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The air between them felt like it was charged, and she couldn’t remember to breathe. Not as his hand settled over hers, enclosing the ring between them, and as his eyes drilled into hers, and his head slowly lowered.
She found that whatever he was going to do, she wanted it. Wanted to be closer. Wanted to...seal the vows. Wasn’t that what a kiss was supposed to do?
She tried to swallow through her tight throat but couldn’t, even as Mark’s head continued to lower slowly, his eyes holding hers as though he were watching her, maybe to see if it was okay, maybe to see if she suddenly changed into someone else, someone that he was normally expected to kiss, not his best friend.
She didn’t get to find out if he truly was going to kiss her or maybe just tilt his head at the last moment and brush her cheek, because a car motor interrupted them, along with the crunch of gravel beneath car tires as her mom pulled in behind them.
“It’s perfect for you,” Mark said, squeezing her hands, before he straightened, and the spell was broken.
Did he mean that his grandmother’s ring was perfect for her finger? Perfect for her?
She supposed she would never know, not unless she asked him, and she couldn’t see herself doing that. That seemed too presumptuous, and she wouldn’t want him to be afraid to do anything kind to her, fearing that she might take his kindness and consideration as romantic gestures. It would make things between them awkward. She didn’t want to do that, didn’t want to destroy the friendship that they built over the years by reading more into his gestures than what she should.
Now she realized that she’d never thought of Mark as a very romantic man, but his kindness and his consideration said romance louder than any words ever could.
It would be sad if he stopped doing those things because she overreacted.
She swallowed the thoughts and allowed him to thread his fingers through hers, tucking her arm underneath his and helping her out of the pickup.
Her muscles screamed in protest, but it was a silent scream of sorts because there was too much going on in her mind for her to really register the pain of her tired and aching body.
They took a step away from the truck, closing the door behind them and standing shoulder to shoulder as they walked toward her mother.
She’d forgotten how good it felt to have someone standing beside her. Someone to do life with.
Actually, it never felt that good with her ex. It had always been a bit of a toss-up as to whether he was going to stand with her, or whether he was going to take some random stranger’s side and criticize her. It had made being with him stressful and not fun.
But with Mark, she never had to worry. He would always back her, especially with her mom.
Without a thought, she walked beside him to greet her mother.
Chapter 11
Mark held Pam’s hand in his as he walked to her mother, Lynn.
Cradled it in his was more like it.
