Fake It Till You Bake It(95)

And her heart ached all the more for it. It had been aching for ninety-two days, three hours, and twenty-seven minutes. But who was counting?

She missed him. There, she’d admitted it. But she’d done the right thing, saving him from her chaos. She’d done the right thing, focusing on herself.

Then why do you go home every night and spend the time wondering what he’s doing? Wondering if he’s thinking about you too?

“Jada!”

She turned to see Sydney coming toward her. “Jada, we need to start tallying the winners of the silent auction.”

An hour later, Jada found a loveseat in an out-of-the-way corner of the hotel lobby and collapsed. This event-planning business was no joke. She’d been running around nonstop, putting out little fires that popped up every three minutes. She was exhausted. Exhausted, but happy.

Mostly happy.

Other than watching as he’d accepted his award, she hadn’t seen Donovan. That was probably for the best. Bursting into tears in the middle of a ballroom didn’t exactly scream professionalism.

She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, exhaling. She needed this break. She needed the quiet.

Donovan filled her thoughts. His smile. His Principal Dell–ness. His patience. His determination. The way he looked at her. She missed it all. She missed him.

The ache had only gotten stronger.

She’d walked away to discover her place in the world and to protect him from her and the chaos she brought to his life.

You’re a coward. She shook her head, but the treacherous thought remained.

You let the best man you’ve ever known get away because you were afraid you wouldn’t be enough for him. That he would realize she wasn’t smart. That he would get bored.

Where had that gotten her?

Even though she’d found what she was looking for in her professional life, she wasn’t as fulfilled as she’d hoped. But she could do something about it. If she had the courage.

Was she ready to claim what—who—she needed in her personal life?

Yes, she was. Tonight. Now. Before he had a chance to leave.

Jada’s eyes flew open as she leapt out of the chair. She ran toward the ballroom, nearly careening into a group of tourists and their suitcases.

“Sorry,” she called back over her shoulder, never slowing down. She was a woman on a mission to get her man.

She ran headfirst into a brick wall and bounced off. “Oof.”

No, not a wall. A human body. She glanced up, preparing to apologize. The words died in her throat, surprise rendering her mute.

“Jada.” Donovan was there in all his handsome, not-imaginary glory. His eyebrows arched, a grin teasing at his full lips. “Going somewhere?”

She shook her head. “Not anymore.”

“Good. You are a hard woman to track down.” His deep voice rumbled, laced with a thread of humor. He was so handsome, so perfect. Her fingers itched to trace the line of his clean-shaven jaw, but she didn’t have that right anymore. She’d turned her back on that right. “From what I hear, you have a lot to do with tonight being such a success.”

“Thanks. What are you doing out here instead of in the ballroom?” she whispered in case she was dreaming. Hoping he would say …

“Looking for you.” His dark eyes were trained squarely on her.

“Why?” Hope, that ever-optimistic being, bloomed in her chest.

“Because it was never an option that I wouldn’t.”

Her heart stuttered. Maybe she could make this right. He grasped her arm to guide her out of the way as someone almost bumped into her. Jada barely noticed the other woman. She only had eyes for Donovan.

“You okay?” When she nodded, he gestured to a sofa a few feet away. “Sit with me?”

As she followed him, she tracked his every movement with greedy eyes. It had been so long since she’d seen him. Since she’d been close enough to touch him. She sucked in a breath when he sat next to her, with only a small cushion separating them. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she said. Her pulse was thundering loudly in her ears. “You look nice, too.”

His body—his wide shoulders, trim waist, and hard thighs—had been made to wear a tuxedo.

His lips twisted into a brief smile. “Thanks.”

Here was her chance. Time to corral all the thoughts rioting around her brain and let him know what he meant to her.

He spoke before she had the chance. “I’m glad we’re both here tonight. When we were in my office that last time, the conversation didn’t go how I expected it to. You said what you had to say, and I just let you go. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing, but the truth is I was scared.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Scared of what?”

“The feelings you inspire in me. I was coasting through life, sure I had the perfect, logical, predictable plan in place, and you came and blew it all up, and it was exactly what I needed. I want to thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome.” Her heart rejoiced at his admission, but she had to know. “Is that all?” Was he here to get that off his chest and to tell her goodbye forever? Her heart plummeted to the marble floor.

“No.” He rested his arm on the sofa back, so near to her body. She longed for him to close the distance. “I need to apologize to you.”