“Uh.Hey.”Benny, Rachel and Hunter’s attention all went to the coy voice behind them.Bethany.She was still in his fire department shirt, and boxers.Looking like a goddamn goddess as her fingers drifted over the suitcase Benny was still holding.“Wow.I can’t believe Doug let you take all this stuff.”
Rachel was the one to reply, unsurprisingly.“He’s...he asked me to give you this.”A note was pulled from his friend’s jean pocket and handed to Bethany.“I’m Rachel, by the way.”
Benny’s eyes stayed glued to the note.He hated that he wanted to know what it said.Really badly.He wanted to know if Bethany would read it.And if she did, would the words in there make her change her mind.Would she take her three suitcases and go back to this Doug guy?Leaving Benny.Again.
What the fucking, fuck?
His inner voice wasn’t exactly thrilled with the choices he’d been making today.Now it was pissed with his thought process, too.
Perfect.
He faintly heard Bethany introduce herself and thank Rachel and Hunter for collecting her things as she twiddled the folded piece of paper between her fingers.But it was only when he heard her say, “I feel so bad, but I can’t.I’m not ready,” that his eyes went to her face.Her usual light dulling as her gaze hit the ground.
His hand instinctively shot out and curled around Bethany’s waist as he pulled her into him.
“Hey,” he waited until her head lifted, and shimmering eyes locked onto his before continuing.“It’s gonna be okay.You did the right thing, B.”He ignored the feeling of his friend’s eyes burning into the back of his head.“I don’t know about Doug, but I sure as hell wouldn’t want to marry someone who was having second thoughts on the wedding day.You both deserve more.You deserve to know, NeNe, that you’re marrying your soulmate.”As her gaze softened, he had to take a second to gulp.“Forever should meanforever.”
He noticed Bethany swallow just as hard as she released herself from his hold.But when she opened her plump lips to say something, she was quick to slam them shut before anything had the chance to come out.Leaving Benny’s mind to race as she offered him nothing more than a single nod before practically running back inside the house.
Letting a sigh slip, he turned back to his friends, both of whom had stupid smiles on their faces.
“What?”he asked impatiently.
Hunter simply shook his head, his large smirk openly mocking Benny.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Rachel oddly replied.
Benny repeated his question and was met with more words that didn’t make any sense.
“Wait until I tell the girls.”Rachel giggled.
Tell the girls what?
More sighing ensued as Benny came to the decision that he’d rather not know.Today had already been way more than he’d bargained for and it was nowhere near over.
After saying his goodbyes and thanking his friends for their help, he headed upstairs in search of Bethany.He was under strict instructions to make sure she knew there was pasta and chocolate waiting for her.
She’d gone straight to his bedroom again.Was it weird that was where she was most comfortable?Not the living room.The kitchen.Or the guest bedroom.Hisroom.Yes, it made sense to change her clothes in there earlier so she could raid his wardrobe, but she’d gone back.First with three of his beers after their exchange in the kitchen, and now after hightailing it off the porch.
One knock on the door and he was allowed entry, but he wasn’t quite prepared for what he found when he took a step inside.Bethany on his bed.Wearing his clothes.Wrapped up in his sheets.Silky dark waves splayed over his pillow.
Fuck me.
His throat tightened.It had been a long damn time since he’d been treated to this particular sight.
“I, I, uh,” Jesus, he was pathetic.“There’s food.Rachel brought food.”
Bethany’s head came up and he didn’t miss her red rimmed eyes.She’d been crying.Damnit.Every instinct he had screamed at him to go to her.Pull her into his arms.Tell her everything was going to be okay.But he couldn’t.He didn’t trust himself.So, he stayed rooted to his spot by the doorframe, willing his body to calm the hell down and his head to clear.
It’s not working.
It wasn’t.Not when she began to chew on her lips.Her chest heaving as she looked at him with soft hooded eyes.It was taking all the willpower he had to not march over there and replace her teeth with his mouth.
What the hell is wrong with you?
He had no fucking idea.It didn’t matter that she was his ex, that he hadn’t seen her since she was nineteen.The fact that just a few hours ago, she’d been moments away from marrying someone else should have been enough to snap him out of it.
“Thank you,” her voice was uncharacteristically quiet.
