I asked a colleague to pretend to be my boyfriend at my ex-husband’s wedding, but he laughed at me, saying, “Nobody would want to go out with you!” – so my fake date made a face.

He was also tall, athletic, and annoyingly handsome.

Exactly the kind of man Max would notice.

“Why me?” asked Edward.

I tried to joke.

“Because you are incredibly presentable.”

He kept looking at me.

“Speedwell.”

I sighed.

“I want Max to see me with you and wonder if leaving me was a mistake.”

Edward leaned back.

For some unknown reason, this answer seemed to disturb him.

Then he nodded.

“All right.”

I should have wondered why he agreed so easily.

Instead, I spent the week worrying about my dress.

Max had trained me well.

I refused dress after dress because I could still hear his old comments about my size and arms.

In the end, I chose the one I had preferred before even imagining what he would think of it.