Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 423

"Cecilia."

Owen tugged at Cecilia's arm, urging her to sit down, but she shrugged off his grip with a huff. "I can sit down by myself. Don't pull me."

Once seated, she glared at him, clearly annoyed.

Owen just grinned and said, "Just calling my name will do for now. There’s no need to demand too much. We've got a whole lifetime ahead to get entangled in, and I bet you'll end up calling me 'hubby' sooner or later."

Cecilia said simply, "… rascal."

She knew this side of him all too well—the Shameless Owen.

"You've already nicknamed me 'Shameless Owen.' If I didn't live up to that, I'd be letting down the moniker you so kindly bestowed upon me."

"Whether you help Avery or not is your call. After all, it's not me who's anxious. And why have you come here anyway?"

Owen knew he couldn't intimidate Cecilia; she was the one who could rattle him, because he wore his heart on his sleeve first, and therefore, he had already lost.

"Don’t jump the gun. We should see where Cedric stands. If he isn't ready to face things together with Avery, then my help would only add to his heartache, making it pointless."

A relationship takes two to tango; it shouldn’t be one person fighting tooth and nail while the other gives up without a fight. Help from outsiders can’t do much.

Cecilia had to admit Owen had a point and praised him. "You're getting sharper."

No wonder Trenton Martinez had pushed him to marry her, diverting his attention from his obsession with Ruby. Slowly but surely, Owen was coming to his senses.

Owen gave a bitter smile. "My dear Cecilia, can we please not bring her up?"

"I didn't mention her. You're the one who thought of Ruby, which is why you think I'm referring to her. Owen, you've got a long way to go before you can calmly face Ruby."

"They say the best way to get over an old flame is to move on to someone new. Cecilia, would you be my girlfriend? The kind with marriage in mind. With you by my side, our daily dates, all lovey-dovey, I guarantee I'll get over Ruby in no time."

It was hard to believe he could get over a love that lasted over a decade that easily.

"Didn't I accept the flowers you sent? And I did go to the movies with you, right? If that's not dating, then what is?"

Cecilia retorted, getting up to leave. In fact, she was embarrassed.

Her words were as good as agreeing to a relationship with Owen.

"Cecilia."

Owen's face lit up with joy as he grabbed her wrist, his smile widening. "Then, let's have lunch together, at my family's hotel. And tonight, we’ll go on another date."

"Oh, by the way, I came here to tell you something."

Owen didn’t wait for Cecilia to respond. He quickly changed the subject, taking her silence for a “yes” to having lunch at the Pinehurst Hotel.

"What is it?" Cecilia asked, glancing at Avery who was still hitting the bottle. She called over the waitress to persuade Avery to stop drinking.

"You know Madeleine, right?" Owen asked.