Peyton cackled. “Oh, do tell.”
“Apparently,” Ashton took on a scandalous tone. “He jilted his tattoo artist. Not too bright if you ask me.”
“Shocker,” Peyton said.
Just then Ford’s eyes locked on Peyton like two heat seeking missiles. He torpedoed through the water, heading her way.
“Cuss,” she breathed. “Hurry. Tell me where the tattoo is. It could take an hour to find it myself on that walking graffiti wall of permanent poor choices. Ain’t nobody got time for Where’s Waldo right now.”
I snorted. This woman.
Ashton laughed. “It saysonly she can ‘safe’ me. Right over his left pec.”
“Only she cansafeme?” Peyton guffawed. “Who’sshe? Is that the name of one of his songs?”
I quickly shuffled Whiskey and Women’s song titles through my head. I knew them like the back of my hand. Brooklyn—even fully in love with Jonah—was obsessed with Ford’s band. Played them nonstop like they were the only music available on the planet. “I don’t think so.”
“No idea.” I felt Ashton shrug. “Apparently he’s getting it fixed next week so you better get your jabs in now.”
“Oh, heckyes.” Peyton huffed out a laugh. Armed with that piece of knowledge, she flung her plate-fans across the lawn like a pair of frisbees, stepped out of her shorts, and walked straight for Ford, confidently peeling off her shirt as she went. Peyton had a lot to be confident about.
Standing on the sand, Ford gave her a look that said he’d just taken her top off in his mind.Oh Ford. Ashton must’ve seen it too because he made a noise of disapproval. When Peyton got to Ford, he said something to her that we couldn’t hear. She gaped and poked him in his left pec, snapping back a retort that, again, we unfortunately couldn’t hear. Then she hooted.
Ford’s narrowed gaze swung on Ashton.
“Uh oh.” Ash’s chest rumbled against my back.
I giggled.
Ford growled angrily. He swore, looking mad enough to punch somebody. We heard that just fine. Theo, James, and Cash did too, looking up from what they were doing, eyes like quarters.
Peyton stuffed her shirt in Ford’s open mouth. “Stop cussing!” Her accent grew thick and her tone incensed. “There are children present.” Then she took off for the lake yelling, “Only she cansafeme? That’s what you get, Cowboy Casanova! Hashtag Karma!”
My abs ached from laughing so hard.
Ford spit the shirt out, lifted it to his nose and… sniffed? Then he pointed at Ash as if to say,I’m coming for you…later. He dropped the shirt, turned on his heel, and sprinted after Peyton, who had disappeared under the water.
With that done, I turned to the table of delectable food. It was too hot and my anxiety was cranked too high to eat any of it. My hands started up their shaking again.
Ashton let go of his hold on my waist and stepped upbeside me. He plucked a strawberry from one of the charcuterie boards and popped it into his mouth.
I stared blankly at the spread.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You look…”
“I look what?” Hot for sure. There was a sweat waterfall happening straight down my cleavage.
His lips pressed into a line. “Beautiful.”
I cocked my head. “That’s not what you were going to say.”
“Fine. I was going to say nervous. Nervously beautiful.” He turned to face me, hands propped on his waist.
My eyes dipped down, taking in his board shorts and hisridiculouschest. Good grief. The man had more muscles than a beefcake calendar at a firefighter fundraiser. Nobody to fill in for February through December? No worries, just put Ashton on every page. Everyone will thank you.
My hands did a Vanna White flourish over his torso. “What is happening here?”
“What?” His grin went crooked right before his left pec popped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His right pec popped. Then they went back and forth like a game of whack-a-mole gone wrong.
