She knew a smoke screen when she saw it. He was trying to push her away with words. “Who don’t you want to see, Ethan?”
Something flicked across his face and then it was gone. “Why all the interest suddenly, Smith? You usually run a mile when I’m near.”
“Who, Ethan?” Annabelle ignored his attempt at diversion again.
“My father, all right?” He ran a hand through his hair after he’d spat out the word as if it tasted foul. “Jesus, you’re a nag. Now go away.”
“No, I’ve decided I want to have sex with you, and I want to do it now.”
Annabelle laughed when his eyes widened and he had pushed off the bench before realizing she was teasing him.
“That was cruel, honey, real cruel.”
“Just trying to get you focused, Tex. Now, back to the wedding. You don’t like your father.” She shrugged. “Shit like that happens all the time, and it hardly seems fair to punish your sister because of it. You’re an adult, aren’t you? Surely you can sit through a wedding for a few hours and play nice.”
“It’s not just my father, Annabelle.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t get on real well with most of my family.”
“But you like your sister, and she’s the only one who matters here, Ethan.”
“You go, then,” he muttered.
“Okay, but you’re taking me. We can make it part of the payment for the car money. I’ll work out how to pay back the rest later.”
“What?” He shook his head as if to clear it. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’ll come as your date to the wedding, but don’t think that means I’ll sleep with you.”
“Honey, when I get you in my bed, sleep will be the last thing on your mind.”
“You come out of the womb talking like that?” Annabelle rolled her eyes. There he was, her sexy, smooth-talking Texan. For a while there she’d missed him.
“So, when do we leave?”
“Not happening. There is no way I would subject you to my family. You’ll end up bloodied and bruised.”
He’d turned away from her again and was busy playing with things on his bench. Annabelle moved in behind him and placed a hand on his back. The muscles beneath her fingers were tense.
“She deserves that you go, Ethan, so you’re going, and I’m going with you as protection.”
“My father’s an asshole, Annabelle, plain and simple. I can deal with him, but for Hope’s sake I want her day to be special, and it will be if I’m not there to stir things up.”
She heard the pain in his words, leaning her body into his she rested her cheek on his back. The Texan was hurting, and Annabelle had always been a sucker for a wounded soul, being one herself.
“We can do this, Ethan. I’ll help you.”
“You don’t need to do this because you think you owe me, Annabelle.”
His words were husky and she heard the emotion he was trying to fight.
“I’m doing this because I owe you, but also because you’re a friend,” she clarified.
“Christ, somebody take note, Annabelle Smith said I’m her friend.” He turned and she stood upright. “Here’s the thing, Smith. My father and I are explosive when we’re together. He wants me to do things his way, always has, and I want to do them my way. The rest of the family, besides one of my brothers, just gets caught in the crossfire. I don’t want that for Hope’s wedding. She’ll understand when I tell her.”
“If she understood, Ethan, she wouldn’t have sent you an invitation.”
He clearly hadn’t thought about that. She could see her words had surprised him.
“You think she sent this because she really wants me to be there?” He looked at the envelope she still had in her hands.
