13. Aquamarine

Jane

I brace myself for impact. I knew this moment was coming, but it still catches me off guard. Just when we were starting to feel at ease with each other in those intimate poses, we're back to being awkward. At least I am. Colton doesn't seem to hesitate one beat.

Angling himself to face me, he places a hand on my cheek to bring me closer. He leans forward, and I feel like I'm going to melt before our mouths even touch. His lips press softly onto mine, and my heart flutters in my chest. I want to scold it, tell it there is no need for all that fluttering—that this is just a fake kiss. But it's not, because Colton's lips are indeed locked on mine. I press my lips forward and wonder why he doesn't deepen the kiss. I want to part my mouth and get lost in this, but then I remember my own stupid rule: no tongue. Why did I have to mention that? Tongue is good.

I almost moan at the loss of touch, but I remember my manners. Colton studies me with a hazed look that tells me the kiss had the same effect on him. Then, he turns around and sneezes.

Okay, so maybe it didn't have the same effect. And it shouldn't have had an effect on me either. I want to splash myself with cold water. This is not real. It's all the stupid ring's fault. That thing is pure perfection, and I myself wouldn't have chosen a better fit.

He opens his mouth to talk, but a torrent of sneezes come out instead.

"Have you been kissing the cat?" he asks, his eyes now bloodshot.

My eyes fly wide. "I did," I whisper. "I'm sorry. I totally forgot."

"You can't kiss the cat, then kiss me," he hisses, eyes darting from left to right. "You should at least wash your mouth afterwards."

"Wash my mouth," I say, struggling to keep my voice a whisper. "I'm not a kid who said a bad word. Besides, I didn't know we were going to kiss."

He sneezes again and again. "I need to take an antihistamine. Now."

Excusing himself to Rick and Amanda, he scurries away.

In the corner of my eye, I spot Agnes on the patio, her arms crossed as she glowers at me with a stern look. Great, now she's going to hate me even more.

Rick left to pack up the equipment in the trunk, but Amanda remained behind. I've been making small talk with her for the last few minutes while we wait for Colton.

Finally, he comes back, his tie slightly askew.

"Should we do the interview out here?" Amanda chirps.

"Wait, what?" I ask, my stomach sinking.

"The interview for the magazine feature," Amanda explains like it's obvious.

Colton's face tells me someone's getting fired. "No one mentioned an interview."

Amanda starts fidgeting with her necklace. "I'm sorry. We did mention it to your team. The feature includes a photoshoot and a small interview to publish along with it."

"We didn't sign up for this," Colton roars, his volume rising, and Amanda is two steps away from melting to the ground.

I place a hand on Colton's chest, not surprised to feel his heart racing. "It's fine, honey. We can do the interview. It'll be fun."

He opens his mouth to protest, but I throw him an insistent look. Refusing the interview would probably raise flags, and the last thing we need is a nosy reporter who's on to us. Plus, it's no big deal. Improv is my jam.

Colton sits down on a lounger. "Fine. We can do it here," he suggests, but it almost sounds like a growl.

I sit down next to him, and Amanda takes a seat across from us. She whips out a notepad and a voice recorder from her bag, her hands still trembling a little. "Okay. I'll start by asking you a few questions. The aim here is to get to know you a little more, so don't hesitate to throw in some anecdotes. Our readers love feeling like insiders into a couple's life."

I nod while Colton just sits in brooding silence.

"Right. So, the first one is easy. How did you meet?"

"We met on the Love Connected app," Colton says. "Obviously, I'd been on it for years, and when she created her profile, we immediately matched."

"So, it does work," Amanda says with an awkward laugh.

Colton sits up straighter, his face unreadable. "Yes."

Amanda's ears turn red, and I bite my cheek to stifle a laugh. I don't think he could be colder if he tried.

"It certainly does work," I say, trying to contrast with a warm smile as I place a hand on his knee. He doesn't jerk at the contact, and I try to detach my mind from my palm, which is burning so much I'm scared it'll burn a hole through his pants. "The algorithm is very thorough, and when we met for the first time, I immediately knew he was the one."

Amanda crosses her legs and looks at me eagerly. "Oh, tell me more!"

"Well, we just hit it off. We liked a lot of the same things, and we saw life from the same perspective. It just made sense."

"That's wonderful," Amanda sighs, glancing between the two of us. "You started dating right away?"

"Yes. We went on so many dates. I couldn't tell you how many," I joke. "Walks on the beach, nights at the movies, boat trips. And I think we tried every restaurant in LA, though we tried to keep a very low profile. Colton isn't a big fan of getting his picture taken."

"So, Colton Green is a romantic after all. Who knew?" she says with a chuckle.

"Well, I did create a dating app," he grumbles, and I almost scold him. But I laugh instead.

"My fiancé has a dry sense of humor. It takes some getting used to," I giggle, and Amanda replies with a small smile. "But to answer your question, Colton is a romantic. Think huge bouquets of flowers, love notes, and small gestures to remind me he cares."

"Guilty as charged," Colton says, looking at me curiously. "I just had to meet the right person, that's all."

The way he gazes at me, combined with his words, tugs at my heartstrings. Being the right person for Colton would be a dream come true. Not because of all the wonderful dates and gifts he'd give her, but because she'd have finally cracked the code, and that look in his eyes would be sincere.

"And how did he propose?" Amanda asks with a giddy smile. "Can you spill the beans?"

"Sure," I say matching her smile while I try to piece together a story in my head. "It's a good one. It came fast too, so I wasn't expecting it one bit. He got a chef to cook me a meal entirely made up of truffles—my favorite—and by the time we got to dessert, he was on one knee with that beautiful ring in his palm, asking me to be his wife."

"Aww. That's adorable." She turns to Colton. "And how did you choose the ring? It's magnificent."

"Yes, it is," he says with a nod, except he's still looking at me. His gaze lasts maybe one or two seconds, but I feel it to the depths of my soul. "The choice was impossible. I spent a long time at the store, not sure what to get until I saw it. Suddenly, it was strikingly obvious."

Amanda wears a perplexed frown, and I glance at the ring, trying to understand what he means so I can jump in.

"Look closely," Colton says, taking my hand and showing it to Amanda. "The color matches Jane's eyes perfectly. The most beautiful shade on this planet."

I swallow hard, having to refrain from throwing myself at him. Did he really pick this one because it matched my eyes? I assumed he sent an assistant to pick one out or something. Then, all the dots connect in my head. That's why he was late to the photoshoot. Imagining Colton standing there, racking his brain as he scours the jewelry store for the perfect ring, does weird things to my stomach.

Amanda raises her arm. "Ooh, I got goosebumps," she says with a chuckle. "You two are a beautiful couple. I hope you'll be happy together."

"Thank you," Colton says, squeezing my hand. But all I can manage is a polite smile. The surge of emotions has taken my brain hostage, and I'm now wondering if this whole thing might have been a giant mistake.