about holding his hand in public.

Paige set the champagne glass down and sighed.

And admitted the actual worst part.

She wished that Mitch were here.

And not just because then her Aunt Vivian would stop giving her pitying looks as she sat at the head table alone, the only single bridesmaid. She and Oliver, one of Grant’s best friends, were the only two single members of the bridal party, period, and everyone knew Ollie was in love with Piper.

Well, everyone except Ollie himself.

Ollie and Piper were dancing now too.

Paige wished Mitch were here because she’d love to dance with him. And drink champagne. And flirt and laugh and tease and just have fun.

Mitch would be fun to be with.

At the dance. At the wedding dance.

She wouldn’t even mind that her mother would be pleased and hopeful watching her and Mitch together. She might even smile and say, “We’ll see” when her mother asked if he could be The One. Instead of her usual, “You just added another year of spinsterhood to my calendar. At this rate, I won’t be married until I’m fifty.”

Her mother would always roll her eyes and mutter something under her breath, and Paige couldn’t quite hear but assumed was along the lines of “Where did I go wrong?” or “I need to stop for wine on the way home.”

“Hi, Paige.”

She looked up and blinked, pulling her attention away from her thoughts. “Oh, hi, Carter.”

“Would you like to dance?”

She looked from Carter Rogers to the dance floor then back.

No, not really. Not unless Mitch was here.

But Mitch wasn’t here, and it was her sister’s wedding dance, and, as much as she hated to do it, it would make her mom happy.

She sighed. She didn’t hate making her mom happy. She loved her mom. She just wished that making her happy didn’t involve her getting hitched. She’d given her mother plenty of grandkids to spoil. They had fur and couldn’t talk, but they also potty trained really easily and could be left alone when she went out, like to a wedding, without her having to pay a sitter.

“Paige?”

“Oh right.” She smiled at Carter. Carter had been a classmate of hers and she’d always liked him. He was one of the smartest guys in their class and he’d gone off to college on a full scholarship. He’d just moved back and started his business. Something about bringing up-and-coming tech to rural areas of the Midwest. She was sure he was going to be successful. And in Appleby for the rest of his life.

“Sure,” she finally said. They could dance though.

He led her to the dance floor and she let him pull her close. It wasn’t her fault that she instantly began comparing being against him to being against Mitch.

But as they danced she relaxed.

They talked and laughed. She’d forgotten Carter was funny. She hadn’t forgotten that he was cute and they got along well though. She was glad he’d asked her to dance.

She participated in the bouquet toss—dodging the stupid thing when her sister practically threw it right to her. Carter took part in the garter toss. They did the “Hokey Pokey” and line danced to “Achy Breaky Heart”.

And when the dance was over, she let him walk her out to her car. She would have walked all the way home if it weren’t for her heels and fancy dress and the sixteen-degree wind chill. Why her sister had wanted to get married in January was beyond her.

“This was fun,” Carter said, pulling her door open.

“It was,” Paige agreed. See? Why couldn’t people just hang out and have fun without it meaning more?

“I’ve been thinking about you since I moved back,” Carter said.

Paige froze. No. No, no, no.

“What do you mean?”

He smiled. And it did nothing to her stomach.

“I was really glad you were still single when I got back,” he said.

Paige tossed her purse onto the passenger seat with a sigh. Well, dammit.

“I’m not looking for a boyfriend, Carter,” she said.