He winked. “And tequila.”
Overwhelmed, Beth let out a long sigh and rested her head against his shoulder.
After a few moments, Bryce’s next words were spoken softly in a low, sultry tone.
“As much as I would love to spend all day in bed with you…” He kissed the top of her head. “… and believe me, I would. If you don’t want to be late for work, we’d better get going.”
“OH!” Beth exclaimed as she bolted off the bed, having lost all track of time. “Aaaand he’s back.”
Laughing, she grabbed his hand and started toward the elevator, making sure she had everything she needed.
On the ride down, she told him she wanted to get married at her parents’ house.
“On the porch swing?” Bryce deadpanned.
She gave him a teasing look. “Obviously that’s where the reception will be. The ceremony would be in the yard.”
Bryce turned his head to look at her and hesitated, wondering if this was just because she was still struggling with embarrassment.
Beth blinked. “It’s something I’ve always wanted.”
“Well… in that case.” He leaned his head back. “What do you think about June 29th?”
Beth nodded, quickly thinking through everything. “If we do it in the backyard… simple, pretty. Cater some food. Email or text the invitations instead of mailing them… I think that would work.”
“I see I underplayed my hand with that one. I didn’t think you would agree,” Bryce said, sliding into the driver’s seat.
“What does that mean?”
He reached for her hand, drawing it to his lips. “It means, my love, I should have asked for June 1st.”
The rest of the week unfolded in a blur. She had worked herself up for nothing. The ER was its usual blur of chaos—too fast-paced for anything beyond clipped conversations and interrupted thoughts.
There was gossip, sure. There always was. But if anyone whispered about her and Bryce, Beth didn’t catch it.
Still, she was hyper-aware of how close they stood, how long they held eye contact, the way his voice dipped when he said her name.
Bryce, meanwhile, seemed to move through the week like nothing had changed—steady, focused, and just flirty enough to make the nurses giggle behind their clipboards.
Once, she glanced up from charting just in time to catchhim wink as he passed the nurse’s station. Tasha, walking by, followed Beth’s gaze and gave a slow, knowing “hmm” before vanishing down the hall.
Beth stared a minute and went back to her paperwork.
Evenings were spent packing up her old apartment, sorting boxes, and preparing for Kim to drop off the keys on Monday. It was bittersweet, but they made the most of it. One final free pizza from Kim’s not-so-secret admirer sealed the goodbye.
Before she knew it, Friday had ended.
Tomorrow, her family would arrive.
Then she’d be shopping for a wedding dress.
As she drifted to sleep between the soft sheets, she asked God to help her remember that what started as one mistake was also one huge blessing.
CHAPTER 26
WhenBeth woke up Saturday morning, the entire loft smelled amazing. Yawning, she threw her thick hair into a messy top knot and padded toward the stairs—only to stop halfway down, her breath catching at the sight below.
Her mouth dropped open.
