Hope snuggled her head into her pillow and mumbled something. I smiled and pushed a few strands of her hair from her forehead before kissing her temple. We were getting married.
She mumbled something else, and I leaned in to hear her better. “You’re not backing out now, are you?”
Hope’s eyes sparkled as she opened them into narrow slits. She moved closer to me and our naked bodies lined up as she grinned. “I can’t believe I slept with my best friend last night.”
My heart gave a few quick thuds in my chest, and I pulled up the soft comforter around our shoulders. “Do you regret it?”
If she said yes, I did not know what I’d do. We couldn’t pretend like last night hadn’t happened. At this point, we’d gone too far. We had a wedding date in a few hours. The only regret I had was waiting so long to tell Hope I loved her. I could have spent countless nights with her naked body wrapped up in my arms. If she regretted it, I’d never recover.
I wasted years we could have been together. Strands of her hair twisted around the pillow. She smelled like coconut as I ran my nose against her head and breathed her in.
She pinched my nipple. “Not at all. I’m just… like wow.”
“Yeah. Wow.” I understood exactly what she meant.
Even though I’d spent years picturing this future for us, I never let myself believe it might happen. And now here we were. Wow.
“How are you feeling today?” I asked when she wrapped her arm around my middle and squished her breasts against my chest.
Hope bit my collar bone. “Fine. I told you I wasn’t drunk.”
“Just double checking,” I said.
She pulled her head back to glance up and meet my gaze. “Why are you being weird?”
Nerves.
Excitement.
Pure panic.
I pushed back those same stubborn pieces of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. “How much do you remember of last night?”
Hope hesitated for a minute before answering, like she was reviewing all the memories. “All of it.”
I released a breath. She remembered agreeing to marry me. She was still here.
From one second to the next, Hope’s face fell into one of horror. “Shit, Chance.”
She latched on to my shoulder. “What?”
“I can’t get married like this.”
My heart stuttered in fear. Did she finally remember that we’d made an appointment for a wedding?
“Chance, I have no dress. A bride needs a dress.”
I laughed and rubbed my nose against hers. “I’d marry you in a paper bag, babe.”
Hope pushed me away. “Well, I wouldn’t!”
I didn’t give a shit what Hope married me in, but if she thought a dress was important, I’d get her one. “We can buy a simple one at a shop in the casino or go to the chapel and rent one for the ceremony if you want an official wedding dress.”
She considered my solutions for a minute before nodding. “It would probably be easier to rent one. Plus, I’d never get it home in my carry-on bag.”
“Okay, we’ll do that,” I said and sucked in a deep breath.
I kissed her on the lips, and Hope pulled me closer. Her nipples pebbled against my chest and I tweaked one between my thumb and index finger.
