25 | Road Trip
I called the front desk from the cottage while Tessa was in the bathroom.
“I need a car. Something with GPS.”
“Of course, Mr. Morrison. When do you need it?”
“Now.”
Ten minutes later, we were standing in front of a sleek Mercedes sedan. Tessa stared at it.
“This is the rental?”
“Hotel car service.” I opened the passenger door for her. “Perks of David booking everything.”
She slid in, and I watched her sundress ride up slightly.
Fuck.
Focus.
I got in the driver’s side.
“Where to?” I asked.
“Town. Just—drive toward the main street. I’ll tell you where to stop.”
I pulled out of the resort.
The drive started quiet, comfortable. My hand found her thigh and rested there. She made a small sound.
I glanced over and saw her blushing.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just—” She looked at my hand, then at me. “Your hand.”
“Want me to move it?”
“Yes.”
I started to lift it away.
“Higher.”
Our eyes met.
Oh.
Fuck.
My hand slid up slowly, over smooth skin, under the hem of her sundress. She bit her lip and kept her eyes on the road. I kept mine forward too, but my hand kept moving.
I could feel her breathing change—faster, shallower.
“Here?” My voice came out rough.
“Yeah.”
Christ.
I was going to crash this car.
My fingers brushed cotton, the edge of her underwear.
She inhaled sharply and the sound of her almost made me loose control.
I laughed out of myself, couldn’t help it, and pulled my hand back to her knee.
“You’re going to kill us.”
The town appeared ahead.
Thank fuck.
“Anywhere specific?” I managed.
“Just—keep going. I’ll tell you.”
I drove, trying to focus on the road.
“There.” She pointed. “Pull over.”
A store—generic chain, nothing special—but I pulled into a spot.
She unbuckled and grabbed her purse.
“Want me to come?”
“No. I’ll be quick.”
She leaned over, kissed me hard, then was out before I could respond.
I watched her walk away.
She disappeared through the automatic doors and I sat back, turned off the engine.
----
Six weeks ago, I’d gone to Hailey’s barbecue like I always did. First weekend of the month, same people, same routine.
Except that night was different.
Because Tessa showed up and Charles wasn’t with her.
I’d seen her the moment she walked through the gate—standing by herself near the grill, trying to look comfortable in a group where she clearly wasn’t anymore. She’d looked the same but different. Older. Sadder around the eyes.
And alone.
For two years, I’d watched her at these gatherings with that asshole. Watched him barely talk to her, barely touch her, barely acknowledge she was there. Watched her try so hard to make him comfortable in a group where he clearly didn’t want to be.
But that night, he wasn’t with her.
And I’d known—immediately—that something had changed.
I’d tried to play it cool. Stayed on the other side of the yard. Talked to Ryan. Pretended I wasn’t watching her.
But I was. The whole fucking night.
And then she’d literally walked into me, running away from Charles—because apparently he’d shown up anyway.
One thing let to another and there we were—discussing a fake dating.
She’d get Charles off her back, and I’d look more stable at work. Except there was no work problem. David had never asked me to bring anyone to events.
Had never even suggested it would help.
I knew she’d never accept help just for herself. She was too proud, too independent. But helping me with a work thing? That she might agree to.
Fake dating. What a fucking joke.
There was nothing fake about how I felt.
I’d been in love with her since I was sixteen. I’d never stopped. I’d dated other people, had relationships—none of it stuck. She was the only thing that mattered.
I’d wanted her back, wanted a second chance. I just hadn’t actually thought it would work. Hadn’t thought she’d look at me like that. Touch me. Want me.
Never thought I’d get this lucky.
And now here I was. In Napa, with her, after this afternoon, about to have tonight. Living something I’d fantasized about for over a decade.
And she still didn’t know I’d lied to get close to her. That I’d invented a problem that didn’t exist. That I’d used her vulnerability to wedge myself back into her life.
Failed.
And now it will all blow up in my face.
----
She opened the door and slid in, wouldn’t look at me.
“Got everything?” I kept my voice light.
“Yeah.”
Silence. She was staring straight ahead, cheeks pink.
“Tessa—”
“I got you something.” She dug in the bag and pulled out a protein bar, handed it to me.
I looked at it, confused. “Thanks?”
“You’re welcome.”
More silence.
“Did we drive here for a protein bar?” I asked carefully.
“No.” She took a breath and reached into the bag again, pulled out a box, and tossed it onto my lap.
Condoms.
I stared down at them, then looked at her. She was watching me with her chin up, defiant despite the blush.
“Now we can go to the hot tub,” she said.
I started laughing. Couldn’t help it.
“What?” She looked nervous now.
“You’re something else.”
“Is that bad?”
“No. That’s—” I pulled her across the center console and kissed her. “That’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
“So we can go?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We can go.”
I started the car.
My hand found her thigh again, and she didn’t tense this time—just put her hand over mine. The sun was starting to set, golden light over the vineyards.
It should have been perfect.
Everything seemed perfect.
We pulled into the resort and parked. I looked at her, she looked at me.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
I got out, opened her door, and took her hand.
“I need to return the keys to the front desk,” I said when we reached the cottage.
“Okay. I’ll be here.”
She went inside. I walked back to the main building.
Five minutes. That’s all it took.
Five minutes that felt like an hour.
I opened the cottage door.
“Tessa?”
Silence.
Then I heard it—water. The soft sound of the hot tub from the terrace.
I walked through the room and stepped outside.
The sun was lower now, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The vineyards stretched out below us, endless and beautiful.
And there she was.
In the hot tub. Hair piled on top of her head. Arms resting on the edge. Steam rising around her.
She smiled when she saw me.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” My voice came out rougher than I meant.
“This is a no-clothes hot tub.” She tilted her head. “Hope that’s okay.”
My brain stopped working.
“I— yeah. That’s—” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“You coming in?”
I nodded. Started unbuttoning my shirt with hands that weren’t quite steady.
She watched me the whole time. Eyes dark. Lips curved.
I kicked off my pants, stepped into the water. It was perfect—hot but not scalding. I sank down across from her.
She didn’t stay across from me for long.
She moved through the water and settled onto my lap, straddling me. Her hands on my shoulders. Her body pressed against mine.
“Hi,” she said again. Softer this time.
“Hi.”
She kissed me.
Slow at first. Then deeper. Her hands sliding into my hair. Mine finding her waist.
The water sloshed around us. The sun kept setting.
But I couldn’t lose myself in this. My mind kept circling back to what I needed to tell her.
She must have felt it. The tension. The distance.
She pulled back.
“Your mind is somewhere else.”
“No, it’s not—”
“Are you thinking about the Henderson thing? You can go if you need to. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s not that.” I took a breath. “Tessa, there’s that thing I need to tell you.”
She went still on my lap.
“Before we go any further. You should know—” I continued.
“This afternoon, I tried to tell you something. Before—” I gestured vaguely. “Before everything. And you asked me to wait.”
Understanding flickered in her eyes. “Oh.”
“And I did wait. Because you asked me to. I cupped her face. “But now—with the next step, with tonight—this is different. And you should know the whole truth before we make that choice.”
She was quiet for a moment. Then: “Okay. Tell me.”
“That night at Hailey’s. When I offered the fake dating arrangement.” I kept my eyes on hers. “I lied. David never needed me to bring someone to events. Never even suggested it would help my career.”
She was very still.
“I made it up. On the spot. Because I wanted you back in my life, and I knew you’d never accept help just for yourself.”
“So you...”
“I invented a problem that didn’t exist. Created a reason you’d say yes when I was too scared to just ask you on a real date.” I paused. “I should have been honest from the start. But I wasn’t. And you deserve to know that before we—”
Silence.
She was looking at me.
Processing.
????
This book is part of The Echoes of Us contest, so every comment and reaction means the world—if you’re enjoying what you’re reading, make sure to leave a trace.