Chapter 22 #2
They went through a dark bedroom, but she could see a dresser, a four-poster bed, and a desk as she followed him through double doors out onto the balcony.
He took the two plates from her and set them down on a small table in front of a wicker love seat.
She eased down on one of the cold cushions, and Tripp covered her with a quilt, then added another one on top of that.
Then he lifted up the end and joined her.
“If we snuggle up together, our body heat will warm us up under these covers,” he said. “But then no matter where I am, being close to you creates a lot of steam.”
She moved over closer to him. “That’s a good pickup line. How many times have you used it before tonight?”
“Well…” he said and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “There was that time in Paris…”
“Texas or France?”
“I can’t remember, but then, I can’t remember who I said it to either.
Maybe it was in a bar, or while I was standing in line at the taco wagon.
If that was the case, it was Texas. The folks who run that joint make some fantastic food.
Or…” he hesitated. “Maybe I was talking to the tacos. They were really spicy.”
“Do you have such a sense of humor with everyone?”
“I don’t know how to answer that,” Tripp said. “If I had any humor in me, it was well tamped down and hidden until you came along and we started teasing Aunt Bernie. I kind of like the new me, though.”
She pulled the covers up closer to her neck and unbuttoned his shirt so she could warm her hands on his chest. “I like this version of you too.”
“Do you know what you are doing to me?”
“I have an idea, because the same thing is happening to me.” She withdrew her hand. “Maybe it’s time for cake and champagne since we are warmed up.”
“If these bedroom doors had locks on them, I could think of something better to do.”
“We could always sneak out to my place or yours.”
“If we leave before cleanup is done, Bernie will have a stroke,” he told her. “So, we’ll have to do with making out under the stars and getting tipsy on a bottle of very good champagne.”
“How do you know it’s all that wonderful?”
“Because Knox and I volunteered to stock the bar for the party and reception, and we wouldn’t buy cheap for our brother’s wedding.”
“Well, then, let it be known that I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking, so if you plan to take advantage of me…”
He brought his hands out from under the quilts and poured two flutes full of bubbly and handed one to her. Then he touched his glass to hers and said, “To us and whatever this journey is that we are taking together.”
She took a sip and motioned toward the cake. “If I drink all this on an empty stomach, you will have to carry me out of here.”
Tripp took the glass from her and exchanged it for a plate of cake. “Fork?” he asked.
“Where’s the romance in that?” she said with a smile as she broke off a piece and fed it to him.
“When we get married, let’s do it just like this,” he said.
“What makes you think I’ll marry you?”
“Because someday you will fall in love with me,” he answered.
“You sound pretty confident about that. Why do you think so?”
He picked a piece of cake from the slice and fed it to her.
“Because it will take a rich man to pay all the adoption fees for five little boys. That means you will marry me to get that big family of sons that Yasmin predicted. If you don’t love me when we say our vows, you will in time.
And like I told you, I’m a patient man who doesn’t mind waiting. ”
“We’ll see about that, Mr. Tripp Callahan. I might refuse when you propose but rest assured that I will not ever get married for any other reason than pure old-fashioned love.”
They took turns feeding each other until both plates were empty, and then he handed her glass of champagne back to her. “Are you just feeding me a line about not being able to hold your liquor?”
“Nope, I am not,” she said and downed the rest of what was in her glass. “No more. I don’t even like that stuff.”
“Me, either,” he admitted and pulled her even closer to him. She gazed up at the stars and he focused on the contours of her face, her full lips and thick eyelashes. Then suddenly her eyelids drooped, and her whole body relaxed.
“Holy smoke!” Tripp remembered how difficult it was to wake her. He gave her a gentle shake, but she just muttered his name and eased under the covers to curl up with her head in his lap.
“Willa Rose, you need to wake up. If Hank finds us like this, he’ll get out his shotgun,” he said.
She began snoring so softly that it sounded like a kitten purring.
“Willa Rose!” He raised his voice and shook her a little harder.
Nothing.
He threw the covers off both of them and shivered when the freezing wind blew against his warm skin. She slipped her hand up and tucked it inside his shirt and moaned ever so slightly.
“Darlin’, you have to wake up.” He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
Still nothing.
Finally, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her through the bedroom and toward the bathroom. He was about to open the door when she giggled, looked up at him with those lovely brown eyes, and said, “Gotcha!”
“You are awful!” He set her down on the floor.
“Why were you taking me to the bathroom?”
“I was hopeful that a little cold water on your face would wake you,” he answered.
“If you had ruined my makeup, I would never have married you.”
“If you had really been asleep and Hank brought a shotgun out, you might not have had a choice.”
She giggled again. “Honey, we are living in modern times, not in the old days. Besides, even though we are both fully dressed, you might need to button your shirt before we go back down to the party.”