Playing With Fire

"This place is really nice," Bridgette murmured, taking Reece's arm as a waiter dressed in a suit escorted them to their table. "We could've gone to a fast food place or something. I don't want to make you spend all this money on me right before the wedding."

He looked at her and smiled, pulling out her chair as the waiter set the menus down. She whispered a thank you, never taking her eyes off of Reece as he sat down across from her. The candle in the middle of the table lit up his face and Bridgette couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Don't worry about it," he laughed, taking in her expression. "I promise you, we aren't going broke."

"Okay," she sighed, opening up the menu.

"I can't wait for it to be over though," he admitted, and her eyes shot up worriedly.

"If you don't want this big wedding, I get it. We could elope or just go to the courthouse and-"

"Bridge," he cut off her rambling, reaching across the table for her hand. "What I meant is I can't wait for it to be over so that I get to be married to the woman I love, and we can start our life together."

"You're just the sweetest thing ever," she mumbled, biting her lip as he watched her. "I meant it, though. As long as I end up married you, it could be in Vegas and I could be wearing a brown burlap sack, and I would be perfectly happy."

"Oh, now you tell me," he teased, and she squeezed his hand. "I love you. And I want to stand in front of all our family and friends and announce it to them. In fact, I could just scream it from the top of that apartment building you used to live in back in New York."

"Shut up," she laughed, and his smile just widened.

"I'm serious," he protested. "If you don't believe me, I'll find the tallest building here in LA and scream it from that."

"Okay, okay, I believe you!"

The waiter came back and they ordered, the slight hint of chuckling never quite leaving their voices. Their eyes never left each other, even as they handed the menu back to the young man in all black. He informed them it would only be a few minutes, and they thanked him as he walked away.

"You know, I have no clue how on Earth I got so lucky," Bridgette said finally. Reece stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, raising his eyebrows at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"You," she said simply, taking a drink of her water.

"Me," he repeated skeptically. She nodded her head, tracing the rim of the glass.

"I mean, you're like, perfect. You and my parents get along, and I love your family, you're smart, funny, sweet, successful, hardworking, and I mean, the only thing I can ever find wrong with you is that you love me."

"I have plenty of flaws, Bee," he said in a low voice. "But loving you isn't one of them. If anything, loving you brings out all the good in me. You're so much more than you give yourself credit for."

"Did I mention you're sweet?" Bridgette choked out, not able to meet his eyes without completely cracking. "See, that's exactly what I'm saying. I don't know why you picked me, or why you wanted me in the first place. I just know that I must have done something right to find you."

"Are you kidding? Bridge, you're this beautiful, charming, sarcastic, intelligent, independent woman, and any guy I can think of would drop at your feet. I mean, do you remember the day we first met?"

"Of course. I was running late to work, and you weren't paying any attention to where you were going. Instead, you were humming some Christmas carol, even though it was March," she paused to roll her eyes, and he grinned. "You crashed right into me, knocking my coffee right out of my hands along with my purse. Then, like the gentleman you are, you started to help me pick my belongings up and offered to buy me a new coffee."

"Oh, but you're leaving out the best part," he countered, and she gave him a dazzling smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Honey," she said, feigning innocence.

"Of course not," Reece played along. "Well let me refresh your memory. After I so kindly offered you help and fresh coffee, you looked at me, narrowed your eyes and scoffed before saying 'I can buy my own coffee, thank you.' And then, you got up and left me sitting there with my jaw hanging open like an idiot."

Bridgette winced and covered her blushing face with her hands. "Jeez, you go on and on about all my wonderful attributes, and then you tack that on the end. I think that helps my argument more than yours."

"But mademoiselle, you're wrong," Reece chuckled. "That day showed me you were strong and didn't take hand outs. It also showed me how different you were from a lot of the other girls I've met. Instead of batting your eyelashes and saying 'Oh, that would be lovely,' you shot down my ego."

"I've been told I'm good at that," Bridgette said, more so to herself than him, before raising her voice back to normal. "In all fairness, you didn't have much ego to begin with. I'm not so sure about your brain anymore, though. I mean, what guy in his right mind would chase after a girl who was straight up rude to him and still ask her out?"

"Oh, let's face it, you were begging for a date with me after that."

Bridgette snorted. "Yeah, I think you must have hit your head when you knocked us over that day. Because what really happened is after I stormed away, you chased after me, and your exact words were, and I quote, 'Well, if you insist on buying yourself new coffee, how about you buy me one, too, and we can get to know each other.'"

Bridgette looked up at him expectantly, and he ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. She raised an eyebrow, and he crinkled his nose and shrugged.

"Okay, so you got me there. But if my apparently damaged memory serves me right, you laughed and after I walked you all the way to your office and pushed my luck a little more, you gave me your number and we went out for coffee the next morning!"

"Okay, so you didn't hit your head all that hard..."

"Never in my life have I been happier to crash into someone," he said softly, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it gently.

"And never in my life have I been happier to have my coffee spilled all over the sidewalk and a poor, unsuspecting purse. I love you, Reece McKnight," she replied in a quiet, genuine voice.

"I love you too, Bridgette Thomas, soon-to-be McKnight."