CHAPTER 12
“Eric was off at another table, flirting with a group of women. Bryce was focused on his phone. I… I didn’t know how to do the whole salt and lime thing, so I started to absently play with the shaker while I tried to figure it out how you got the salt to stick.”
Her memory drifted, pulled back in time, as she described the scene to Kim, while she relived it.
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“You lick it.”
Bryce’s voice cut through her thoughts, making her eyes snap to him. He was still looking at his phone, casual, unaffected, as though this comment wasn’t enough to set her nerves on fire.
Beth swallowed. Had she actually asked that out loud? Knowing her propensity to think aloud, she really hoped not.
“The inside of your wrist,” he continued, still not looking up. “You lick it to make the salt stick.”
Beth glanced down at her wrist, considering it.
“Right here” He reached over, his fingers grazing the inside of her wrist as he traced the spot lightly. A shiver traveled up her arm, spreading like a wildfire through her chest.
“Like this.”
Her breath caught. Bryce’s smirk deepened as he tugged the saltshaker, his fingers wrapped around her hand.
Without breaking eye contact, he lifted their joined hands—his grip firm but lazy, as if they had all the time in the world.
His tongue slid out as he licked the inside of his own wrist, slow and deliberate.
Her pulse stuttered.
He guided her hand to shake the salt onto his damp skin. She watched in fascination as he licked the salt off his wrist before he released her hand and picked up a shot glass. Tilting his head back, he knocked back the liquid, exhaled slightly, and slid a lime wedge between his lips.
Beth stopped breathing as she watched, captivated. He hadn’t done anything inappropriate—he had barely touched her, yet her entire body had reacted—the air between them had changed.
Without overthinking, she lifted one of the small glasses and tossed her head back. Her eyes watered. Wow, there’s the burn.
Bryce chuckled, a low, knowing sound. “You forgot the salt.”
Beth looked down, realizing she still had a death grip on the shaker. “Right.”
Without pausing, she licked her wrist—in a far more awkward, slightly slobbery way—Bryce’s amused expression confirmed it.
She sprinkled the salt across her dampened skin, ready to try again, but before she could bring her wrist to her mouth, Bryce’s fingers pressed into her open palm, stopping her.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” His gaze flicked toward the shot glass in her other hand. “These are really strong, and I didn’t think you drank.”
His voice wasn’t judgmental or teasing—it was cautioning.
Caught up in the moment, Beth grinned. “I don’t drink, but I’m fine.”
He hesitated only a second before sliding his fingers across her palm removing his touch, accepting that the decision was hers. He set a lime wedge in front of her.
When Eric returned to the table, a stunning blonde on his arm, Beth was nibbling on some French fries replaying that moment in her head. Bryce had returned to scrolling through his phone as if nothing had happened.
Eric grabbed two shot glasses, handing one to the blonde next to him. Tapping rims in a silent cheers, they both threw back their drinks. Setting his glass down, Eric tapped the table. “I took care of the check and am going to take off.”
He nodded toward Beth, and she watched the silent exchange between the two men. Bryce nodded back.
“All right then, I’ll see you kids tomorrow.”
After Eric and his “date” left, Beth turned to Bryce. “What was that?” She gestured between him and where Eric had been sitting.
Bryce shrugged. “Nothing.”
Beth blushed, suddenly wondering if Eric had been checking to see if she and Bryce were planning to leave together—like he had with the blonde.
Seeing her flush, Bryce leaned back in his chair, a cocky grin spreading across his face. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Stoner. He was just making sure I would get you safely back to your room. Alone.”
Beth’s face burned hotter.
Bryce’s grin deepened. His voice dropped lower. “Unless you’d rather come back to my room with me?”
Eyes impossibly wide, face on fire, Beth grabbed the another shot glass and downed it in one swallow, finally understanding the phrase liquid courage.
Shaking her head vigorously, she squeaked out, “No, thank you.”
Bryce let out a full-bodied laugh as he stood. “Fair enough.”
But he wasn’t done teasing her yet. Resting a hand on the back of her chair, he leaned in close, his voice a whisper in her ear. “Are you sure about that?”
Feeling lighthearted and a little giddy, Beth giggled and shoved him back so she could stand. “Yep. Positive.”
Wiggling her fingers in his face, she pointed at her left hand. “I won’t be going back to anyone’s hotel room until there’s a ring, right here, on this finger.”
Capturing her hand, Bryce lifted it to his lips and kissed the finger she had just tapped.
“Well, shoot!” He laughed, grabbing the last full shot—his eighth of the night—and knocking it back. “Is that all it’ll take?”
He set the empty glass down, caught her hand again, and smirked. “Let’s go find a chapel.”
Beth laughed, caught up in the silliness of it all. “Okay,” she said, pulling him toward the exit.
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“That’s the last thing I remember,” Beth said, refocusing on the present and looking at her friend.
Kim sat in stunned silence, hands pressed to her flushed cheeks.
“Well… that, and I think I danced by a fountain.” Beth shrugged. “But that could have just been a dream.”
“It wasn’t!”
Beth’s head snapped up. “How could you know?”
“Because that’s the picture Bryce has of you two in his wallet. I caught a glimpse of it last night. You were dancing in front of the Bellagio fountain.”
Beth froze. “He does?”
Kim nodded.
Letting out a slow breath, Kim pushed off the floor and sank into the couch, rubbing her neck as she melted into the cushions.
“I am exhausted from that emotional rollercoaster ride, and all I did was hear about it secondhand. How in the world are you coping? You really don’t remember anything else? ”
Beth stayed on the floor, leaning back on her outstretched arms. “The next thing I remember is waking up next to him in bed.”
Kim’s hands shot to her face, covering her eyes. “Was he… naked?” she croaked, peeking through her fingers.
Beth bit her bottom lip and nodded. “But I didn’t see anything! Just his back… and his chest!” She rushed to explain, describing how she had stumbled to the bathroom, sick, and by the time Bryce came in to help her, he had already put on pants.
“What were you wearing??” Kim asked, horrified.
“A top sheet,” came Beth’s muffled reply from behind her hands.
Kim’s squeal echoed through the apartment.
She let out a dramatic sigh. “I am so thankful it was Bryce and not Eric.”
Beth blinked. “It never even occurred to me it could have been Eric.”
“I’ve always thought, deep down, that Bryce was the sweet guy. Eric is a little too full of himself, and I don’t see him treating you—or the situation—with the respect and class that Bryce would,” Kim said.
“He’s not what I expected.” Beth paused, thinking about her husband.
“We’ve talked to Pastor and Tami. We spent last weekend with Mom and Dad, and Lynn even stayed the whole weekend and went to church with us.
But Lynn’s fiancé? Never made an appearance,” Beth said, condensing the last week’s activities into one sentence.
“What? When did Lynn get engaged?” Kim looked shocked.
“The same weekend I got married. She’s known the guy for three weeks. His name is Rick. Mom said he’s nice enough, but I haven’t met him. He’s a bartender at one of the bars she works at—or maybe just frequents. I’m not really sure.”
“Wow. Drama, drama, drama with Lynn, as usual,” Kim commented.
“Speaking of drama… enough of the Stoner Sisters drama. Tell me about your trip! I really do want to hear everything.”
“Not so fast.” Kim raised a hand. “You told me about Vegas and this week—but what’s next? Where do you guys go from here?”
Beth began stretching her hamstrings. “The Ambroses and my folks all think we should remain married.”
“What do you and Bryce want?”
“He told me that morning he wanted to make it work, to find a way to honor God with our marriage. I thought and prayed about it all week and told him today that I was okay with that.”
Kim chose her next words carefully.
“I didn’t think he was a Christian.”
“I didn’t either,” Beth admitted, before sharing Bryce’s whole testimony—all of it, even the painful parts. By the time she was done, they were both in tears.
“Oh, Beth… God used you—your ‘accidental marriage’—to bring His prodigal son home to Him.”
“That’s kind of like what Tami said. I hadn’t thought of it that way before.”
Kneeling next to where Beth still sat on the floor, Kim wrapped her in a tight hug.
“You’re married! Congratulations.”
Beth stared at her. Kim was the first to congratulate her.
“Will you have a second ceremony?”
Beth shook her head and grabbed the notebook she had shown Bryce earlier, handing it to Kim. “I don’t see why we would. We’ll just print something like this up and send it out.”
“You should have a small ceremony with friends and family.”
Desire stirred in Beth.
“What’s the point?” Beth asked, sounding forlorn.
“The point is—everyone missed your wedding day, including you. Have one now to celebrate God’s union,” Kim encouraged.
“It’s too embarrassing. I don’t want to tell everyone I don’t remember my wedding day.”
“Then don’t tell them that. Say you eloped and now you’re having a ceremony with friends and family. People do it all the time.” At Beth’s look of uncertainty, Kim added, “At least think about it and talk to Bryce.”
Beth agreed to… but she knew she would never find the courage to ask Bryce for a real wedding.
Stifling a yawn, Kim stood up. “I have got to get some sleep.”
Beth playfully latched onto one of Kim’s legs. “No! Don’t go—I haven’t even gotten to hear about your time in Belize yet!”
“I know, but I’m dead on my feet.”
“So, sit on the couch!”