Prologue

PROLOGUE

ONE YEAR AGO

Ellis

"What do you think? Too sexy?"

I tugged at the silky button-down that clung to my every muscle—and I had a lot of them. That wasn't a brag. As a personal trainer, it was a byproduct of my many hours in the gym.

Ritchie scoffed. "Are you serious? There's no such thing."

I frowned at my reflection. "You don't know Clayton. He's dignified. He made us reservations at The Black Swan, and it's beyond fancy."

"The Black Swan? Holy shit, he's going to pop the question."

My eyes met his, excitement swelling. "No! You think?"

Ritchie began ticking off points on his fingers. "It's classy. It's expensive. It's got romantic candlelight. It's the perfect setting for it!"

I unbuttoned my shirt, humming thoughtfully. "Well, he is headed to law school, and knowing Clayton, he'll be planning out his life."

"Exactly! If he's smart, he wants you to be part of that plan."

"We have been dating a long time."

"Two years," Ritchie agreed. "Otherwise, I'd have snagged you myself."

I laughed. Ritchie had no real interest in me. We'd become besties because we were the gay twinsies in our fraternity. Sadly, with graduation looming, Ritchie already had a job lined up in San Francisco.

"I'm going to miss you," I said.

"Nah. You'll be too busy living a fairytale with your prince," he said with a sigh. "That shirt is boring."

I adjusted the collar of the looser midnight-blue shirt and tucked it into my jeans. "It's not boring, it's respectable. Like Clayton."

"If you say so."

I hesitated, taking a second look in the mirror. Ritchie came up behind me. "Oh, sweetie, it makes your eyes pop. You look gorgeous, as always. I'm just being a catty bitch."

I smiled, reassured. "Thanks, Ritchie. If I do get married, you've got to be my best man."

"I'd be devastated if you didn't ask."

The doorbell went off downstairs, and one of my frat bros, Mike, hollered up the stairs. "Yo, Ellis, your man is here!"

Flutters erupted in my stomach. Tonight was going to set the course for the rest of my life.

"Coming!" I called, then smoothed my hair and took a deep breath to compose myself before heading down the stairs.

Clayton whistled low, gaze roaming over me as I joined him. "Ready, babe?"

I grinned wide, excitement flooding my veins. "For you? Always."

He chuckled. "Let's go then."

Clayton drove a silver BMW, his pride and joy, but I admired the way he handled his car more than the car itself. Watching him shift through gears, working that stick? Yum. Not that I told him. I didn't want to come across as slutty on our romantic evening out.

Especially if he proposed! Imagine his strongest memory of the night being me complimenting his stick skills? No, I'd save that for the intimate celebration we could have later.

I wiggled a little in excitement. Clayton shot an amused look my way. "You okay over there?"

"Just excited to try The Black Swan," I lied.

"Yeah, it's supposed to have exquisite lobster."

Meh. I didn't care about the lobster. But I just beamed him an encouraging smile. "That sounds amazing."

We pulled up to the valet, and Clayton handed over his keys. He placed his hand on my back as we walked in, guiding me toward the hostess stand.

It was kind of silly. I was bigger than him and I could certainly find the hostess stand without his help, but I loved the way his possessive touches made me feel precious.

The hostess, a sweetie named Amanda, led us to a table in a quiet corner beside the window. Clayton ordered a bottle of pricey wine.

I took a breath to calm myself, but patience wasn't my virtue. I'd once been compared to a hyperactive golden retriever. I'd taken it as a compliment. Who didn't need a dose of happy energy?

"Tonight must be special," I said. "You've never taken me somewhere so nice before."

"Oh. Uh…" Clayton cleared this throat. "Yeah, but our dates have always been special to me, babe."

I reached for his hand. "To me too."

The server arrived with the wine and poured a bit into Clayton's glass so he could swirl it, sniff it, taste it. He finally gave a nod of approval. The server looked at me.

"I'm sure it's great. Thanks."

Clayton rolled his eyes as the waiter walked away. "You don't know if it's good unless you sample it."

"You always have good taste."

He straightened, puffing up a bit. "I suppose that's true. Still, you can't trust everyone like you trust me. You're so sweet-natured. I worry someone will take advantage of you."

My smile faltered. But Clayton just worried because he cared, right?

I hitched my lips back up. "Thanks, Clay. I'll keep that in mind."

I took a sip of the wine, and eek, maybe Clayton wasn't so wrong. It was not to my liking at all. But I hadn't wanted to offend his taste on our big night. Speaking of big nights…

"Why did you want to bring me here tonight?"

I willed him to get out of his chair and drop to a knee. He leaned forward, forehead creasing. "Why wouldn't I want to take out my favorite guy?"

"Well, yes, good point," I said with a chuckle.

Dang. Maybe he was waiting until after the meal? Ooh, maybe he'd hidden a ring in a souffle. That would be romantic.

The server returned, and we ordered our meals. Clayton unsurprisingly ordered the lobster. I got a grilled salmon with veggies and tried not to think about how much oil and butter they used. After majoring in nutrition, I could never look at food the same way.

But this was our special night, and I wasn't going to dampen Clayton's enthusiasm for that lobster. He was shoveling it in with such intensity we couldn't really talk.

But eventually, we cleared our plates. Clayton declined dessert, so there went that idea. But he had to ask now, surely? Or at least tell me what was so special about tonight?

"So, what next?"

"I'm glad you asked, Ellis." Clayton fidgeted with his napkin, seeming nervous.

Is this it?

"Now that I've gotten into law school, it's time to think about my five-year plan. I have a vision for my life."

This was it!

Clayton continued. "It's important to me that I start making decisions to put me on that path, and that means?—"

"Yes!"

"—I can't do this anymore."

We both froze, confused.

"What?" I asked.

"I can't do this with you anymore," Clayton said, tone contrite. "Ellis, we've had so much fun together."

"Fun," I echoed.

"But I've got to get serious about my future. I need a partner who can keep up with me."

Hurt flooded me. "You don't think I can keep up?"

He chuckled. "Come on, Ellis. You're a personal trainer. You spend more time at the gym than the library."

I majored in nutrition. It wasn't as if I'd never cracked a book. I was about to be a college graduate too!

"No one will respect an attorney with…" He gestured vaguely to my body. "I just need to choose brains over brawn, babe. That's all."

"I thought you liked me," I whispered.

"I do, babydoll," he said. "I'll treasure the memories we made together. It's simply time for another phase of my life, with someone who's as ambitious and driven as me. You understand, don't you? We can still have a lovely night together."

I pushed back. "I think you should take me home."

"Aw, come on, Ellis. Don't you want one last time to make some good memories? Remember last summer? The hot tub. We could re-enact?—"

I huffed. "No. You don't get the milk for free when you don't want the cow!"

Clayton stood, smirking. "Are you calling yourself a cow in this scenario?"

"You know what I mean!"

I whirled and strode toward the door, ignoring the startled looks of the other diners.

Tonight was supposed to be special. It was supposed to be the start of my future as a hot husband.

Where had I gone wrong? Surely, there was something I could do to fix it. To prove to Clayton that he was wrong.

I could be the smart, driven partner he wanted.

Couldn't I?