Page 19 of Wrong Number, Right Grumpy Biker

Me: Because I can.

She bit her lip to hide a smile, and that small movement made everything even more real.

James appeared briefly during the outdoor games on the lawn. He stood with Carson near the bar, watching us with an expression I couldn't quite name. Irritation, maybe. Or disbelief.

Hannah noticed him too. Her posture shifted and tension crept into her shoulders.

I slid my hand into hers and squeezed.

She glanced up at me, then back across the lawn. James had already turned away.

"He doesn't matter," I said.

"I know." But she squeezed my hand back anyway.

Later, during the couples' lawn game tournament, Hannah made a spectacularly bad throw. The beanbag sailed wide, missing the board entirely.

"That was tragic," I said.

"Shut up." She laughed and shoved my shoulder. "You're supposed to be supportive."

"I am. I'm supporting your right to fail."

She grabbed another beanbag and aimed it at me instead. I caught it one-handed.

Her gaze snagged on my forearm and stayed there longer than necessary.

My phone buzzed.

Hannah: I like your hands.

I looked at her. She was staring very intently at the scoreboard.

Me: Just my hands?

Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away from the board.

Hannah: Don't fish for compliments.

Me: Not fishing. Just clarifying.

She finally met my eyes. The heat in her expression made my pulse kick.

Hannah: Everything. I like everything.

As the afternoon stretched into evening, Hannah asked the question I'd been expecting.

We were sitting on a bench near the barn, away from the crowd. The sun hung low over the ranch, casting everything in amber.

"Why did you stay away all those years?" she asked.

I'd rehearsed this answer a hundred times in my head. Never found a version that didn't sound like an excuse.

"Everett told me once I was the only guy he trusted around you," I said. "I treated that like a promise."

Hannah turned to give me her full attention. "You decided for both of us."

"Yeah." I couldn’t argue. She was right.