Page 48

As we stand at the threshold of Lucy’s apartment, a playful thought crosses my mind.

Reaching down, I lift her into my arms and sweep her off her feet.

“Beau, put me down,” Lucy giggles.

“It’s tradition, right?” I quip, my tone light with humor.

Lucy’s laughter fills the air.

“That’s on the wedding night,” she teases, her words causing a moment of realization to dawn in her eyes.

The wedding night.

I nearly groan at her unintentional innuendo.

“I mean for normal couples.”

There is nothing normal about this arrangement.

I ease her down slower than necessary, and she slides down the front of my body until her feet hit the floor. There’s a subtle shift in the air. We step apart and awkwardly create some distance between us, the moment lingering in the air like an echo of unspoken desires.

I grab our bags to bring them in, taking a moment to study my surroundings. The apartment feels cozy and inviting. The exposed brick gives it character, and the eclectic mix of furniture and vintage decor fills the space, softened by feminine touches.

Lucy gestures around the space. “So, here’s the living room, obviously,” she says. “And over there is the kitchen.” She points toward an arched opening behind her. “And if you go down that small hallway to the left,” she continues, “you’ll find a linen closet at the end, the bathroom to the left, and the bedroom right across from it.”

“Only one bedroom?”

That’s going to be an issue. How the hell am I supposed to share a bed with her for the next month… and after our “wedding night,” then what?

“I was thinking we could take turns with the couch.” She points to the dark green velvet sofa.

I stare at the alternative sleeping spot, raising my brows in question. “I don’t know if you noticed this, Sunny, but I’m six three.”

She winces slightly. “I know it’s not ideal, but I promise it’s more comfortable than it looks,” she says, her voice tinged with nervousness. “But if it’s going to be a problem, I can sleep there.”

“No,” I sigh, running my hand through my hair as I search for a solution that’s not there. “I’m not kicking you out of your bed.”

“I mean, I guess I could go stay at the farm?” she offers, worrying her bottom lip, making me want to kiss her perfect plump lips just to see the worry vanish.

“And have people think I ran you off already or that there is trouble in paradise? No way. Although it did cross my mind, won’t they think I stole your virtue by staying here before the wedding?”

A mischievous grin breaks out on her gorgeous face, and her cheeks flush. “My virtue is old news, Beau. The whole town already knows I left it in the back seat of Bobby Benson’s grandaddy’s Mustang after senior prom.”

Holy hell! This girl is full of surprises.

I can’t stop the laugh that rumbles out. Then, a vision of a seventeen-year-old Sunny in a pretty dress with someone else’s hands on her stops me in my tracks.

At least she didn’t say Dr. Jayson.

“My, my, my. Little Sunny was a wild one. Does Bobby still live around here?”

“Are you looking to defend my honor?” She looks up, dramatically batting her lashes.

“No, just curious,” I lie.

“He moved to Tennessee years ago.”

Good to know.