AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t be sorry. I just hate that you would think that. There wasn’t anyone else I wanted to go with.” He cleared his throat remembering the pain at the end of that night. “I had a good time at the dance with you.”
Elise turned and looked at him. “You mean until we left.”
Garrett grimaced. “I mean I had a good time. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“I had a good time at prom too,” she admitted. “I’ve always been sorry for what I said afterward.”
He took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m not sorry you said it. I just didn’t expect it.” He thought back to that night as he stopped in her parents’ driveway and turned to look at her. “I just thought we were friends, and we could go on being friends. Then you said, ‘I have feelings for you, Garrett,’ and my whole world flipped upside down.”
“I know. I wouldn’t have said it, but I thought maybe you were feeling something too, and it might be my only chance to say it.”
He sighed. “I know. I was having such a fun time, and we had spent a lot of time together that year. But it scared me to know you wanted more than friendship. I already knew I wanted to work on the ranch for the rest of my life, and I didn’t plan to fall for someone or get married. You were going to go off to school, and I just knew that if we started having feelings and getting involved, one or both of us would get hurt. I didn’t want to hurt you, and I didn’t want to lose the friendship that we had.” He squeezed his eyes closed for the briefest moment before focusing on the road again. Watching the lines speed by was the only way he could get the words out. “And then I hurt you anyway. I’ve been sorry about that ever since.”
“Garrett,” Elise put her hand on his arm. “You don’t have to feel bad about that anymore. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and I don’t hold it against you. It wasn’t your fault anyway. You were clear about what you wanted. I was the one who held out hope that our friendship could turn into something more.”
Garrett risked stealing a glance at her. His voice was low, and his heart raced as he asked, “Do you still hope for that?”
Elise didn’t speak and turned her face toward the window, so he couldn’t see her expression. Several moments passed in silence before he reached for her hand.
“Elise?” he prodded.
She turned slightly to look at him, but her voice was tense when she spoke. “Please don’t make me answer that question.”
“Okay,” Garrett said, but as he did, something changed inside his heart. She had wanted to be with him all those years ago. If he had given it the smallest chance, maybe everything would have turned out differently. What if he could have been with her for the death of her parents? And what if she never had to take care of the boys alone? He was there now, but what had he missed out on?
He held onto her hand, and she didn’t pull away. A new hope started deep in his heart. What if he was just now finding what he never knew he wanted?
21
Elise kept a short distance from Garrett as they walked into the hotel. She slowly dragged her suitcase behind her as she followed his long strides through the lobby. Glancing around, she took in the small, indistinct room. They had stopped just before they got to what Garrett called “middle-of-nowhere Texas,” so they had a decent place to stay, he said.
“Hello, sir,” the clerk behind the counter said. “Checking in?”
“Yes, sir,” Garrett answered in his Texas drawl that would have made Elise swoon if she wasn’t trying so hard not to let herself think about him. “Garrett Macklin.”
The clerk made a few quick keystrokes. “Yes, sir, I see your reservation here.” He looked more closely at the screen, and then his eyebrows shot up and his smile grew. “Oh yes, I see you’re celebrating your new marriage, congratulations.”
“Oh.” Garrett glanced back at Elise, and her mouth fell slightly open. “Yes, that’s right.” He looked at her. “Katie set up the reservation. She must have told them.”
Elise’s heart sank. On the way, Garrett had told her they had a reservation, but he would get her her own room if that’s what she wanted. Now they couldn’t get away with that.
“We have a welcome gift for you in your room,” the clerk went on, oblivious to her discomfort. He slid two card keys across the counter. “You’re in the suite on the third floor. The elevator is down the hall on the left. Please let us know if you need anything during your stay.”
“Thank you,” Garrett said, slowly taking the keys and sticking them in his back pocket. He turned and shrugged as he looked at Elise before making his way toward the elevator.
Elise followed, taking deep breaths along the way.
As the elevator doors closed, Garrett spoke. “He said ‘suite,’ that sounds nice. Katie must have wanted us to have something special this weekend. Usually, we just get the simple two beds and a bathroom.
“Mmhmm,” Elise said, wishing desperately that they were staying in a room with two beds.
Garrett moved down the hallway and opened the door before Elise reached it. He walked in and held the door open for her. As she walked in, she heard him say, “Oh my.”
Elise stopped just inside as the door swung shut behind her. Her mouth fell open at the sight. The room was spacious with a king bed and a couple of arm chairs in a seating area. But it wasn’t the size that surprised her. Multiple flower bouquets were placed around the room, and a collection of white balloons floated in the corner. “Best Wishes to the Bride and Groom,” one of them read.
Garrett moved forward into the room and picked up a card. “Open the fridge,” he read. Looking at Elise, he shrugged, then opened the minifridge. “Oh wow,” he said again. “There’s cake and ice cream, and it looks like a bottle of champagne.” He reached in and pulled it out. “It says, ‘Cheers to your new marriage.’”
Just then Elise’s phone rang, and she reached for her pocket. Katie’s name came up on the screen. Her heart skipped a beat thinking something must have happened with the boys. “Hello,” she said hurriedly.
