“Wait. Don’t go running after him. If you do, this will be the story of the rest of your life. He’s being a child-”
“I know but-”
“No buts. You want me to come over or are you coming here?”
Chapter 26
Suds
Pulling into the gas station, I note how Sam’s texts stopped hours ago. I should call but what the fuck will I say? I’m having second thoughts about the wedding? It’s better I shut the hell up.
I blame this on my family. They mess with my head and visiting them brings up the past like it happened yesterday. To dull the pain, I stop at the liquor store and buy beer. Not hungry, but not stupid, I ask the guy at the cash register for fast food and he directs me to a convenience store. There, I pass on the hotdogs. Tonight, dinner will consist of potato chips, peanuts and a microwavable pizza slice.
Google lady directs me to my lodging where I hand the manager my credit card.
He yawns, eyes tiny slits. “Third cabin on the right.”
“Thanks.” Heart heavy and too fucking sad to sleep, I trudge through the fresh snow to the small wooden structure.
What the hell am I doing here? I miss her so much it scares the shit out me. What does it matter if I’m ass deep in debt? As long as I’m with her, nothing else matters.
Who cares if she’s opinionated and downright pig-headed? When I’m inside her, nothing else matters. I love her smile, her hair, her smell, and the funny shit she says. Damn, that woman makes me laugh.
Heart pounding, I punch in her number and it goes to voicemail. Shit. She turned off her phone. After a couple beers, I check her phone’s GPS tracker.
Well, what do you know? She’s on her way to find me.
Chapter 27
Sam
Four hours and a gallon of coffee later, I arrive at a weird place in the woods with seven log cabins. Hoping not to meet Snow White or her dwarfs, I drive past the office building and park next to Suds’ SUV.
I knock hard but he doesn’t answer so I go around the small building pushing up on all the windows. Finding the bathroom unlatched, I shimmy in and recall the last time I squeezed through a similar window. That day, I shot someone. Today, I hope I get inside before Suds kills me.
Sliding in more, I stretch until my fingertips reach the edge of the vanity. A little further and my knees will be free.
“Hold it right there!”
An overhead light switches on, blinding me. “Suds, don’t shoot. It’s me.”
His gun lowers. “Jeee… Hell. What the fuck, Sam? Why didn’t you knock?”
“I did.”
The pistol’s safety clicks as he sets it down on the back of the john. Then, he grabs me around the chest, pulls me free, and his hungry lips find mine.
When we gasp for air, I cry out, “I am so, so sorry, tough guy. We don’t have to have a giant wedding. We don’t even have to get married. I’m fine as long as we’re together.”
He cups my cheeks and brings his face so close, our noses touch. “Baby, I want to give you the world. If we’re working to pay back wedding debt, how can I give it to you?”
The room turns sideways, he lifts me up, and places me on the bed. “You didn’t have to drive all the way up here. I was going to catch a few z’s then head home.”
“Why here?” I move aside, pat the mattress, and he lays down beside me.
Head on his elbow, he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear and his knuckles brush across my cheek. “When I stopped driving, it was the closest place with a vacancy. Listen sugar, if you want a big wedding with the works, we’ll figure it out.”
Smiling, he kisses me again until the temperature in the room rises. “Think you might want to take off your coat and stay a while?”
