Page 47 of Blue Jean Summer

“This feels weird,” I said, fisting my car keys. The bite of pain from the rough edge against my skin was an effective distraction from the heat creeping its way across my cheeks.

“Why does it feel weird?” he asked with another quick glance my way.

I shrugged. “Going into town together.”

“You go into town with Hallie all the time.”

“Yeah, but that’s different,” I countered as I shoved the key into the lock. The car door screeched when I yanked it open.

Hayes cleared his throat.

I glanced over my shoulder and found him staring at me from the behemoth shadow of his SUV. “What?”

“Let’s take my car.”

I rolled my eyes. “My car’s just fine. Besides, I haven’t driven in forever because I’ve been riding with Hallie.”

Hayes crossed his arms. “Have you stopped to think about why that is?”

“You two just don’t like cars with character,” I snipped.

“I like making it into town in one piece. Duct tape around your headlights is not ‘character.’ It’s a safety hazard.”

“I can go into town myself, you know,” I said as I leaned on the open car door. It let out a heaving groan, and I eased off it…just in case. “You could have just told me your ring size like I asked. I said I would take care of it.”

“I don’t know my ring size,” Hayes countered as he rounded his SUV and opened the passenger door. “Get in.”

I crossed my arms. “Or what?”

“Or I will throw you in,” Hayes said without skipping a beat. “Your choice.”

“Hayes,” I groaned as he closed in on me.

Hayes didn’t trap me against the car with his arms. He did it with his presence. “My SUV has the highest safety rating and best crash-test results of anything that has gone on the market in the last decade. I should drive.”

Each one of my arguments faded as the weight of exactly why he drove the kind of vehicle that he did began to settle around us.

With a featherlight touch he cupped my cheek. “You are the most important person in my life. I need to keep you safe.”

Our eyes locked. There was so much unnecessary pain and loss tucked inside his gaze.

Most important person in my life…

I knew what he meant. He needed me to stay alive long enough to get married. But something deep inside me wanted it to mean something more. And that was a dangerous temptation that needed to be ignored.

I nodded, closed my car door, and quietly climbed into the SUV.

“Buckle up,” Hayes said as he shut the door and jumped behind the wheel.

I took a deep breath and looked around at the swanky interior. “So, this is what all the hype about the new car smell is about.”

Hayes chuckled, and the tension of the moment began to ease.

“You do remember that I said I was running other errands in town, right?” I asked. “I’ve gotta swing by Savannah’s shop, and I was going to go to the—”

“We can go wherever you want,” Hayes said as he pulled through the gleaming gates. Mason had spent the morning shining up the rose pattern that was welded into the metal so that it sparkled for the wedding.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you have work?”