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“A beer?”
My usual surety comes out like a question, confused by her shift in attitude. When we left her parents’, Hannah was smiling and teasing. Since we arrived at Canyon, she’s been stiff and unamused. Did she not want to come? She’s the only reason we’re here.
“What kind of beer?”
“Uh…” My mind goes blank, every brand name slipping away like water through a sieve. I haven’t ordered anything except whiskey in years. “Whatever.”
Hannah snorts, then spins and walks away. Rachel follows her, after shooting a confused look my way. Good to know I’m not the only one taken aback by Hannah’s attitude shift.
Eddie notices it too. “Everything okay there?”
I shrug.
“Yeah, that sounds about right.” He chuckles. “I couldn’t believe it, when my mom told me Hannah had gotten married.”
“It was a surprise to me too. It’s a weird situation.”
“What’s weird about it?”
I glance at him, and he grins.
“Kidding. I get what you mean. But I doubt you guys are the first Vegas marriage to not go the distance.”
“I didn’t mean that. I meant this part. Honestly, I thought you’d all hate me.”
Eddie shakes his head, grinning. “We all know Hannah. She’s never done a single thing she didn’t want to. If she married you, she had some reason.”
“Neither of us were thinking straight.”
“Well, you’re doing fine, Oliver. Dad never invited Declan to do anything.”
“Who’s Declan?”
Eddie huffs a laugh, scratching the side of his jaw. “Uh, Hannah’s last ex. They were together for about a year.”
“What happened?”
“He proposed. And she said no.”
“Oh.” There’s an uncomfortable twist in my stomach. Hannah has always sounded resolute in her anti-marriage views, so it’s not a total surprise she rejected a proposal. I’m more thrown she was in a serious enough relationship to get to that stage—and how much that bothers me.
The foreign feeling—jealousy, I guess—is amplified when I glance toward the bar and see Hannah talking to a random guy.
I can’t see her expression from this angle, and there’s no sign of Rachel.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Eddie, barely catching his nod before I’m cutting through the crowd toward the blonde head standing at one end of the bar.
It’s crowded in here but not packed. It takes me a couple of minutes maneuvering around tables and patrons before I’m stepping into the empty space behind Hannah. My hand slides around her waist automatically, like it’s a move I’ve made a thousand times before.
Hannah’s body tenses as she looks over one shoulder. Her blue eyes are confused at first. But then her body relaxes, leaning into me. My thumb rubs back and forth over her stomach, savoring the way her lips part and her throat bobs with a swallow. My blood heats, reacting to the sudden shift in energy between us. Instead of annoyance, Hannah is looking at me with heat.
“Nice talking with ya.” The guy who was talking with Hannah grabs his glass and makes a quick exit.
Hannah turns so she’s facing me. I should drop my hand, which is now resting on her back, but I don’t. I like the way it feels, the soft fabric of her tee and the blazing heat of her skin soaking through the cotton.
“Did you need something?”
If she were anyone but mywife, I’d kiss her. I’m tempted to kiss her despite that. This is a better location than her parents’ backyard was.
