42 Hours

by Bethany Lopez

  “No,” Scott said, his voice rough. “Where you’ve been so in the moment, that you couldn’t control yourself, and didn’t care if you got caught or not.”

  I squirmed in my seat, his words affecting me more than they probably should. My body felt warm, so I turned up the AC a bit and pointed the vent in my direction.

  “No,” I admitted, my voice barely audible.

  When Scott didn’t respond, I started to worry that he thought I was referring to the night that he and I’d slept together, so I blurted, “Oh… I wasn’t trying to say that you and I didn’t have passion…”

  I felt the blush roll over my face like a heat wave.

  “I mean, it was our first time… And it was lovely…” Shit, I was digging in deeper. “What I meant was that I’ve never had someone take me up against the wall in the club like that.”

  Oh. My. God. Had I just said that. I wanted to melt into the floorboards.

  I brought my hands to my face, hiding my mortification.

  Scott began to laugh next to me. Softly at first, but soon he was laughing so hard the car almost shook.

  I put my hands down and scowled at him, “You’re laughing at me?”

  Scott put his hands up briefly, as if trying to prove his innocence, then put them back on the wheel and tried to control his laughter.

  “You look like you’re going to die of embarrassment over there,” Scott said with a muffled chuckle. “It’s not a big deal, Gabs. I wasn’t trying to insinuate anything, please don’t be embarrassed. You can tell me anything, and I won’t judge you for it. I hope you know that.”

  I nodded, and felt my skin begin to cool down a bit.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to overreact,” I said with a deep breath.

  When Craig Morgan’s Wake Up Lovin’ You, came on, I turned it up and said, “Oh, I love this song,” Hoping to change the subject.

  Scott didn’t call me on it, he just gave a small smile and kept quiet.

  As I listened to the words, I remembered why I loved this song. It reminded me of Scott, and prom night, because when the sun came up, I’d known that I loved him. I’d been trying to fight it and forget every day since.

  I must have sighed out loud, because Scott broke into my memories and asked, “What are you thinking about?” His voice was gruff, and when I turned my head, his gaze was on me. Intense.

  “Nothing,” I squeaked out. I didn’t want to conversation to turn to sex again. Having just gotten out of a serious relationship, I didn’t want Scott to think I was moving in on him. I needed to focus on our friendship.

  He looked like he wanted to press the issue, but thought better of it and turned his attention back to the road.

  I breathed a sigh of relief, and scooted down into my seat to get comfortable and enjoy the music. I closed my eyes and drifted off.

  Chapter 13 – Scott

  I pulled up behind Shelly’s old Ford pickup and turned off the car. Gaby had fallen asleep. I’m sure she was exhausted, since her day always started before the sun came up. I turned to look at her, and my pulse began to jump in my throat. She looked beautiful. Peaceful. Her blonde locks had come out of their loose constraints and tumbled around her shoulders. Her face was free of makeup, and she looked absolutely perfect.

  I saw our friends descend the stairs and make their way toward us, so I put my hand gently on her arm and said, “We’re here, Gabs.”

  Her eyes fluttered awake. One second I was mesmerized by her flawless face, the next I was drowning in her blue gaze.

  Shit … I was starting to sound like a lovesick fool.

  “We’re here?” Gaby said, her voice still holding a trace of sleep, but when her eyes focused on the beautiful house in front of us, she let out a squeal. “Oh my God! That’s the lake house?”

  She opened the door and bounded out to hug our friends. I chuckled as I watched, giving myself a moment to compose myself before opening the door and stepping outside.

  TJ walked up to me, and when he leaned in to give me a half hug, he whispered in my ear, “I didn’t know if you were planning on getting out, or watching her sleep all day.”

  I shot him a dirty look, then chuckled and punched him in the arm.

  “Get used to it,” I warned with a grin. I gave everyone a hug, then told Gaby to go on and check out the place while I got the bags.

  When I walked inside with our stuff, I smiled at the girls gushing over the house.

  “This kitchen is amazing!” Gaby said, clapping her hands together like a little girl.

  “Did you get a load of the exposed beams?” Sasha asked. “And the windows … Look at all of this natural light.”

  “Well, my favorite part is the fire pit outside,” Shelly added. “You have to come see it, Gabs.”

  The girls all headed for the back door and I headed upstairs. Cal was right behind me when I hit the landing and said, “Shelly and I are on the right, TJ and Sasha on the left. We left you the master, and figured the one next to it could be Gaby’s.”

  I looked over my shoulder and smiled at him. He gave me a wink and said, “Just trying to help a brother out.”

  “I appreciate it,” I responded.

  I quickly unloaded the bags, then made my way downstairs to join my friends. I’d been at the lake house a couple times for work parties, and a retreat. It was a pretty impressive place, and I wouldn’t mind owning a vacation home similar to it one day.

  I grabbed three beers out of the stocked fridge, passed two of them to TJ and Cal, then opened the third for myself. I followed them outside to find the women all sitting in the lawn furniture that circled the unlit fire pit. The lake was only a few feet away and was shimmering with the falling sunlight.

  “I could definitely live in a place like this,” Gaby was saying with a smile as she looked out over the water.

  I sat on the armrest of her chair, and asked, “So, you like it?”

  If she thought it was weird that I was sitting so close to her, rather than in one of the empty chairs, she didn’t show it.

  “I love it,” she gushed happily. “Thank you so much for making this happen!”

  “My pleasure,” I replied honestly. “What do you say we relax for a bit, then get ready to head to the bar for dinner and dancing?”

  Everyone agreed, so we spent the next hour lazing around outside, unpacking, and exploring the house and the property.

  While we waited for the girls to get ready, the guys and I lounged in the living room, watching baseball and drinking a beer. I was excited about tonight. I knew that Gaby loved to dance, although she usually danced with the girls, not with guys. At least not that I’d seen. I was hoping I could convince her to make an exception tonight. I was eager to have her in my arms.

  Shelly came down first, her hair blown out and curly, with a sweet summer dress that showed off her proud new baby bump.

  Cal let out a low whistle, jumped up from the couch, and walked over to meet his wife. “You look gorgeous,” he said when he got to her, and I averted my eyes when they looked at each other lovingly and he bent down to give her a kiss.

  I was so happy that they’d been able to work through their issues, and their marriage was stronger than ever. I’d known that they were meant for each other in high school, and I would have bet my life savings that nothing could ever tear them apart. But when Cal woke up after my bachelor party, with no recollection of what happened and a naked woman in his room, their marriage had faced the ultimate test. Cal being Cal, he put his heart and soul into proving his love for Shelly, and after eight weeks, and eight carefully planned-out dates, he’d convinced her that his devotion for her was true. Now they were expecting their first child, and happier than ever.

  When TJ started cat-calling, I looked over to see Sasha descending the stairs. She was tricked out in a tight black dress and cowboy boots. Her hair wild and free, her face done up in a dark and sexy way.

  “There’s my girl,” TJ said with a growl, causing Sasha to laug
h throatily as he spun her into his arms.

  I chuckled at their antics, but the laugh died in my throat when Gaby came up behind Sasha. In a simple long skirt and tank top, she took my breath away. The bracelets on her arms jangled as she walked, and her hair hung loose and straight around her shoulders. She must have done something to make it look that flat, since her hair was normally wavy, but it looked great. Her makeup was light, but the thing that made her stand out was the mega-watt smile on her face.

  I walked over to her, my arm out, and asked cheekily, “Would you do me the honor of being my date this evening?”

  Gaby’s laugh was lyrical, and when she put her delicate hand on my forearm, I felt like the king of kings.

  “I’d love to,” she said, smiling up at me.

  If I could have her look at me like that every day for the rest of my life, I’d be the happiest man in the universe.

  “Are you guys still okay with walking? I don’t want the ladies to have sore feet, but it’s only a few blocks down,” I asked as I locked up the house.

  Everyone agreed that walking would be best, even though Shelly wasn’t drinking. It would be good to cool off and walk off dinner on the way home. So, we took off down the street toward the bar. When we rounded the corner, we could hear the strains of music, and knew we were heading in the right direction.

  We found a table in the back and ordered a round while we looked at the menu. The music we’d heard was the band warming up. I guess Michael had been speaking the truth when he said they had live music on Friday nights. Luckily, we had a little time to enjoy a meal and hang out before they started.

  I placed my hand on Gaby’s knee as I leaned closer to ask, “Do you know what you’re getting?”

  She looked a little flustered at the contact, but didn’t push my hand away, which I thought was a good sign. “Um … I was thinking about the snapper. What about you?”

  “Probably the rib-eye, everything looks good though.” I smiled, then took my hand away and returned to my original position. I looked up to see Shelly eyeing me suspiciously, but I just flashed her some teeth and went back to looking at my menu.

  Everything was good. I got Gaby to try a piece of my steak, and she offered me some of her fish in return. Her eyes got wide when I put the juicy morsel to her lips, rather than leaving it on the plate, then leaned in to eat the fish off her fork. After that little show, Shelly was really giving me the stank eye.

  When the band started their first song, our plates had been cleared away, and we were enjoying another round of drinks. The girls hopped up to go dance, while the guys sat back and watched. My plan was to give Gaby a song or two to get comfortable, then make my move.

  “I’m gonna hit the head,” I shouted at the guys, pushing away from the table and asking our waitress where the restroom was.

  When I exited the bathroom, Shelly was standing there waiting for me.

  “What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously.

  “It’s the bathroom, Shel, what do you think I was doing?” I asked obtusely.

  “Don’t be cute with me, Scotty boy,” she said snarkily, causing me to chuckle.

  “Scotty boy?” At the look on her face, I tried unsuccessfully to wipe the grin from my lips.

  “What are you doing to Gaby?”

  “I’m not doing anything to her, Shelly, but I am trying to show her how good we could be together,” I said honestly. When her mouth dropped open in shock, I moved closer and spoke softly, so only she could hear me. I needed her to know I was telling the truth. “She’s it for me, Shel, always has been.”

  “But…” Shelly began, the shock holding her tongue. “You were just engaged, Scott. How can you be sure?”

  “I was temporarily comatose, and things progressed with Victoria so quickly, I got caught up, but thanks to Gaby, to all of you, I came to my senses in time.” I looked into her beautiful green eyes and begged her to believe me. “Ever since prom, Shel, I knew that Gaby was the woman that I wanted to spend my life with. Shit just kept getting in the way. So, before anything else tries to keep us apart, I’m going to let her know exactly how I feel.”

  I saw Shelly’s eyes soften and her mouth turned up into a sweet smile, then her eyes began to mist over and I saw tears form.

  “Shit, Shelly, don’t cry,” I said, panicked.

  She waved her hand and shook her head. “It’s the hormones. I seem to cry at the drop of a hat nowadays.”

  “We good?” I asked, rubbing my hand on her shoulder, hoping to soothe her and stop the tears.

  She nodded, and I said, “Alright, let’s go dance then,” and we wandered back out into the bar.

  I walked over to the table, grabbed my beer, and chugged it down, before nodding to TJ and Cal and walking out to where the girls were dancing. The song turned slow just as a reached Gaby, and I touched her shoulder softly. When she turned to me, I held out my hand and asked, “Can I have this dance?”

  She looked at my offered hand, then back at me with a puzzled smile. I held my breath, then breathed easy when she put her hand in mine. We two-stepped around the floor, a gap between us at first, but as our bodies got used to moving together, I pulled her in closer. Her body was warm against mine, and I loved the feel of her lower back underneath my palm. We moved fluidly, and she looked up at me and said, “I didn’t know you could dance. You guys always sit out and watch.”

  “Well, you guys are fun to watch,” I said with a wink, “but, I can see I was missing out by watching. This is much more fun.”

  She smiled prettily at my words, and when the next song started, I kept her in my arms.

  We danced for hours. Two-stepping, line dancing, and by the end of the night, we were slow dancing. Her arms were around my neck, and mine were wrapped around her waist. As we moved, our bodies brushed seductively together. Her head was tucked under my chin, and her head rested on my chest. I could smell the peach scent of her shampoo, so I closed my eyes and allowed my senses to be filled with her.

  My body was taut with need after holding her in my arms for so long. There was no way that Gaby would be able to misinterpret the way I was reacting to holding her close, but she didn’t move away … She’d even sighed a few times, and I took that as a good sign.

  “Hey, twinkle-toes,” TJ called out from the edge of the dance floor, interrupting my dream like stupor. “You guys about ready? Shelly’s dead on her feet, so we want to head back.”

  “You want to head back, maybe build a fire in the pit?” I asked Gaby, wanting to go back with our friends, but not wanting the night to end yet.

  “Yeah, that sounds perfect,” Gaby answered sweetly.

  I took her hand and led her off the dance floor. I didn’t let go until we made it back to the house.

  Chapter 14 - Gaby

  I came down the stairs in my sweats, tank, and a hoodie. It was kind of chilly out, and it might take a while for the bonfire to heat up, so I figured I was better safe than sorry.

  Sasha was in the kitchen, the upper half of her body in the fridge.

  “Need help?” I laughed.

  She popped out and asked, “You want a beer or something stronger?”

  Sasha was in her favorite ensemble of pajama pants and tank top, with her hair piled into a messy bun on top of her head.

  “Beer’s good,” I responded. “Is everyone else outside already?”

  “Yeah, the fire’s started,” she replied, handing me the beer after she popped the top.

  “Have you noticed anything weird about Scott?” I whispered, even though she said everyone else was outside.

  “What do you mean?” she asked casually.

  Too casually.

  I narrowed my eyes at her and asked, “What’s going on, Sash?”

  Sasha looked around then leaned in and lowered her voice, “Okay, but you didn’t hear shit from me. Promise?” At my nod she continued, “Scott’s making his play.”

  After she said the words she smiled broadly and clappe
d her hands.

  “His play?” I asked, unsure what the hell she was talking about.

  “Yeah, his play. He wants you, Gabs. He planned this entire weekend to show you how good you can be together.”

  “WHAT?” I yelled.

  Sasha looked around wildly while saying, “Shhhh.” She put her hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes.

  “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? You and Scott to finally have a chance to be together? Well, it looks like he wants the same thing. That’s great news, right?”

  I could understand her confusion, I had told her and Shelly that I wanted Scott and I to be together. But… “He just broke off his engagement like five minutes ago, I don’t want to be his rebound girl,” I spit out.

  “It’s not like that,” Sasha insisted. “Scott wouldn’t do that to you. Just give him a shot.”

  I looked at her, unsure of what to say, since my mind and body were infused with a myriad of emotions.

  “Please?” Sasha pleaded.

  I nodded, and let her lead me outside.

  I settled into my chair and sipped on my beer, staring into the brilliant blaze as I thought about what Sasha had said.

  Scott came over to me, distracting me from my pondering, and asked, “Everything okay?”

  I looked up at him, and figured it was better to lay it all on the line, then pretend I didn’t know what was going on.

  “What are you doing, Scott?” I asked him.

  He furrowed his brow and asked, “What do you mean?”

  “The hand holding, touching my leg, feeding me off your fork … the dancing. What are you doing?” I repeated.

  “Well, that’s our cue,” TJ said loudly, getting up from his chair and moving his arms to indicate everyone needed to go inside.

  While our four friends made quick work of going back inside, Scott still stood above me.

  “May I?” he asked, pointing to the chair next to me.

  “Please,” I replied.

  Scott sat down, resting his elbows on his knees and his face on his hands.

  “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t being very subtle, but I wanted you to get used to me touching you,” Scott said with a wry grin.