“He’d been cheating on me since we’d started dating.” Rose wrapped her arms around herself. “He’d go out with other women, sleep with them, then come home to me. I thought he was working. Then I realized even I wasn’t working such long hours with so many overnight trips.”
“So you confronted him?”
She nodded. “And I canceled the wedding. I later learned from a mutual friend that he’d married his last girlfriend on the same date, in the same church, with the same reception hall and caterer that I’d booked.”
“Wow.” Donovan shook his head in disbelief. “The guy has a lot of nerve.”
“His wife’s pregnant. They’re living the happily-ever-after he’d promised me.”
“Don’t believe that. Not for a minute.” Donovan straightened from the wall, pulling his hands from his shorts pockets. “People like Ben don’t change overnight. If he cheated on you, he’s cheating on her.”
“Maybe he’s changed now that he’s about to become a father.”
Why was she torturing herself with these questions? Did she want them to be true? “The fact that he tried a line on you shows that he’s still a serial cheater.”
Rose exhaled. She massaged her right shoulder. “You’re right.”
Donovan saw the strain on her elegant, honey features. He crossed to her, then cupped her left cheek with his hand. Her skin was soft and warm beneath his palm.
“I’m sorry Ben lied to you and treated you so poorly. But remember, Rose, Ben’s behavior reflects only on him, not on you.” Donovan couldn’t resist the urge to smooth his thumb over her silky cheek. “You’re an intelligent, beautiful, sexy woman. You deserve better.”
Rose searched his eyes. She cupped his hand and lowered it from her face. “Did you hear that on the Dr. Phil show?”
“Do you watch it?”
She gave him the smile he’d been hoping for, then released his hand. “We should probably get the details of our fake relationship straight.” Rose settled onto one corner of his sofa. “I showed our picture to some friends last night. They had a lot of questions.”
Donovan sat on the other end of the couch. His palm burned where he’d touched her cheek. He fisted his hand to keep from touching her again. “What did you tell them?”
“The truth—your name, where you work and what you do.” She tossed him a smile that was strained around the edges. “One of my friends is a big fan of Anderson Adventures’ computer games.”
“Only one? Hopefully, by the end of our deal, they’ll all have our games.”
“Before you turn my reunion into a marketing venue for your products, let’s focus on our original plan, shall we?” Rose arched an eyebrow. “We should keep our story as close to the
truth as possible. The truth is easier to remember. Iris and Ty introduced us.”
“Good idea. But we should probably tell people we’ve known each other for longer than a month.”
“You have a point.” Rose inclined her head. “If people knew we met in June, they’d think we got together just for the reunion.”
“Imagine that.”
“You know what I mean.” She gave him a dry look. “We can’t be too obvious.”
“We could tell people we met in March. That’s when Ty met Iris.”
“Perfect.” Rose nodded decisively, then stood from the sofa. “I’m glad we could agree on those details.”
“So am I.” What was happening here?
“Thanks for letting me interrupt you. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.” Rose turned to lead him toward his front door.
“Aren’t there other things that we need to discuss?”
Rose paused in his doorway and faced him. “Like what?”
She seriously didn’t know. They needed to discuss what they were like as a couple. What they did, what they enjoyed, what set them off; everything that made a couple a couple. Romance. But maybe that discussion should wait. Rose needed time and space after Benjamin’s phone call.