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“When I get married, it’s going to be on a beach somewhere. Just him, and you to stand up with me,” I muttered as we waited to finalize some details for the cake. “I don’t need all of this fuss. If I ever get married. And that’s a pretty big if.”
Dani turned to me and put her hands on her hips. “I know you just broke up with Gabe and you have a shitty attitude about love, but could you try to be excited for me? I’m marrying the love of my life and the man of my dreams and your support would be great.”
I instantly felt bad. This weekend wasn’t about me - it was about my best friend. “I’m sorry, Dani. Really, I am. I promise I’ll do better and keep any negative feelings to myself.” I hugged her and we finished our errands for the day.
I ran home to get ready for the rehearsal dinner tonight. Dani and Parker were getting married right at the hotel, making it easy for everyone since everything would be right there. It would be us there, her family, Chip and their family.
As I curled my hair and applied my makeup, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I was so anxious to see Chip. We hadn’t exchanged numbers last night and when Dani had talked to Parker earlier, he didn’t mention a word about it. I had no idea what he was thinking about what happened last night.
I pinned my hair up on the sides and checked my reflection one last time before heading downstairs to catch a cab to the hotel. I was wearing my favorite black dress and a red cardigan over it since it was sleeveless. I wore my black thigh-high boots with the two inch heel. Since it was an evening affair, I applied my makeup a little darker than usual and a part of me hoped to knock Chip’s socks off and make him regret leaving me last night.
When I arrived at the hotel, I spotted Chip around the corner, coming from the bathroom. He cleaned up good. He was missing the baseball cap and his dark hair was combed back and still damp like he had just showered. He still wore jeans and his boots, but he had on a blue button down shirt and a black sport jacket. He was drop dead gorgeous.
He spotted me walking up and gave me a big smile. “Hey there, Vivian. You look amazing!” He looked me up and down, undressing me with his eyes.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I replied shyly.
He touched the top of his head. “Thanks, no hat! I feel kind of naked without it.”
There was an awkward pause in our conversation and as he opened his mouth to say something, Dani’s mom walking by and noticed my arrival.
We didn’t have much of a chance to talk the rest of the night with the families around. We practiced walking down the aisle together and it felt natural to be on his arm, but with all eyes on us, we didn’t say much. Dinner was the same although we were seated by each other and made some small talk.
When dessert came, Chip leaned over to whisper in my ear, “When things settle down, let’s find a place to talk.”
I swallowed the cheesecake I was eating and nodded. “Okay.” My palms started to instantly sweat and a feeling of dread washed over me. I agreed we needed to talk, but I probably would have been okay with pretending the other night never happened and going back to our normal lives on Sunday.
I couldn’t finish the rest of my cheesecake and anxiously waited for people to disburse so we could get this over with. On my way back from the bathroom, a hand reached out and grabbed me, pulling me into an alcove in the hotel lobby.
“What the heck?” I cried out.
“Shhhhh!” Chip held a finger to my lips. “I’m tired of waiting to be alone. I saw you walk to the bathroom and waited her for you to come back.”
“Stalker much?” I teased.
“Whatever.” There were two chairs nearby and he motioned for me to sit on one. His eyes were so striking - so dark and deep, like I could get lost in them forever.
“Listen, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about last night. A lot. And I’m sorry I walked out.”
“It’s okay. You were right. It’s all good.”
He reached out and took my hand. “That’s just it. I don’t think I was right.”
“What?” This was an interesting turn of events. “What do you mean?”
His thumb brushed the back of my knuckles, distracting me from listening to what he was saying. “Well, I talked to Parker about it this morning and he said I should talk to you.”
“And?” I wished he would just get to it.
“Well, I know you’re a city girl and I’m a country boy and I live in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, and you live in Chicago, Illinois, but I like you. You’re sexy and funny and smart. I’m attracted to you and I’m pretty sure you’re attracted to me. We’re both adults here.”
My heart was about to explode from my chest. “Yes, we’re adults. Will you get to the point?”
“My point is, why don’t we have some fun together this weekend? If that leads to sex, great; if not, that’s okay too. We can set the expectations and go from there.” He raised his eyebrows at me, his eyes filled with hope. “What do you think?”
I glanced around us to make sure there was no one nearby and sat on his lap. I touched a hand to his face and smiled down at him. “For a country boy, I think you’re pretty smart.” I kissed him softly on the lips as he placed a hand on my thigh.
“I feel like I should be insulted by that comment, but the fact that you’re sitting on my lap is a major distraction.” He gave me that lazy, crooked smile that made my stomach do flipflops and kissed me again.
