Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
“Quality over quantity. Unless it’s money.”
—excerpt from the unpublished memoir,
Darling, I Must Say by Gloria Hayes
Wedding weekend had arrived, despite all my fervent prayers that it never would.
Ali and Theo picked up Hallie, who would stay with them since the wedding was in Austin.
I’d packed, then repacked, then triple-checked the list Missy had emailed to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.
I wasn’t trying to stall but I might have double-checked my suitcase at least three times in the last fifteen minutes to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything: my shoes, a flat iron, my best bra, my second-best bra, chocolate, and my back-up chocolate.
I was probably overly prepared. So, yes, I was stalling.
Abe leaned against the side of his truck and watched me with amusement. “Any time you’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” I said firmly. “Except did I forget lipstick?”
He just shook his head and looked up at the sky, probably asking God how he’d gotten mixed up with me.
“Just going to check.” I opened the door to the back seat and began rifling through my suitcase.
A trickle of sweat skated down my forehead.
It was just after ten in the morning, but the sun was already working overtime.
July in Texas was just like June in Texas except it had more days in it.
“Look at this. Not only did I not forget my lipstick, I brought three different colors.”
“Amazing.” Abe rubbed the back of his neck. “Anything else you want to look for?”
“No. No. I’m good.” I zipped the suitcase closed and slammed the door. “We should get going.”
Abe didn’t move from his spot. His patience was impressive. Hell, I was annoyed with my own self at this point. He hadn’t rushed me once. Just stood there, calmly watching me have a minor breakdown.
“After I go to the bathroom. I swear we’ll go after that.” I dawdled as much as I could until it was just weird. When I made it back outside, Abe had the door open to the passenger’s side.
“We good now?”
“Yeah, sure.” I climbed into the truck and dug into my pocket for my stash of chocolate and panicked. “I forgot my chocolate—”
“Hold your hand out.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
When I did, he placed four chocolate kisses into my palm. Because of the heat, they were soft, but I didn’t mind. “You have chocolate.”
He grinned and closed my door. After he’d gotten settled behind the wheel, he paused and gave me a long look. “Are you sure you’re ready? I’m about to turn the car on and then there’s no turning back.”
I stuffed a kiss in my mouth. “Let’s get this over with.”
“That’s the spirit.” He turned the ignition and a loud voice with a British accent filled the car.
“Her skin was the softest he’d ever touched, like silk and flower petals. He kissed the back of her hand and smiled at her soft gasp.
“‘It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we may become better acquainted.’”
An audiobook. From the sound of it, a romance. Abe Ramos was listening to a romance novel? I pressed a hand to my mouth before a laugh could tumble out.
Frantically, Abe searched the area around him, hopped out of the car to look under the seat, patted himself down, all the while cursing under his breath.
“Can I help?” He didn’t reply, but the voice continued.
“‘Come with me to the garden. I shall show you how much I do admire you,’ he said, his voice deep and smooth. It sent a sensation down her spine. She gazed into his dark, hooded eyes and could only say yes.
“‘What if someone sees us? What if—’”
Abe dropped out of sight. I unhooked my seatbelt and stretched across the bench seat to find him lying on the gravel driveway to look under the truck.
“My phone. Where is my phone?”
“You mean this one that was sitting in the cupholder?” I held it out toward him.
He jerked and banged his head on the edge of the running board. “Ouch.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
He stood, and with one hand he rubbed at his head, with the other he snatched the phone.
“‘Oh, Michael,’ she said, her voice needy. ‘Don’t stop. Please don’t st—’”
“Aw, it stopped,” I said.
Abe climbed back into the car. With his hair out of order and the blush on his cheeks, he looked adorably embarrassed and annoyed.
“Feel free to put it back on. We do have a long drive.” A laugh snuck out. I pressed my lips together before another followed.
He shot me a dirty look, but it was ruined by the hint of a smile. A curl of pleasure unfurled in my stomach. There was nothing sexier than a guy who didn’t take himself too seriously.
“I’m not judging. Do you listen to a lot of romance novels?” I gasped. “Oh, no. Is it one of those pirate romances Ali and Mae and Ellie are always talking about?”
“Ali wouldn’t shut up about them, so I thought I’d give one a try.”
“You’re kidding. How are you liking it?” I asked, giggling.
Without a word, he turned on the car and pulled out of the driveway. The silence was only broken by my laughter.
Aidan: Are you on the way?
ME: Should be there around four.
Aidan: Is he with you?
ME: He has a name. And yes, of course.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say Aidan was jealous.
A ridiculous thought. He was getting married to the “love of his life” (as Missy liked to remind me).
But ever since he’d learned I was bringing Abe as my plus one, he had been weird.
Less texting. No late-night calls. I heard from Missy much more than I heard from him these days.
“Ugh.” I tossed my phone aside and crossed my arms. “I need more chocolate.”
Abe reached into his pocket and produced another chocolate kiss. “For you.”
“Do… do you have chocolate in your pocket?”
He smirked. “I came prepared.”
I was wrong. That was the sexiest thing a man could do—produce chocolate on demand.