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Her mother steps back as though she’s questioning my input, but she doesn’t speak.
I take Dolly’s hand in mine and nod toward the bride to be. “We’re goin’ to find some real food. You got any around here?”
Her mother points with a slacked jaw toward a waiter carrying what might be mini sandwiches, though I can’t tell from this distance. Truthfully, none of this food is going to do. We’re going to need something with some substance if we’re going to get through this day.
“Thanks, and nice to meet you, ma’am.” I hold out my hand, but she doesn’t shake it. Instead, she gives me a look that I expect. A look that says, ‘who the hell invited the dirty, old cowboy.’ I don’t go many places, but I’ve been around long enough to remember what disregard feels like, and I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about any of it. I’m here to stand with Dolly and keep the assholes off her. So far, I’m knocking it out of the park.
We’re two feet away from her mother when Dolly looks up at me, her eyes warm like a welcoming sunshine. “You’re crazy.”
“You keep sayin’ that.”
“I mean it. I’ve never had the balls to stand up to her. Also, I’m starving. How does any of this qualify as brunch?”
“Right, we’re full-grown people. We need more than quarter sized eggs for breakfast. You want to go get something?” I glance down at the time. “We could get to the diner and be back in an hour.”
She smiles. “Nah, that would mean I’d have even more rolls to cover.”
I pull her against my chest and hold her close. “They’ve got a dining room here. Let’s run and grab something.” I grip her hips and squeeze. “I’ve always loved buttered biscuits.”
Something about this brightens her face in a way I haven’t seen before.
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me.”
“You better be careful.” She smiles. “You saw how I freaked out last night. I might chain you up and never let you go.”
I grin and tuck her hand into mine as we walk toward the dining hall. “Not sure that’s much of a threat considerin’ I had the same idea.”
Chapter Five
Dolly
One point for humiliation. Thank you, Mom. I should’ve seen that coming. If my mother had her way, she’d have put her fat daughter in a trash bag and pulled the string.
Austin’s subsequent biscuit handling saved the day, though. With a few carbs, a glass of tea, and some praise, I’m back on my feet. I don’t know what I’d have done without him today. It’s like we’ve known each other forever. Like somehow, he’s gotten the map to my heart, and he’s following the path exactly right. Hell, even I didn’t know biscuits and compliments were the path. If he Googled this too, the internet has girls figured out.
Since our excursion to the dining room, we’ve run into at least fifty people and no one else is nearly as annoying as my mother. Instead, most are kind and gracious, telling me how beautiful we are as a couple and filled with questions about when our wedding day is coming.
Austin rambles on about our new rodeo based fantasy wedding and I stand beside him lost in the timbre of his voice and the feel of his rough hand against my skin.
Why does that feel so good?
So far, the rodeo wedding is serving barbeque steak, slaw, and his famous spaghetti sauce. Clearly, we’re both still hungry. He’s moved on to a couple that say they’re my mother’s friends and has been talking for at least five minutes when I see Alec making a beeline toward us.
My heart stops. We were doing so well.
He’s wearing a suit that looks like it cost more than my car. It’s black, and the fabric looks threaded finely. His black hair is glued back on his head and his ensemble is complete with his shitty grin.
I don’t know what I ever saw in him. I mean, at first, he was nice. We met at a charity event to fund research on the wolves in the area. Turns out, there was a wolf in our presence the whole time.
How poetic.
He approached me that night, and we took a walk by the river. I didn’t even know he was rich, and he wasn’t boastful about it. It wasn’t until we’d been dating a few weeks that he showed me his private jet. At that point, I started making assumptions. Like anyone, I was enamored by the lavish gifts, and the last-minute trips to exotic places. At one point, he even offered to fund my pet spa idea. However, it was conditional on me opening it wide across America, where all I want to focus on is a small hometown feel. That’s what started the drama. From that moment on, he was very honest about his feelings for me.
I was dumb. I was slow. I had no vision.
When I defended myself, the verbal insults only got worse, and eventually, he became physical.
