“There,” he says. “Now she can’t bother you anymore today.”
I feel a very slight wave of relief and then his phone starts ringing. He clenches his jaw. We both know it’s going to be Kate. If not, it’ll be Jason, but either way, they’re desperately trying to get ahold of us no matter his resolve. He lets out a heavy sigh and pulls his own phone from pocket. He never breaks eye contact with me as he presses it to his ear.
“Yes, Kate? . . . Yeah I turned it off for her. . . . Because we’re out sightseeing like everyone else gets to do. . . . Yeah I know we’re in the wedding party, but we’re also human beings and we’re allowed to enjoy our time here. . . . Don’t worry, we’ll have the champagne back in time. . . . Okay. I’m hanging up now. See you later.”
And with that he ends the call, turns his own phone off, and shoves it inside his pocket.
“We are going to have hell to pay later,” I say.
“Well, that can be a problem for later then. I want to stay right here in this moment with you. With the rain on the window and the best pasta I’ve ever made and the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
A kernel of worry embeds itself in my belly, but the rest of it leaves my body as he leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips.
“Even if she doesn’t tell me I made the best pasta of her entire life,” he mumbles against my lips.
“I’ve had better.”
“Liar.”
I feel his smile against my lips as he kisses me again, and this time even that tiny kernel of fear doesn’t feel as big anymore.
Celeste was tragically right about the rain not letting up. It’s an absolute torrential downpour. We can barely see past the trees behind her house.
After the class was finished and we helped clean up as much as Celeste would allow, she showed us to the last available room in her home—which she explains started as their home and they now use as a bed and breakfast and the enclosed back patio houses their cooking class.
“Alright, here you are,” she says as she opens the dark wooden door to a cozy-looking bedroom. It’s just as quaint as the rest of the home. A window that would likely overlook the view had the rain not created a water curtain. A little end table with a lamp casting a dim glow in the room. A patchwork quilt on the single bed in the center of the room.
I stare at that single bed far longer than I care to admit, only coming back to reality when Celeste says, “The bathroom is down that hall. We stock extra tooth brushes and toiletries for guests. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen you may need. And our room is at the end of the hall if you need anything.”
And with that, she’s gone, sauntering off down the hallway without a clue what this one room has running through my mind. I shut the door behind her and lean my back against it as I try to collect my thoughts. The stress of not being back for my sister. The excitement of being alone with Reid. The worry that I may have fallen for him, but maybe this time alone will have him realizing that maybe I’m not the girl he thinks I am.
My sister’s words from yesterday come back to my mind, no matter how hard I tried to ignore them and shove them deep in the recesses of my mind to be long forgotten.
He said he wasn’t a relationship guy.
Why would he suddenly want to be a relationship guy for you?
Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
I turn to face him, my heart pounding as I come down from the moment and from the fear of shattering it with just a few words. My teeth catch my bottom lip as I debate my next words. His eyes track the movement and he takes a step closer.
Now or never.
“Can I ask you something?”
Reid pauses, tilting his head to the side a bit as he stares at me. His curiosity has been piqued. “Anything.”
I draw in a breath. “Why me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean . . . I mean I obviously know Kate came onto you in college before you introduced her to Jason.” He nods. I continue. “But yesterday Lydia said she also tried to talk to you at a Halloween party last fall.”
He lifts his chin slowly as realization spreads across his handsome face.
“And it’s just . . . you know, family is usually so similar. And you never seem to enjoy being in their company, and you obviously weren’t interested in my sisters. So I just . . . I want to know why . . .”
“Why I’d be interested in you?” he asks for me. And I swear I imagine it, but I think I hear something like rage or disbelief in his voice. I simply nod in response. “You’re kidding, right?”
