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The gauntlet had been thrown down. I felt my cheeks heat and my temper rise to the surface. If we weren’t fighting we were fucking. At some point one of us was going to tire of the game and it didn’t matter who was older. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or yell at him.
?
?Whit, what is the problem?”
He shuts his eyes tilting his head up to the sky. “I don’t know how to handle this.”
I don’t get the chance to walk away because he’s taking my hand and ushering me back toward the hotel. He doesn’t speak and it’s frustrating. He’s mad about the tattoo. Fine. I get it, but it’s my body. I wasn’t planning on telling my mom until it slipped out someday as an afterthought. You know how that happens. One minute you’re talking about which Pantone color will dominate the season and boom mic drop, I have a tattoo on my hip.
Perchance she’d see it the next time we were on a family vacation or maybe not. It wasn’t planned and it wasn’t any of her business.
“Maybe if you relaxed a little and looked at my age as something to be savored instead of forlorn over we’d be a normal couple.”
“We’re not a normal couple.” He grunted.
“We’re fighting over a tattoo. I didn’t rob a bank.”
“How do I know that’s not next or you list of things to check off your bucket list?”
“You left me with your friends unattended.” I pointed out reminding him of Kristen and Taylor Jane. Both super nice but complete strangers to me. I think I handled myself pretty well considering it was totally obvious the guys went to a strip club while we went to a tattoo parlor and got tasteful ink ingrained in our skin.
“I did, didn’t I.” He said grabbing the back of his neck.
I placed my hand over his heart feeling the jump of its beat. “Yes, you did.”
We stared each other down until a rowdy crowd from the sidewalk emerged. Damien bumped into Whit a little unsteady on his feet. Hunter picked him back up chuffing at his cousin’s clumsiness or drunkenness.
“We missed you sneaking out.” Kristen wrapped her arm around me and I restrained my smile. Whit looked chagrined. Yes, you big oaf, this is what you left me with. If anyone was going to find trouble this weekend. It was this girl clinging to me.
Chase scanned his watch. “Time for the buffet.”
“Dude this isn’t the itinerary I planned.” Damien straightened and pulled a wad of papers from his back pocket.
“Hunter are you hungry?” Chase asked the bachelor.
The big guy shrugged and said, “I could eat.”
“Buffet it is.” Chase pointed down the street leading half the crew with him.
I nudged Whit, “So zip lining?”
“You’re killing me Pixie.” He wrapped an arm around me and we followed them toward sustenance.
21
Whit
“Isn’t one of us supposed to apologize first?” Lia cocked her hip, hands on them attempting to look tough. Pixie didn’t look the least bit contrite. I wasn’t sure I really wanted her too, so I grabbed her hand, tugged her close, and wrapped her up in my arms. No way was I letting her out of this.
“Yeah, I’ll go after you go.” I waited for her to glare at me giving her a wink.
She gives in sniffling, her upturned nose wrinkled trying too hard to not smile as her anger melted in my embrace.
“You big jerk.” She attempted poking my chest, hands squashed between us. I hold her hands in mine smoothing the fight out of her.
She leaned in to hug me. I didn’t ever want to lose that feeling of holding her, but I don’t know how to tell her that without feeling like we’re running and leaping forward before we’ve mastered walking in this relationship. So many parts of this I’ve screwed up doing backwards or exerting unrealistic demands.
“Come on.” I cajoled.
