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“There is absolutely nothing wrong with your legs. They’re perfect.”
I shouldn’t have said that last part. But it’s true. Her legs are fucking perfect, and it’s hard to forget that, knowing how good they felt wrapped around my waist.
But comments like that take a giant eraser right through the line I keep talking about.
I tug at my collar, and then as if reading my mind, she cranks up the AC, and I’m met with a cool blast, providing a welcome relief from the late July heat and whatever the hell this is firing off between us like fireworks.
“I left the car running so it would stay cool.”
“Thanks. You could have waited in the car so you wouldn’t melt.”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to find me.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Sunny. I’ll always find you.” It’s out before I can stop myself.
She clears her throat and changes the subject. “So maybe we should lay some ground rules.”
“Mm-hmm.” My attention is momentarily diverted by the sight of her cotton dress riding up, revealing the long, tan legs in question.
“Make sure you keep your eyes on the road, Casanova.” Lucy lifts her sunglasses, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement.
I shift the car in drive and bite back a grin.
“Take a right up here.” She ignores me completely.
Following her directions, I pull onto the highway.
“So, what’s the plan?” I ask, breaking the silence as we drive. “For when we get there, I mean.”
“Well, word got out around town that I was engaged. But like I told you before, no one besides Briar has really ever met him,” Lucy explains, her voice tinged with frustration.
“Yeah, so you said.” Because he sounds like an epic dick. I want to say that last part out loud, but I don’t. I can’t imagine how she must be feeling about all of this. “Will his name come up?”
“A few people probably know it… but again, we kept things pretty hush-hush. That’s the way he wanted it,” she adds, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Fucking asshole,” I mutter under my breath, unable to contain my disdain.
“Something like that.”
“And crazy… I’d want to shout it from the rooftops if you were mine,” I reply honestly before quickly reminding myself that honesty is probably not what she needs to hear right now. As she talks, I can’t help but imagine what it will be like to stand at the end of an aisle, watching her walk toward me in white.
The thought makes it hard to breathe, and the vision is quickly overshadowed, knowing I’ll be the heartless bastard standing there waiting to say vows I won’t be able to keep. Just because I don’t believe in love and marriage doesn’t mean I want to rob her of that chance.
“Technically, I am,” she says, turning her head to look at the window, avoiding my questioning gaze. But I don’t miss the way she fidgets, her fingers twisting and pulling at her dress. It’s good to know that I’m not alone in this fucked-up bubble of lust and confusion.
“So, yeah, anyway.” She changes the subject again before I can respond and digs out her notebook, flipping through the color-coded pages overflowing with Post-its. “There are several appointments that I’ve already made. Normally a thirty-day planning schedule would be impossible, but since I’m a local girl and small towns take care of their own, I think we can pull this off. You’ll meet my family and get a fast introduction to small-town life. I already set up meetings with the florist, baker, and the venue won’t be a problem—my granny already reserved the church.”
“The church?” I swallow.
“Yeah, Shady Grove, we will be, uh—you know, getting married there.”
“Not afraid of getting struck by lightning?” I tease.
“When I say my vows, I’ll mean every word. Except maybe the whole ’til death do us part line… You know what? Custom vows it is.” She makes another note and jumps right back into wedding planner mode.
“Briar will be doing pictures because the local guy is already booked. But I couldn’t imagine anyone else taking them. Let’s see what else.” She makes more marks in her book. “My dress is already taken care of, courtesy of Camilla, close family friend. My bridesmaids are my cousins, Charlotte and Magnolia, then maid of honor is my bestie, Emma. You’ll meet her this week. Their dresses just need ordered. My friend Zoey, her twins will be flower girls. Their momma owns Zoey’s Treasures and will be making their dresses. The printer is just waiting on the final proof approval to order the invites. I hope you don’t mind, I went with a textured linen card stock and silver embossing, with touches of greenery. I’ll just need to know how you want your name on there. Is Beau short for something like Beauregard? Or maybe there’s an embarrassing middle name I should know about?”
She rattles things off so quickly it’s hard for me to keep up.
