Love Me Sweet (Love Me book 1)

Chapter 11

Ben stood in the window of his room watching the scene that was unfolding across the street on the square. It reminded him of his wedding and how much time and effort had gone into a thirty-minute ceremony. Illianna had insisted that everything be perfect, to the point of becoming a bridezilla and almost having a breakdown. It was the first sign that all was not what it seemed with the woman he was about to marry, but it had been too late, and he had made excuses.

After a few years, he had morphed into someone he hardly recognized, changing his lifestyle so that he could fit into hers. He had lost most of his identity to become Ben and Illianna, the perfect couple. Invited to every party and always ready to accept. It was who he had found himself slipping back into when he had seen Belle at the restaurant that morning.

After a time, he had started to fight Illianna for his identity, trying to pull away and be strong, no matter how many fights it caused, and then she had just started to drift away until eventually, they had been living separate lives in private with the occasional social event to appear as if they were still happy.

He sighed, looking at the crowd he recognized. It had once been his crowd, but after Illianna's death, they had turned their backs on him, and a large part if him had been relieved.

His mind turned to Lia; it was almost inconceivable that he had only known her for a few days. He had been angry at having his peace disrupted by her smart mouth and bad attitude, but he admired the way she said what she meant. It was a new experience for him.

Ben knew he had been rude to Lia after the fact at Clarey's that morning, but he hadn't wanted to introduce her, not because he didn't want Belle to meet Lia, but because he didn't want Lia to enter that world; to know who he used to be. It had thrown him to the point that he had needed to escape from the situation, and the coward in him had been glad when Lia had suggested that they leave, but as they walked home, he found his equilibrium once more.

Somehow, around Lia, he was able to find his humor, she made him smile, she made him happy, and it was starting to scare him just a little. She was like a drug, and he could find himself easily addicted to her, even if she was a magnet for trouble and she had a crazy dog that was almost human.

*******

"Why are we doing this?" Chloe asked reaching for the binoculars.

Lia fell into the lawn chair behind her. She had raided Ida's hole in the brick wall and found some. They were the kind from the 1980s that left stripes across the back of your legs, but they would do.

"Because I want to make him nervous." Lia reached for a beer.

"Aren't you only making him think that you miss him, that you want him back. That's what I would think if I was as self-absorbed as he is. What I want to know is why River would let him have their wedding here." Faye took a sip of her beer, reaching to take the binoculars from Chloe.

"What time does it start?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know I wasn't invited." Lia took a long swig of her beer. She hadn't thought that Chance would think that she was doing it because she was jealous. She didn't really want to heckle them because she wasn't that rude, and she liked River.

"Poor Girl!" Faye said, shaking her head. "How did you get Mr. Personality to let you use his porch? Or is he gonna burst out here any minute screaming at us?"

"I asked this morning," Lia said.

"And for the record, I said it was a bad idea," Ben said from the doorway behind them. He was leaning against the doorjamb listening to their conversation.

"Would you stop sneaking up on me like that, it's rude!" Lia insisted settling back into her seat, ignoring the fact that her heart was racing at the sight of him.