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“Water, caffeine, and lots of food.”
He twisted at the waist and snagged a fresh metal water bottle from his nightstand. “Start with this. I’ll make breakfast.”
I chugged the water, nodding.
“And,” he said with a smirk, “if you’re willing to relocate, I have a surprise for you.”
He tried to carry me, but I insisted on walking. I had a little pride, after all. Even so, he kept one arm protectively around me as we made our way down the hall to my room.
Inside, I scanned the furniture in search of my surprise and grinned when I spotted it.
“You got a TV for me?” I could barely contain my excitement. Because there, on the wall opposite the bed, was a sleek flat-screen TV.
He shrugged and ducked his head like he was embarrassed. “I thought you’d like it.”
He looked so bashful and un-Paz-like in that moment. I had to resist the urge to hug him. Normally, that’s exactly what I’d do when given a thoughtful gift, but with him, I was afraid of what might happen if I touched him. The last time our bodies had been pressed together,thingshad happened. And I was determined not to let them happen again.
It was imperative that we maintain our boundaries. But with every passing day, it felt less like a dalliance or mistake. Instead, it felt inevitable.
We had been dancing around each other for weeks now. And the mutual dislike was beginning to feel more and more like pretense for something else. Something bigger that I was in no way ready to confront.
So instead of a hug, I clapped my hands and plastered on a smile, doing my best not to wince at the ache in my head as I did so. “I love it. I missed TV. I have so many episodes ofHousewivesto catch up on. Jersey just ended, and Atlanta has already started.”
An hour later, we were both full of scrambled eggs, pancakes, and coffee, and I was giving him context for what we were watching.
“This is Teresa,” I explained again. “She’s an iconic housewife. She once flipped a table at one of her friends because she told her to pay attention. She even went to jail for a bit, but she’s back.”
He nodded, still sipping his coffee. It was well past noon, and he’d given up on working. Instead, he was reclined on the pillows next to me.
“And the man she’s screaming at is her husband?”
“No. That’s her brother. She hated him for a while because he tipped off the feds, and that led to her arrest. But then they made up and opened a restaurant together. But now they hate each other again because he didn’t come to her second wedding.”
“I’m so confused.”
“Shh,” I said, patting his arm, secretly enjoying the feel of his bicep beneath my fingers. “It’ll ruin the fun if you think about it too hard. Just relax and let your brain cells die.”
Chapter24
Pascal
“Wow. When you said backyard wedding, this was not what I anticipated.”
Parker gripped my arm as we walked toward the wedding tent. The church ceremony had been blessedly quick. Now it was time for the reception at Henri’s house.
It was chilly, and Parker’s cheeks were pink as we trudged along the walkway. She was wearing a down parka over a pretty purple dress. The long sleeves and swishy skirt made her look soft and pretty. Nothing like a gun-toting, ass-kicking PI who investigated murders. I liked this side of her. Actually, I liked all sides of her. And it was beginning to be a problem.
I squeezed her arm. “My brother is madly in love.”
Henri had always been a quiet, stoic motherfucker. But then he’d fallen in love with Alice, and shortly after, he’d met Tucker and Goldie, and it was like his frigid heart cracked wide open.
That asshole smiled all the time now. It was terrifying.
And he certainly had spared no expense on his “casual, last-minute” wedding. The tent was the size of a stadium and equipped with state-of-the-art heaters.
A patio area with a fire pit and twinkle lights lay just outside, with Adirondack chairs set up so guests could enjoy the sunset over the mountains.
Alice’s family and friends were visiting from Massachusetts and staying in one of Henri’s rental properties up the river.
