“Bridal carry, nice,” Nick says, following us out of the bar. “Just don’t end up married to him a second time, alright? Though if you do, that means it’s fate. Like, you can only get accidentally married to the same person so many times before it’s no longer an accident, right?” For some reason, he follows us all the way to the elevators. “Anyway, I’ll see you on Monday, Alex!” He barely finishes speaking before the closing elevator doors cut him off.
“You dated him?” Alex mumbles. “I’m better.”
I smile softly at his drunken rambling. “Jealous?”
He pouts again. “No.” Then he amends, “A little. He’s hot, even if he is weird.” His head thumps down on my shoulder. “And he’s nicer than I thought. Except for when he dumped you. That wasn’t nice. But it’s fine. I’m glad he dumped you.”
“Are you?” I ask, struggling to suppress a laugh.
“Yeah.” He nuzzles my neck. “’Cause now you’re here with me.” That’s the last I get out of him before he falls back asleep.
“You and I are going to have a very long talk in the morning.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Alex
The sunlight streaming through the room is too damn bright. I roll over and cover my head with the pillow, but there’s something weird about it—the texture is wrong, and the smell is too neutral. Now that I’m paying attention, I feel my clothes twisted awkwardly around my body, the heavy weight of an unfamiliar blanket. I slowly raise my head, only one eye peeled open for self-preservation against the sun, and peer around the room.How did I end up in a hotel?
Last night, I went out for drinks with Nick. We talked about Euan and the marriage and then … did Nick say Euan was coming? But that can’t be right. He lives hundreds of miles away. Even if he wants to visit me—which I’m still not sure hedoes—he can’t just drop everything and show up in half an hour.
Except … another memory trickles in. Strong arms around me. A familiar scent filling my lungs. A soft, sweet voice whispering gently,“Did you want me to stay?”
Was that some drunken dream? Or did he really come back? I throw the pillow off my head and look around the hotel room again. It’s empty, no signs of another person. Thebathroom door is closed but there are no sounds coming from inside. “Euan?” I call, my voice rough from sleep and alcohol.
No response.
I stumble out of bed and check the bathroom anyway, pushing the door open. Empty.
He’s here, right? I didn’t imagine him?
Out of more desperation than hope, I decide to ask the front desk if they’ve seen him. Too impatient to even put shoes on, I throw the hotel room door open—
And collide with a solid, warm body.
Euan grunts but remains steady on his feet. The drink carrier he’s holding isn’t as lucky, dumping iced coffee over both of us. The paper bag he’s holding in the other hand is far enough away to avoid the splash.
I blink up dazedly at Euan, wondering if maybe this is the drunken dream. Though, if I’m dreaming, why would I be cold and sticky? “You’re here—” the last syllable turns into a sharp yelp as an ice cube slips all the way down my spine.
“Good morning to you, too,” Euan replies, lips quirked in amusement. “Why don’t we step inside before you start flailing?”
“I’m not flailing,” I mutter, though that’s only because I’m tightly clutching his shirt instead. It takes a few seconds to untwist my fingers from the fabric and step away from him.
Euan enters the room and I follow him like a lost puppy afraid his favorite human will disappear if I lose sight of him. “You’re here,” I repeat, with less vibrato this time.
“Sorry you had to wake up alone,” he says as he sets both the drink carrier and the paper bag on the counter. “I thought you’d need something to eat once you woke up. I didn’t realize you’d have enough energy to leap out of bed and attack me.”
A slight flush heats my cheeks. “I was … kind of worried I’d dreamed you,” I admit. “I didn’t know you were coming. You didn’t reply to my text.”
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Sorry, that was my dad’s bright idea to surprise you.”
A grin spreads across my face as I realize that not only was he not ignoring me, but he jumped on a planethe next dayjust to come see me. “How long are you here for?”Please say forever.
“I have to leave on Monday.”
Two days. I only have two days with him. It’s not nearly enough, but I’ll take whatever he gives me. Still, I can’t help but ask, “Why such a short trip?”
He stares back at me steadily. “I didn’t know if you really wanted to see me. After the thing with Nick … I didn’t want to be stuck here for another week if you didn’t feel the same way.”
My heart is pounding so loud it almost drowns him out. “And what way is that?”
