Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1671

Tarquin Bradford didn't mention he wanted to sound out Winona Newsom. Instead, he just held up the bag of pastries and a small cake box.

"I managed to wrap things up early at the office today, so I headed straight home. Picked you up some treats on the way."

Elysia Thorne was packing some homemade comfort food. Tarquin popped a piece of a pastry into her mouth.

"Have a taste."

"...That's delicious. Where did you get it?"

"A new spot that just opened up on the corner," Tarquin said. "Heard it's gone viral online."

Elysia glanced at the little cake, her brow furrowing slightly...

"What is it?" Tarquin asked.

Elysia frowned, staring at the cake. "This... I’ve seen this design before. I know I have."

"You've seen it before?" Tarquin asked, intrigued.

Elysia stared at it a little longer. "I feel like I have, but also... maybe not."

Tarquin was speechless.

After another moment, Elysia shook her head. "No, I must be mistaken."

She didn't dwell on it, looking over the assortment of treats. "I'll pick out a few of these to send over to Winona later."

Not giving it much more thought, Tarquin asked, "You're going to see Winona?"

"Not me. I'll have them delivered."

"Where is she now?"

"A hotel."

"Why's she staying at a hotel?"

"She wants some time alone."

"Why does she suddenly want to be alone?"

Elysia pursed her lips and turned to him. "My, you're full of questions today, aren't you?"

Tarquin chuckled. "Just curious. Are all these for her?"

"Yep."

And what would he do? A drink, a conversation—it didn't matter. He just craved her company; she had a way of cutting through his noise.

But liking to be around someone wasn't the same as being *in love* with them.

He had fallen hard once before, truly, deeply in love with someone... so he knew what it felt like. And whatever he felt for Winona, it wasn't that.

Which meant he couldn't give her the future she deserved.

So, regardless of whether Winona liked him or not, he shouldn't lead her on. If he didn't love her, he needed to stay away.

He couldn't treat Winona like all the other girls...

As he thought about it, an inexplicable frustration washed over him. It felt like a heavy weight on his chest, a pressure he couldn't release, leaving him suffocated and miserable.

He closed the navigation app and tossed his phone aside. Grabbing a beer from the table, he chugged half of it in one go.

After sitting alone for a while, he picked up his phone again and made a call.

"Send a couple of guys to the Seaview Resort Hotel to protect Winona. She's in room 1808. Just keep a discreet watch, don't let her know you're there..."

Zane Livingston was still out there somewhere, which meant Winona was still in potential danger. Even if he didn't love her, he didn't want anything to happen to her.