Chapter 5
Chapter Five
K arlie felt the irrational need to run.
That seemed to be her go-to way of handling her emotions now, and she had never been that way.
When she was a kid, she always thought of herself as strong and capable.
Now, whenever something bad happened, like this morning, she just wanted to tuck her tail and run.
Karlie wanted to break that habit but didn’t know where to start.
She figured staying and having breakfast with Drew was a good beginning—a good new plan.
As for his job offer, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with that.
She saw the pity in Drew’s eyes when she told him how she felt about Lisa.
Karlie couldn’t stand to think that he pitied her.
A part of her wanted to stay and work for him.
She wanted to be with Drew for more than the weekend because she was falling for him—she knew that much.
She wanted to believe that he was falling for her, too.
He told Lisa that he was with her now, but had that been just a ploy to get rid of the needy, screechy woman?
She still couldn’t forget the hurt that she saw in the other woman’s eyes.
She’d been Lisa—rejected, kicked to the curb, unwanted.
It wasn’t a matter of believing Drew—she knew he was telling the truth and that he and Lisa were not together, but that didn’t mean that Lisa was on the same page.
Lisa might believe that she and Drew were still together, even going to the wedding with each other.
Karlie couldn’t help but feel bad for Lisa, even when a little voice in her head told her that Lisa was trouble.
Watching Lisa walk out Drew’s door, she could have sworn that the woman looked more determined than mad or hurt when she left.
Lisa could be trouble, and Karlie planned to watch her back.
∞
As Drew pulled up to the church, Karlie felt a little sick. She knew today wouldn’t be easy, but facing everyone made her nauseous.
“You okay, baby? You look a little green,” Drew playfully said. If only he knew how green she felt, he wouldn’t be making a joke at her expense. Karlie didn’t want to go into that church, but she knew that if she didn’t, she’d regret being a coward.
“Could we just go back to your house and hang out some more?” She even batted her eyelashes for good measure.
After a rocky start, the day with Drew was amazing.
They had gone to breakfast in a little neighboring town and then walked the small Main Street, window shopping.
It was blissful, not having to worry about what the rest of the day held for her.
Drew even bought her a little charm necklace with her initial and his.
He told her it was his version of carving their initials in a tree.
He was so wonderful, making sure she wasn’t worried about her sister’s wedding.
She really could get used to him taking care of her if she wasn’t careful.
Each minute that she spent with him made it harder to even think about returning to Atlanta.
She did have his job offer to consider. To be truthful, she was worried that if she worked for Drew and he dumped her, she’d be left with nothing—again.
Drew laughed and leaned in for a quick kiss. “No, baby, I have to go in there and be Jake’s best man. If I can stand up for that ass, I have every confidence that you can sit and watch the ass marry your sister.”
She smiled at his new name for Jake. She loved that Drew seemed to stand by her, no questions asked. Hell, he’d done more than stand by her; he supported her and even stood up for her when even her parents hadn’t. That meant more to her than anything.
“Well,” she said, squaring her shoulders, “let’s get in there and watch my sister marry her ass.”
∞
The church was packed, but all Drew could think about was Karlie.
He had to find the groomsmen and get into place.
They had cut it close on time, but he hadn’t wanted to give up any of his alone time with Karlie.
After Lisa’s intrusion, their morning was almost unsalvageable.
He couldn’t believe that he was so stupid the way he just blurted out his job offer.
He had a big, elaborate plan to take her to dinner and ask her to move in with him.
If her argument had been not having a job, he planned to beg her to work for him.
He really could use someone with her skills at his shop.
It would be a win-win for him. He already knew that he was falling in love with her; he just needed time for her to feel the same way.
“Baby, I have to find the other groomsmen. Where would you like to sit?” He started to usher her into the church, his hand on the small of her back.
He could feel her spine stiffen as she stood at the back of the church, taking in all her friends and family.
The church was nice, with lots of flowers, and it smelled good, but it was all a little frou-frou for his taste.
When he got married, he wanted something nice but simple.
This wedding had a whole lot of pink and way too many suits.
He straightened his black tie, a little nervous himself.
“It’s going to be okay, Karlie,” he said.
“We’ll watch your sister marry her ass. And then, we’ll skip out.
I think I may have a stomachache, and you may need to take care of me.
” He smiled his wolfish grin, bobbing his eyebrows at her.
“Um, I’ll just sit in the back here. That way, I won’t feel their stares.
” She shrugged and slid into the pew closest to the exit.
God, he wished he could sit with her, hold her, reassure her.
He sat down next to her, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.
She looked at him, surprised. “Don’t you have best man things to do?
” She was adorable. Nagging, but adorable.
“No, I have a minute,” he lied. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” He rubbed his thumb down her cheek.
Her skin was so soft, he felt like he shouldn’t be touching her with his rough, calloused fingers.
But each time he touched her, she lit up for him. How could he keep his hands to himself?
“I’ll be fine, Drew. I will sit right here, and when this whole circus is over, we can sneak away.
” She tried to sound reassuring, but he could tell that she wanted to be just about anywhere else but sitting in the back of the church.
He tipped her mouth up to meet him and sealed his lips over hers, taking his time kissing her.
He licked into her mouth, and she moaned.
“Oh fuck,” she said, pulling away from the kiss.
She closed her eyes, an adorable attempt at not having to look at everyone who was watching them.
“Baby, it’s okay. Open your eyes and look at me,” he ordered.
She shook her head. “No, I’m too embarrassed,” she whispered. He chuckled. She made him so damn happy, even in a room full of busybodies; she made him laugh.
“How about you just trust me? I swear it’s not that bad.
” With his promise, she cracked open one eye and squinted at him, daring a peek around the church.
“See baby,” he whispered, tucking her hair back behind her ear, “not too horrible, right?” She opened both eyes and surveyed the church.
Only a few people were staring at them, her mom being one of them.
“Before we get into trouble, in church no less, I'd better go find all the guys.” He leaned in for one more quick kiss and left her in the pew. He felt like he was abandoning Karlie when she needed him most. And a quick look back at her told him that he might be right.
∞
Karlie felt completely out of place. She didn’t know where to sit, whom to talk to, or why she was even there.
What had she been thinking? Oh yeah, mom guilt.
The only good thing—no, great thing—that had come out of this entire fiasco was Drew.
God, the man looked amazing in his suit.
She loved the way his broad shoulders filled out the jacket.
Knowing what he looked like under the suit made her heart skip a few beats.
He wanted her to stick around; wanted her to work for him.
But did he want her? He definitely wanted her for sex, and honestly, she didn’t mind that at all.
“There you are.” Her mom was standing in the pew in front of her. “Why are you back here?”
“I just thought that it was best for me to stay out of the way. This is Jenna’s day, and I didn’t want to cause a scene,” she admitted. She had a feeling that no matter where she sat, people were going to be watching her and whispering behind her back.
“Well, if you sit in the back of the church, everyone will think that you don’t support your sister.
Why don’t you come with me and tell Jenna that you are happy for her?
Your dad and I are heading back to the bridal room.
Why don’t you come with us?” Karlie considered her mom’s offer, trying to decide what to do.
She glanced past her mom to find Drew, who was standing up front with some of the other groomsmen.
He watched her and seemed confused and concerned.
She gave him her best smile, trying to ease his worry, but it didn’t seem to work.
She waved at him to let him know that she was going to follow her mom to the bridal suite.
It was time to stop living in the past. The only person keeping her from her future was herself.
She was done running. The only place she wanted to be was with Drew, and she would somehow make that happen, but first, she needed to make amends with her past.
∞