LITMIR.BIZ

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drink and held the empty glass to him. “It’s been nice being married to you, as well. I’ll have another, if you’re pouring.”

      Will tipped the balance of his drink down his throat and got to his feet. Taking her glass, he crossed to the bar once again. For a moment there was only the sound of the top coming off the bottle and the splash of whiskey into the glasses.

      “It was a pretty major shock to walk into my own funeral and realize I had a wife,” Will said, returning to the couch.

      “I’m sure you had several major shocks that day.” Megan took the refilled glass and peered at the level. Had he given her a healthier dose this time? “Discovering you were dead, for example.”

      “It’s weird, you know.” Will turned sideways on the couch and watched her through half-lidded eyes.

      She surveyed his features, pondering the edgy intensity he sometimes displayed since returning to Royal. Where once he’d been easygoing and wholly confident, these days she sometimes glimpsed discontent. He wasn’t as perfect as he’d once been and that made him more human and less godlike. More like a man who might be interested in a woman like her with flaws and insecurities she worked hard to hide.

      “What’s weird?” she echoed.

      “That Lowell was able to step right into my life and nobody questioned it. Was he so much like me?”

      “He was a poor man’s Will Sanders,” she said lightly. “Everyone remarked on the differences, but we all put it down to the accident.”

      “Well, he must’ve done something right to get you to marry him.”

      Megan considered what Will hadn’t asked and remembered that she’d agreed to open up. “Frankly, I was so thrilled that he—you—finally noticed me that I got sucked in.” Megan noticed Will’s surprise and forged ahead. With everything she’d been through tonight, why not take a chance and let Will know about her past crush on him? “Back in high school I would have given anything for you to smile at me, but you didn’t know I existed.”

      “That’s not true. I knew.” He released a rough breath. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t ever smart enough to appreciate you. We’ve known each other for a long time, but I never wised up and took my shot.”

      “I didn’t help you out any,” Megan said. “I was always so awkward around you. I guess it came from having such a huge crush on you when we were young and assuming you could never be attracted to me since I was such a tomboy back then.”

      Will shook his head. “I don’t want you to think I wasn’t attracted to you. Then...or now. You are an intelligent, beautiful woman with drive and passion...and I find that extremely appealing.”

      “That’s really nice of you to say—”

      Will interrupted her with an impatient snort. “Why do you think Lowell picked you out of all the women in town to pursue?”

      “I don’t know.”

      When she’d first learned that she was married to an imposter, Megan had suspected Rich had zeroed in on her because she’d never really gotten over Will even though her heart had been broken when she’d heard that Will married Selena Jacobs in college. One thing about Rich, though, he was good at preying on vulnerable people and had probably decided her unrequited love made her an easy mark.

      “He wanted my life,” Will continued. “Maybe he thought that should include a woman who I admired and lusted after.”

      “You lusted after me?” Megan shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”

      “You can’t be serious. After what happened between us the night of Jason’s memorial service?”

      “That was...” Oh, hell. What had it been? She knew what it had been for her. Had it been more than grief and a need to connect for him? “I just thought we were both upset and needing comfort.”

      “Don’t do that.”

      “Do what?”

      “Whenever I pay you a compliment, you wave it aside like you don’t believe I’m telling you the truth.”

      “I do.” But in truth she had a hard time accepting his claim that before he’d gone on that fateful fishing trip, Will had noticed her. Seeing his doubt, she amended, “I want to.”

      “What’s stopping you?”

      “There’s a critical voice inside my head constantly telling me that I need to do better, work harder. It’s as if I can’t enjoy my success because it’s never enough.”

      “If that’s because you’re constantly comparing yourself to Jason and Aaron, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. What you’ve built at Royals Shoes is fantastic and I know both your brothers are...were very proud of you.”

      A spasm of pain crossed his features. Jason’s death had packed a double whammy for him. Not only had he loved Jason as a brother, but he also felt guilty that his friend had died at the hands of the imposter.

      “I know that’s true,” Megan said, reaching out to cover Will’s hand with hers. “I guess I continue to be the product of two older brothers. Competitive older brothers. They rarely took it easy on me because I was a girl.”

      “They should’ve cut you some slack. Not because you’re a girl, but because I know how they could be, and I’m sure they ganged up on you. That wouldn’t have been fair regardless of your gender.”

      “It made me tough.” At least on the outside. “I’ve learned to smile through every meeting I’ve ever taken.”

      “You don’t have to be strong for me. Or with me.” Will set his fingers beneath her chin and turned her face until their gazes met. “In fact, I like riding in on my white steed to rescue you.”

      “Having you as my knight in shining armor sounds really nice,” she said, leaning the tiniest bit into his space, hoping he’d see that she really wanted him to kiss her.

      “That’s good because I intend to be there if Lowell shows up again.” Will’s somber vow sent goose bumps chasing over Megan’s arms. His fingers stroked along her cheek, leaving tingles in their wake. “I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”

      To her dismay, when the longed-for kiss came, Will’s lips brushed her forehead, not her mouth. She sighed at the contact, anyway, impressing a memory of the scent of his cologne and the softness of his breath against her skin.

      “Now,” he said with a wry smile, “can we talk about the pistol with the pink grip?”

      Megan rolled her eyes, accepting the ribbing but still feeling like she needed to explain herself. “I did my research and the gun had great reviews.”

      “But it was pink.”

      “It was the only one they had in stock and I wanted to get it as soon as possible.” She made a face at him. “And it did the trick. I shot Rich, didn’t I? Or, at least, I grazed him. In any case, I surprised him and that’s what enabled me to get away.”

      “You did a stellar job defending yourself. No one could have done better. I just wish I’d been there to see his expression when you pulled out that gun and pointed it at him.”

      “It was pretty funny,” she admitted. But her satisfaction was short-lived. “And most of the reason he was probably surprised was that I didn’t exactly stand up for myself during our marriage.”

      “Why not?”

      “I was afraid. What did it say that I couldn’t keep Will Sanders interested during the honeymoon stage of our marriage? And if I lost him...” She glanced away as she spoke, but Will reached out and touched her chin, guiding her head until their gazes met. The understanding in his eyes gave her the courage to finish her thought. “I would’ve been a big fat failure.”

      “He

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