Unexpected Entanglement (Echo #3)

36. Chapter 36

thirty-six

The day of the wedding

Rowan groaned as her hands squeezed her pounding head.

Great. The morning of the wedding, I’m nursing a hangover .

“You okay?” Chris’ voice came from behind her. His hand rubbed the back of her neck.

Rowan sighed as the blurred memory of last night came back to her in pieces. Her next groan wasn’t from the headache.

Stupid!

“God, did I…?” Rowan started.

“Yup,” Chris confirmed. “But Kieran and I got you back here as soon as we saw what was happening.”

“What happened?” Rowan couldn’t remember the details. “I shouldn’t have had that extra glass of wine.”

“How many did you have?” Chris asked.

Rowan felt him move, and his weight left the bed. She turned flat on her back and tried opening her eyes. Searing pain shot through her brain, and she quickly shut them again.

“Three,” she answered through a low moan.

“Only three? Big glasses?”

“No. The usual amount.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t be this drunk. ”

“Did you eat? Sometimes you forget to eat when you’re working.” Chris returned with a couple of aspirin and a glass of water. “Take these. And drink up. You need to hydrate.”

Rowan did what she was told and felt how dry her mouth was.

“I threw up, didn’t I?” she suddenly remembered.

“Halfway to the house. Nobody saw except Kieran and me,” Chris assured as he ran a hand through her hair. “That was a good thing, though. You seemed to feel better afterward. You must’ve reacted to something you ate.”

“Did any of the guests—”

“No. Everyone’s fine. And nobody raised the alarm after everyone went to bed.”

“So, just me.” She risked opening her eyelids halfway to look at him.

Concerned lines etched the corner of his eyes as he caressed her cheek. “You got me so worried.”

“I’ll be okay.” Rowan nuzzled into his large hand, feeling the warmth to be comforting.

She also recalled Chris helping her clean up and undress for bed. He'd made sure she was comfortable before returning to the guests. She'd never had a man take care of her like that. And here he was, still taking care of her.

“It’s still early. Why don’t you sleep a little longer? Let it work out of your system. I’ll make you some toast and my hangover remedy. You need to eat something.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “Can you come back to bed and hold me for a minute before you do that?”

Chris smiled and crawled back close to her so she could snuggle into him. Rowan sighed as his arms wrapped around her.

“Just rest,” he whispered in her ears. “I got you.”

Rowan believed him and drifted off.

Chris held Rowan for a while longer after she’d fallen back asleep. If he didn’t need to get moving, he would’ve stayed until she felt better. But he forced himself out of bed, away from the simple contentment of having Rowan in his arms .

He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in that exotic jasmine scent she wore behind her ears. And he let out a long, relaxed exhale, like one he would do at the end of a yoga session when his body and mind were in complete bliss.

I can stay like this forever.

Chris’ lids slid open. Kieran’s words echoed in his brain, “What if she asked you for more?”

I want more.

The realization wasn’t a shock. But it was the first time Chris had admitted it in simple words instead of circling around it.

What a bizarre week. In the midst of the crazy wedding preparation, training a group of farmers into inn staffers, small town power plays, and family drama, he somehow fell head over heels for the innkeeper.

Chris let the feeling settle in his chest while he listened to Rowan’s soft breathing. His brain, though, went a mile a minute, trying to figure out his next steps.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand, reminding him there were a million things to do today.

This had to wait.

Quietly, Chris rolled out of bed and got ready.

The kitchen was already buzzing with activities when he went in. Breakfast service would start in a half-hour.

“How’s our girl?” was Alex’s first question when she saw him.

“Massive headache,” Chris answered. “I gave her some aspirins, and she went back to sleep. She needs it.”

“That was unusual for Rowan to get that drunk,” Alex stated.

Rae came to them with a cup of coffee and handed it to Chris. “Is she a lightweight?”

Alex shook her head. “Rowan handles her alcohol well, but she doesn’t usually drink too much.”

“She said she had three glasses of wine,” Chris said.

“Three isn’t that excessive.”

“I’d get tipsy, but three glasses wouldn’t make me unable to walk on my own,” Rae said.

“Maybe Gwen poured her more than the usual five ounces?” Alex suggested.

Chris shrugged, now feeling uneasy about Rowan’s drunken state last night .

“Maybe it’s just one of those days. A mix of stress, not eating enough, and alcohol,” he said, to ease everyone’s mind. “Let her take it easy this morning, so she’ll feel good for the wedding.”

“Agree,” Alex said. “I’ll be here, but I need to get back to it.”

“I’m helping in the kitchen this morning, but I can check on Rowan,” Rae volunteered. “I know you both are busy.”

“Sounds good,” Alex said before going back to her job.

Before he left, Chris whipped a smoothie with a mix of fruits and a few extra ingredients. He set a big glass aside in the fridge.

“Give that smoothie to Rowan when she wakes up. The sugar, vitamins, and caffeine will help,” Chris asked Rae. “Make sure she eats something.”

“I’ll force feed her myself,” Rae said.

“Thanks.” Chris laughed. “She is not to worry about the wedding. We have it handled. Remind her that her job today is to be with the bride.”

“Got it.” Rae saluted him.

“All right, I’m gonna head out. Text me how she’s feeling.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Rowan.” Rae smiled with understanding. She grabbed a giant muffin and handed it to him. “Here. Eat. We don’t need you to keel over either.”

Taking a bite of the muffin top, Chris grinned as he left the kitchen.