Accidental Knight: A Marriage Mistake Romance(58)

Then Winnie, gone without a trace till it was too late.

All the people I failed and left behind, the ones I couldn’t help because I wasn’t quick enough or focused enough or...

Fuck. I’m doing it again.

Something about being this close to Bella Reed makes good rules fly right out of my head. So I suck in a slow, quiet breath and try to remember.

Never get too close.

Never fraternize.

Never care.

I ball my hand into a fist to keep from touching her. “You okay, darlin’?”

She smiles. “I’m fine, Drake. And you should really finish before your burger gets cold. It’s pretty tasty.”

“Yeah!” Erin says. “Eat up. It’s on the house for the scene today. I’m truly sorry I ruined your lunch.”

“You didn’t ruin a thing,” Bella tells her, shaking her head. “She was wound up at me before she turned on you. The idea that I might have a—” She glances at me. “A boyfriend, upset her more than anything with you and Dad.”

Erin blinks.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because she didn’t give me permission.” She pops a fry into her mouth and bites down hard. “Mom thrives on control. Always has. That’s what’s really driving her insane in all this. Gramps laid out everything in a will she can’t just overturn...and me, I’m not going along with anything she wants.”

That part was obvious, but the fact that Bella accepts this control freak shit so readily it almost sounds mundane just pisses me off.

No one deserves to be treated the way Molly treats her.

“Sooo,” Erin cuts in, her smile returning. “I couldn’t help noticing the other part...the two of you are boyfriend and girlfriend? That’s amazing! Jonah must be doing the two-step wherever he is, knowing his two favorite people are...” She lifts a brow. “Will there be an engagement soon? Or better yet, a wedding?”

Shit.

So much for keeping up our cover. If Erin knows, I give it ten hours at most before that spreads to two thirds of the town.

Bella shrugs. “You never know.” Then she holds the fry out for me to take a bite.

Damn her. The glimmer in her eyes is another challenge, and she knows I don’t back down.

But I can’t let this get dangerous, either. Can’t have any news about us being a couple reach the wrong ears.

I bite off half the fry, mulling what else to say to keep everything from unraveling.

Bella pops the rest of the fry in her mouth and then says to Erin. “Just between us...it may have already happened.”

“What?” Erin, wide-eyed, glances between us. “What’s happened? The engagement or the wedding?”

In a blur, she sets down a salad bowl, reaches across the table, and snatches Bella’s hand. “Where’s the ring?”

Bella’s cheeks flush pink as she glances at me. At least she’s backed herself into a corner, right alongside me.

Fuck. I’m not sure if she’s sorry she took it this far, or for passing the ball to my court.

“It’s on order,” I say quietly, fighting the urge to palm my face when Erin’s eyes light up. “Hey, listen. We’re gonna make a formal announcement to the town sooner or later, but we’d appreciate it if you’ll keep a lid on it. We want to do it right. Can you keep a secret, Erin?”

She bites her lip, holding in a squeal. “Ohh, all right! For you, Drakie – for this – mum’s my middle name.”

Bella’s cheeks turn redder, and I take a bite out of my burger. She senses the heaviness in my tone.

Erin’s breathless excitement is so great it’s got her swaying next to us. Damn, I might as well have taken an ad out in the Dallas Tribune already.

“Secret or not, this is the best!” she exclaims, leaning over, giving Bella a quick peck on the forehead. “The absolute best. However long you guys hang onto this, I’d better get a look at that ring. Lord have mercy! Bella’s back and here to stay! The entire town’s going to be so happy to hear about this, knowing old Jonah wasn’t the last Reed in town.”

Bella manages a smile. “I’ll be around for at least the next six months. Beyond that...we’ll see.”

“Oh, God, anything helps. You have no idea, Bella. Everyone’s been worried sick what would happen now that Jonah’s gone and Gary’s at the helm – or they thought it was him. The only hope anyone had is that you’d keep him from selling out. The end of North Earhart would be the end of this town.”

My jaw clenches as I turn, eyeballing the crowd in the diner. For all my efforts, swearing her to secrecy, it might be for nothing.

Erin’s excitement has gained attention. Lots of it.

Damn near every person in the diner stares at our table, and a low rush of murmurs fills the room.

“That won’t happen,” Bella says, leaning closer to me. “Not on our watch. North Earhart isn’t going anywhere.”

The murmurs grow into a mild roar.

I wait, hoping Bella won’t say she inherited everything. If that gets back to Jupiter, we’ll have jackals aplenty stalking around.

“I know how important this town was to Gramps,” she says, “and it’s just as important to me. Dallas has always felt like home.”