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I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, come on. That’s like when an interviewer asks what your biggest weakness is and you say, ‘well, I’m a workaholic and I can never seem to put a project down until it’s finished.’ Or ‘I’m a perfectionist and can’t handle when I haven’t put my absolute best into my work!’”
Dean shrugged. “Your turn.”
“Okay. Maybe I don’t like how you make it so easy for me to like you.”
My words hung between us, seeming to gain weight the longer the silence dragged on.
The sound of footsteps saved either of us from having to speak. I immediately pictured my mom or dad coming down the stairs, running into us, and making Dean and me have to jump straight into lovey-dovey mode.
The two of us started heading up the stairs toward the sound of the steps, silently agreeing to act natural, it seemed.
We ended up passing Jonas Pollard, who was wearing a robe and a big smile. I had the unpleasant thought that he looked like he just got finished enjoying his bride. A little bit of my breakfast rose up in the back of my throat. I loved my sister, but the idea of her having sex was always going to be one of those flavors of thought I never wanted to sample.
He gave us a little wink and wave and continued on his way, whistling happily.
Ew, I thought. They definitely just did the deed.
As we walked down the hall to our room, I thought it was like stepping on a battlefield. I could practically imagine the smoke drifting across our ankles and the sound of distant booming gunfire. All these doors we were passing contained parts of my immediate and extended family. One room would be my mom and dad. My older brother, Merrick, along with his wife and kids would be in another. Steph would probably be in her own room, practically giddy with the excitement of watching me squirm all week.
Then, there was the extended family. My overprotective cousins from the hills of Alabama and my raunchy grandma, Bobo. It wasn’t a huge family, thanks to some divorces and family drama a decade or so back, but it was big enough to stress me out.
Without thinking, I gave Dean’s hand a little squeeze. I hadn’t even realized I’d taken it again. He let go of my hand and put his arm around my shoulder, almost protectively.
“Hey, we got this, okay?”
I nodded. Dean gave my chin a little lift with the crook of his index finger, then tapped my nose. “We got this,” he repeated, eyes locked on mine.
I swallowed hard, then nodded. “We got this,” I repeated.
“There we go.” His smile was reassuring and comforting. He took the keys from me and fumbled with the lock. “Think this shower will have another one of those see through doors? I enjoyed watching you try not to get naked in front of the one at the last hotel.”
I blushed just thinking of it. I’d had to use that thing more than a few times while Dean was in the room. I’d done my best to shove myself into a corner where he wouldn’t be able to see anything, but the size of the room and the angle of the door made it nearly impossible.
“I thought maybe you would be a gentleman and not try to peep.”
He laughed. “First of all, I never claimed to be a gentleman. Second, I saw you watching every time I changed. It was only fair that I try to get a glimpse, too.”
I gave him a look, then pushed the door open and walked in front of him. Suddenly, I felt like taking a long nap. Maybe a full week of sleep would do. I could simply hibernate through the wedding and hope nobody noticed I was missing.
24
DEAN
I was jogging the streets of Fairhope, Colorado as evening drew closer. To my left, the sun was creeping toward the mountains, staining the sky scarlet. The place was pretty as hell, and I could see why Pearl had her dream of leaving the city behind to come somewhere like this.
It felt good to get moving after nearly two full days of driving. My legs had felt stiff and reluctant when I first set out, but now that I’d put a few hills behind me, I felt great.
Pearl was back in the room unpacking her things and freshening up. We both agreed it would be a good idea to go to the bonfire tonight, because it was exactly the sort of thing a couple would want to do. Besides, she’d been informed via text from her sister, Steph, that the whole family would be there.
I couldn’t help feeling a little excited at the prospect of meeting them all. I knew Pearl was probably shitting bricks at the thought, but I was honestly curious to get to know them.
