CHAPTER 20
Lunch at her parents’ house was quieter than usual.
Kim joined them, but Lynn never showed—outside of a text to Beth asking for a raincheck on wedding dress shopping—her absence heavy in the air.
Everyone did their best to keep the conversation light, but after Bryce shared the details of what had happened in the fellowship hall—even though he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand—the weight of the morning pressed down on them again.
Beth kept her head up, kept her smile in place. She was fine. At least, that’s what she told herself.
Still, she caught herself rubbing at her chest more than once, the echoes of Pastor Steve’s sermon settling deep in her bones.
“If we cannot welcome the broken, then we as a church do not understand the Gospel.”
After everything that happened, Beth had planned to go home and find comfort in the familiar—maybe take a long bath, put on pajamas, and curl up on the couch with a silly RomCom. Something light. Something easy.
Then she remembered.
She had agreed to spend the night at Bryce’s loft.
A single, sharp thought lodged itself in her chest.
This is really happening.
Moving in was no longer some abstract plan for the future.
Yesterday, she’d been caught up in the romance of Bryce’s proposal and his desire to have her close.
Yesterday, Beth had convinced herself it was a good idea to slowly ease into life at the loft, spending a few nights there and a few at the apartment. A gentle transition.
But now, staring down the reality that she wouldn’t be sleeping in the apartment she’d shared with Kim for years… it didn’t feel small. It felt massive.
“I slept in a grass hut before—how bad could one loft be?” she tried to reason. Yet the moment she stepped into her bedroom to pack, the doubt returned in full force.
Beth looked around at the suitcase lying open on her bed, half-filled, and a lump rose in her throat. This wasn’t a weekend trip. It wasn’t a sleepover.
She was leaving.
That realization sent a fresh wave of emotion crashing over her.
She hated that out of the three natural instincts—fight, flight, freeze—she usually fell into one of the latter two.
It was a constant mental battle to override that default, and a small, unwelcome part of her feared that someday, she wouldn’t win.
The only time she didn’t freeze or want to run was in the face of physical injury. Bruises and bleeding she could treat. Emotional wounds? Those were proving to be harder.
A knock at the door had her sucking in a breath.
Beth didn’t turn at first, her hand still gripping the edge of the dresser like a lifeline.
Then a familiar, cheerful voice drifted in from the doorway.
“Hey, I’m going to order some pizza. What should I get for Bryce? I’m guessing he won’t want our usual,” Kim said innocently, unaware that her friend was wrestling with a flood of emotions.
At the sound of Kim’s voice—not the baritone she’d been bracing for—Beth relaxed her grip and turned.
“You’re probably right… but I don’t know what he eats. Wow. Kim—I don’t know. I DON’T KNOW anything about this man! Not even the simple stuff, for crying out loud! I don’t know what he likes on his pizza or if he even likes pizza.” Beth stared at her friend, horrified.
When Kim didn’t respond, her panic kept rolling.
Her words escalated before she could stop them. “Oh my goodness, what if he doesn’t even eat pizza? I love pizza—I eat it several times a week. I’m not giving up my pizza just for him!” Tears began streaming down her face as her frustration and vulnerability burst forth.
“Whoa, girl, slow down. It’s just pizza. I’m sure he eats it. He’s a guy—he probably wants extra meat on his,” Kim coaxed gently, her tone laced with reassurance.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Look, there he is now.” Kim shot her a warm smile. “We’ll just ask what he wants and, in the future, when you realize there’s something you don’t know about him—don’t freak out. Just ask. It’s okay not to know everything right now.” Giving Beth a quick hug, Kim left to answer the door.
“Yeah, okay. She’s right. So not a big deal,” Beth muttered, wiping her face with the hem of her shirt and turning back to the dresser as Kim walked away.
“I can’t believe I’m crying over this,” she whispered
“Crying over what?”
Beth jumped as the masculine voice asked her a question. She froze—shoulders stiff, back tense. Eyes closed, mortified.
She turned slowly to find Bryce standing just inside her bedroom doorway. Despite her embarrassment, her heart skipped a beat. Fitted jeans. T-shirt. Ridiculously handsome.
“Going crazy,” she blurted—the first thing that didn’t require lying.
“Hi?” he said, not knowing exactly what was wrong but sensing something was.
“What do you like on your pizza?” she asked flatly, ignoring his greeting.
“Kim already asked. I think she’s ordering now.”
His response infuriated Beth.
“That’s all well and good, but Kim isn’t going to live with us.
As your ‘wife’, I should at least know the simple things—like what kind of pizza you eat.
In case I ever want to order one for us.
” Her tone was sharper than she intended.
Bryce’s brows lifted slightly, but he met her serious mood with one of his own.
“Canadian bacon and jalapenos.”
“Oh. You like spicy foods.”
“Spicier the better. What about you?”
“I like jalapenos on nachos, but I’ve never had them on pizza.”
“I’ll share if you want to try a piece,” Bryce teased.
Beth wrinkled her nose and shook her head, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips.
“Not that brave today—my stomach’s still on the fritz.”
Bryce took a moment to scan the room—the open drawers, scattered clothes on the bed, and the half-empty bag lying there—and studied the tension lining her shoulders, the single tear she hadn’t even noticed had escaped. After a long moment, he sighed.
“Is it safe to assume this isn’t really about pizza?”
He stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him.
Beth swallowed. “I’m not angry.”
“I didn’t say you were.” He leaned back against the doorframe, arms folded.
“You ready for some hard truths?”
Beth sniffed, finally facing him. “Harder than the morning I just had?”
Bryce’s expression softened. “Different kind of hard.”
Beth exhaled slowly, straightened her shoulders, and wiped her eyes. “Lay it on me,” she said in a quiet voice.
“I think you should stay here tonight.”
Beth blinked. “Here?”
He smirked. “Yeah. Your apartment. Your comfort zone.”
“I… but I thought—Oh.”
“Lizzy.” He stepped closer, gently cupping her arms. “You’ve had a long day. A brutal day. Unless I’m mistaken, you’re about two seconds away from a full-on meltdown.”
Relief warred with guilt. “I told you I’d come—”
“I know. But I think what you need tonight is rest. You’ll get your best rest here, where you feel safe. Where you can breathe.”
Beth let out a slow breath, searching his eyes. “I feel bad. You’re really okay with that?”
He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Sweetheart, I told you my master plan yesterday. I’m thrilled I get to put your needs before my wants. I want to take care of you.”
Her stomach flipped.
“You are?”
Bryce grinned. “Oh, absolutely. Because every romantic gesture, every kind word, every gentle touch…” his voice slowed, his steps measured as he stalked toward her, closing the gap between them, “brings me closer.”
Beth’s knees hit the edge of the bed as she backed away from him.
“Closer to what?” she asked warily.
Leaning in, Bryce lightly placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered softly against her ear, “To pushing you over the edge so you fall head over heels in love with me.”
With a teasing grin, he nudged her shoulders—just enough to send her tumbling backward onto the bed.
Beth let out a startled laugh. “Oh, my word.”
Bryce smirked, crossing his arms. “Well, would you look at that? Looks like you’re already starting to fall for me.”
Beth narrowed her eyes at him, still sprawled out on the bed. “I can’t believe you.”
“I mean, I wasn’t expecting it to happen this soon, but I’ll take it.”
Beth threw an arm over her face, laughter spilling out in uncontrollable waves. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet, you love me.” Her eyes widened as he waggled his brows, then pulled her upright and pressed a quick kiss to her hairline just above the bandage. “If I say it enough, eventually you’ll believe it. Seriously, though. Stay here. Get some sleep. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
She swallowed, emotion thick in her throat. “Thank you.”
Bryce smiled. “Anytime.”
And just like that, the pressure lifted.