I slid in, gave him a quick but delicious kiss, and buckled in for the ride. "Get us out of here before someone recognizes us and realizes we're escaping."

  He pulled out, squealing around the tight corners of the parking garage. "Tough day at the office?"

  I shook my head. "At this point, I'd love an office job." I took his hand and squeezed it as he drove. "I have never been so glad to see anyone before in my life."

  "I've heard that from you before," he said, clearly in a good mood. "The last time an ex tried to haul you off and kidnap you."

  That was true. I flashed him a grateful look. "Thank you for not being mad at me."

  He pulled to the ticket booth and paid the fee. Then we were out on the street, racing toward my home. "Why would I be mad?"

  "Oh, Dex." I got tears of joy in my eyes. I blinked them back. "Only one man in a million would be so understanding. Mitch would have been furious and accused me of planning this escapade with Alex." I hesitated, ready to wince. "You saw the kiss?"

  "I saw a wedding singer force himself on you and probably stick his tongue down your throat. Believe it or not, I'm not the kind of guy to get jealous over something like that."

  "You have better eyes than most." I relaxed even more. "What the women at the fair saw was a romantic reunion kiss, apparently. That's what I ascertained from all the sighing and pressing of hands to hearts. Alex is a major heartthrob, apparently."

  "They should have their eyes, and their romance meters, checked."

  I laughed and relaxed with my head resting back against the seat. "I'm glad you're not insecure. I love your confidence."

  He squeezed my hand. "Some people call it arrogance, sometimes even cockiness. Still, I have to admit there was a moment when I wanted to take a swing at that wedding singer. But hacking all of his accounts and completely destroying him is more my style."

  Dex had the mad hacker skills to do it, too.

  My eyes flew open. "I'm glad you didn't." I paused, studying his masked expression. His jaw had just the slightest tic. "Dex? You didn't?"

  "No. I have some restraint." He looked almost disappointed with himself as he brought my hand to his lips and kissed it.

  My phone buzzed. "What now?" I looked at the caller ID. "Jesse is calling. What else could go wrong?" I glanced at Dex for affirmation that I should pick up the call.

  "Yeah, sure. Why not? All the exes need to weigh in. I'm sure Mitch will, too, once he hears. See what Jesse wants."

  I took the call on speakerphone. "Jesse—"

  "What the hell, Shelby? Did you ditch Dex? I thought he was the one." Jesse sounded furious, confused, and frantic.

  "He is—"

  "Why didn't you tell me before another one of your exes upstaged me on social media? Hey, I can handle the truth."

  "That was a surprise attack. And I'm on speakerphone right now. Dex is—"

  "All this shit just less than a week before the premiere of the new season, too. You aren't going back to the wedding singer, are you? Personally, I think that's playing down Gold Digger. No way I'd trade a billionaire like Dex for a one-hit wonder like that loser. I'm a guy, so what do I know? Left my love at will-call. Cheesy." Jesse snorted. "The crew and show production people just saw the video. I'm never going to hear the end of this ribbing from my guys, losing you to a lovesick crooner like that. Luke is frantically trying to figure out how to spin it to our advantage. If you're not with Dex anymore—"

  "Hang on, Jesse. Calm down. I'm here with Dex in his car. On speakerphone. Leave him? No. Never! You should know that as well as anyone. We just left the convention center, heading for home. We're on the run from the media and Alex's crowd of admirers."

  "Hey, buddy." Dex looked amused. Leave me, he mouthed, rolling his eyes.

  "Dex, what the hell? You sound calm for a guy whose fiancée just had another guy put a ring on her finger. There's a story there, I'm sure. Why aren't you in there beating that douche up? Now that would make for good viral video. I can see putting my heavy gold bar ring right across the bridge of his nose. Try singing with a broken nose, you little—"

  "Because I value my pretty face." Dex winked at me. "Anyway, I rescued Shelby from his clutches. What else do you want?"

  "My hero." I batted my eyelashes at him. "You showed up with a car."

  "I sent a security guard, too—"

  Jesse blew out a breath, obviously relieved. "Would you two kids stop arguing? It's enough for me that you're still together. Shelby's free, but this douche just messed up our show. He's upstaged both of us, Dex."

  "Upstaged? No way." Dex scoffed. "A singing proposal at a bridal fair does not trump a helicopter swoop-in any day of the week. Nor does it beat a romantic proposal in a park with an engagement ring made from gold that you mined yourself, Jesse. You have to view this from the proper perspective."

  "Yeah." Jesse, with his deep, beautiful voice, sounded reassured. "You're right. Which ex-fiancé, or is he a current fiancé now? Are you double engaged?"

  "I'm not double engaged." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I'm not a bigamist engager. I gave Alex back his ring."

  "Okay. But which ex is this guy?"

  I winced. "The one before you."

  "Ah. The one I was rebound guy after—"

  "You were never rebound guy. I liked you for yourself—"

  "This has to be one of the oddest conversations in the history of love," Dex said. "Can we switch the topic? Jesse, between all of us, we'll figure out a way to use this situation to our advantage. I'll get my PR team on it ASAP. There's nothing my Puppy Love PR disaster team can't handle. They can turn egg on your face into a feather in your cap in the blink of an eye." He turned to me. "Did I use enough clichés there?"

  Chapter Eight

  Don't Throw it All Away

  Shelby (Nervous about to meet-the-parents-er. Fender off of rumors of relationship demise.)

  "It's an odd, odd world when former fiancés become allies," Dex said as we walked into my West Seattle bungalow. "Imagine Jesse and I being on the same team. He even complimented me. I think. He said you'd be trading down for Alex."

  "I'm sure Jesse meant it. He's not profuse with his compliments. I'm equally sure you'll like Alex, too," I joked. "Once you get to know him."

  Dex raised an eyebrow. "Get to know him, hell."

  Tim, the dog-sitter, was sitting on the sofa nearest Bella's nest, playing a video game. Bella was in her basket with a pile of squirming, closed-eyed puppies at her teats. One big happy family.

  I wanted nothing more than to collapse into that pile of squirming, cute happiness. Puppies with their blind ignorance of the world seemed miles away from my problems with men.

  Dex saw Tim out, asking him how things had gone while he did.

  I walked over to the basket, standing over it watching Bella with pride and envy. Several of the puppies had "shivering" legs of happiness as they nursed. So, so adorable that they melted my heart. They were the blind leading the blind, totally blissful.

  Dex came up beside me and put his arm around me.

  I rested my head on his shoulder as we admired the puppies together. My phone rang.

  "You should really silence that thing." Dex kissed the top of my head.

  I had been getting texts nonstop all the way home. So far none from my parents. "I know. But I feel the obligation to set things straight with people. If I don't, you'll soon have a slew of gold diggers at your doorstep trying to swoop in on my territory."

  "We'll have to make some kind of official statement and post it everywhere." Dex ran his hand through my hair. "I can make some calls. Get the team started. But the rest will have to wait until after we get back from dinner with my parents."

  "Your parents—what will we tell them? Should you call them before dinner?" I was panicked now.

  "I've already texted my parents and told them not to believe anything they see on social media, that you and I are still happily engaged, and confirming that we'll be over tonight. And looking forward to it."

  Looking forward to it was probably overstating it.

  My phone stopped ringing. And started right back up again.

  "It's Mitch," I said. "Hang on. I'd better see what he wants, or he'll hound me all night." I picked up.

  "What the hell, Shelby? You've thrown your billionaire over already?" Mitch laughed. "For that deadbeat screamo wedding singer. What's he doing back in town? Wasn't he supposed to be screaming his head off with his band in a dingy bar somewhere? You're a piece of work sometimes. But if that's all it takes to get you back, toss my hat in the ring. I'll be over with your engagement ring and a video crew—"

  "Save yourself the trouble and go back to counseling." Just when I thought he was making progress… "I haven't ditched Dex. He's standing right beside me. That video was a PR stunt by Alex, nothing more."

  "It looked real to me."

  I glanced at my watch. With all the drama, I was off my tight schedule. I didn't have much time to get ready to meet Dex's parents. In light of Alex's proposal, all of my former

  meet-the-parents confidence was evaporating. "Well, it wasn't. I don't have time to chat and explain right now."

  Dex whispered in my ear, "You don't owe him an explanation."

  "Glad to hear it," Mitch said. "I don't want to have to fight Alex for custody of my puppy, too. He knows about our agreement, I hope."

  "He knows nothing. He's not in the picture."

  "This is damned embarrassing, Shelby. I thought you were over the singer. That's what you told me before we got engaged. That's what gave me the courage to propose. I didn't want you with reservations. Now I clearly see that you lied. Or maybe you were just in denial at the time—"

  "I'm hanging up. Call your counselor, Mitch." I hit the end button, cursing him beneath my breath.

  "Lucky escape from that one," Dex said.

  "I never realized he was so insecure." I slipped off my shoes. "I have to change."

  "Why? You look beautiful as you are."

  I shook my head. "I can't wear what I wore to work. Besides, this dress is infamous now. I'll have to toss it."

  "Why toss it when you can sell it for good cash on eBay?"

  "Wait. You're the billionaire here, right?" I shook my head. "What are a few extra bucks to you?"

  He grinned. "You think billionaires get that way by wasting good business opportunities?"

  "Are you sure casual is the dress code for this dinner?"

  "Yeah," he said, looking confused by my worries. "We're just going to my parents' house and eating in."

  "Yes." I nodded, mentally going through my wardrobe options again. I was still debating between two outfits. Now I was wondering which one made me look less like a two-timing, double-engaged harlot. Less like a woman who would get reengaged at a bridal fair behind their son's back. "But what will we do about my parents? Should I call them, do you think? Did you get all the travel arrangements made?

  "That's a lot of questions." He took my hand and squeezed it again. "Yes, the travel arrangements are made. We have to be at the airport to catch the jet at eight. What to do about your parents is up to you. Are they likely to see the video or hear the news? They seem to be almost off the grid."

  "Yes, well, that's true enough, I suppose," I said. "They like the wilderness and camping in remote locations without good Wi-Fi or Internet. They love to say how there was no Internet when they were young and a vacation isn't a vacation, relaxing isn't relaxing, unless you turn off the digital world and go back to nature. There's a good chance they won't have heard yet. But they might. I'll just give them a quick call before I change." I headed toward the bedroom.

  My parents didn't pick up. So I left them a quick, perky voicemail saying that if they see anything about me getting engaged again to Alex to just ignore it. It was just one of Alex's stunts.

  Dex followed me into the bedroom.

  "No answer," I told him. "I left a voicemail."

  "I hope we catch your parents in tomorrow. After all the trouble I went to making the travel arrangements…"

  "Me too." I smiled to reassure him. "I'm sure we will. I'll call them when we land tomorrow to give them enough warning to get back to the RV."

  I headed to my closet to paw through my clothes. I held up one outfit to myself, looking at it from all angles in the full-length mirror. Then the second one.

  "That one looks great." Dex made a wolfish expression.

  I laughed. "Okay. This one it is."

  "Shel, can I ask you something?"

  "Sure."

  "And you promise to answer truthfully. One hundred percent honestly?"

  I began shimmying out of my dress. "If I can."

  "Am I going to have to take voice lessons and learn to sing songs about crying for a hundred years if you should ever leave me? And how you are my life and only you make it worth living?"

  I froze with my dress half off. "Don't tell me you're going insecure on me now?"

  Then I saw his teasing face. "You turd." I took my dress the rest of the way off and threw it at him.

  It floated through the air, an ineffectual projectile. He dodged it easily, laughing. "Gotcha."

  "For that, you're going to owe me a fine piece of jewelry, buster." I pointed double-barrel fingers back at him. "Gotcha."

  Shelby

  Dex's parents lived in a neighborhood of multimillion-dollar homes on the hills of the Newport neighborhood. It was a drive across the I-90 bridge, and since the West Seattle Bridge was out, that meant a long drive out of our way to get to it. Then up to the top of the Newport Hills. We were halfway there when Dex, who'd been quietly listening to music as we drove, which I took to mean he was as nervous as I was, suddenly spoke.

  "There's something I should probably tell you before we arrive. I don't want you to walk into a minefield."

  My heart stopped as I imagined all kinds of horrible things that might be wrong. "What minefield?"

  He turned down the music and took a deep breath. Despite his usual bravado, an insecure geek threatened to surface. It was kind of cute. "Mom was at your bridal fair. She went with a friend whose daughter is getting married next year."

  "What?" All kinds of horrible images raced through my mind, including a Jumbotron playing Alex proposing and kissing me over and over again. And Dex's mom with a tub of popcorn as she watched. Wedding-cake-flavored, of course. "And you didn't think to mention this to me before? Or, you know, warn me while I was at the fair?"

  "There wasn't time. I only just found out just as Alex played that stunt."

  "And after?"

  "I didn't want to freak you out."

  "Congratulations. I'm doubly freaked out now. In a total panic. Was she spying on me? Did I meet her, not knowing who she was? Was she like the mystery shopper who grades people on their customer service? The mystery mom checking out sonny boy's fiancée so she has plenty of ammo—"

  "She didn't meet you. And I forbade her from spying."

  "You have that much control over your mom? You can forbid her?"

  "I have leverage. And I used it."

  "She's really not going to like me now. She had to have seen the video. Carly said it was playing absolutely everywhere. Had she left the fair by then?"

  "No idea."

  "I thought you told me that you warned your parents not to believe anything they saw about me with someone else?"

  "I did. And they don't. Mom and Dad are both highly logical. They listen to reason. If you'd gotten engaged to someone else in such a public way, why would I still be bringing you to meet them?" He glanced apologetically at me. "See? It defies logic."

  "You explained what happened, then? You explained about Alex?"

  "Not exactly. I told them it's a good story that we could have a laugh at over dinner." He side-eyed me. His voice was suddenly tight.

  He hadn't asked for the whole Alex story, but I was sure it was on his mind. I was going to have to tell him about my past with Alex sometime. But how honest could I be? Was it ever wise to confess to a current love how much you'd loved a past love? How crazy you'd been for that other person?

  I took a breath to calm my frazzled nerves. "I don't think it's funny at all."

  "Sure it is. If you just take a step back from it, you'll see the humor in it."

  I narrowed my eyes at him. "Maybe in a couple hundred years."

  I took another deep breath, fighting panic. I needed a pen in my hand. I needed to doodle and write out silly love poems. That always calmed me. "I'm already in trouble because of the short time I've known you, for getting engaged so soon after you made your fortune, and for all of my exes. I look flighty. Not committed. Like a woman who uses up men and casually tosses them aside. What assurances can I give them that I won't treat you the same way?"

  "Look. If I'm not worried, why should they be?"

  Why aren't you worried? It was a treacherous thought. I'd never given him any reason. At least not one that I couldn't explain away or pin on one of my pesky exes. I looked away so he couldn't read my thoughts.

  "What's one more disaster, right?" He laughed, but though he tried to cover it, there was a nervous edge to it.

  Meeting the parents is a big deal for nearly everyone. It can turn the most confident person into mush. Suddenly they're a little boy or girl wanting their parents' approval again. We fall back into familial roles that aren't always comfortable. At least there weren't any problematic siblings in this case.

  "Don't sweat it, Shelby," he said. "I've said it before—my parents are just happy someone is willing to take me on. I'm sure they'll tell you that. They're eternally grateful that you see past my faults."

  "They won't be when we never actually marry."

  He waved a dismissive hand. "By the time they realize what's going on, they'll love you and be used to the situation. They're reasonable people."

  We pulled up to the guard post of a gated community. Dex stopped and rolled down his window to speak to the guard. "Dex Rushford to see the Rushfords."

  "Mr. Rushford, good to see you again. You're on the list. Have a nice visit." The guard pushed a button, and the gate opened for us.