by Lila Kane
“No, you can’t.”
“I’ll take you,” Beckett said. “My car’s out back.”
Anna hugged Poppy and assured her she’d be fine.
“I’ll bring home some leftover pizza,” Poppy said when she pulled back. Concern still lingered in her eyes. “Maybe I should just go with you—”
“No way. You were looking forward to this all week. Enjoy it.”
With Beckett’s hand still firm on her back, they walked to the door and out into the warm air.
“You really don’t have to take me. You can stay and eat—”
“Anna.” Beckett closed his fingers around hers, glancing over in the dim light of the evening. “I want to.”
When they got inside the car, Anna squeezed her hands together in her lap, wishing they could get back that earlier moment when they were playing pool and Tom hadn’t shown up. Wishing he’d distract her with something—anything. A kiss. A sign. She didn’t want to think about Tom. She’d already taken up too much time on him.
“I’m sorry for tonight.”
“Why?” A muscle worked in Beckett’s jaw. “Because Tom showed up? He never should have come. You don’t have to go through with this, you know. He can get married somewhere else. Somewhere far, far away.”
Anna actually smiled at that, surprised to find Beckett nearly as angry as her. “No, he’s moving on with his life and I should move on with mine. This will prove to everyone, especially me, that I’m over Tom.”
Beckett’s fingers clenched on the wheel. She couldn’t read the expression there, and she was too tired to try. They rode to her house in silence.
Beckett got out before she could stop him and walked her up the stairs to her apartment. “Think about it before you make a decision,” he said. “Tom can have his wedding somewhere else.”
She opened the door but stopped on the precipice. “You think that’s what I should do?”
“I think you should do what’s best for you. You don’t need extra stress.”
There was so much compassion in his eyes, she reached up to touch his cheek. “It’s nice of you to say that.”
He set his hand over hers. “I mean it. Let me know if you need anything.”
She nodded and said goodnight. Too bad she’d ruined his evening, but she’d been so caught off guard by seeing Tom, she hadn’t known what else to do.
Anna carried her laptop into her bedroom and changed into comfortable pajamas while it booted up. When she sat down, she read through Celeste’s email again. She talked some about her job, her apartment and the culture there, ending with an offer for Anna to come stay with her for a while.
Too tired to do much more, Anna typed in a brief note. I’m thinking about it.
Then she sighed. She’d prepared a long email in her head, but now all she wanted was to relax and get her mind off of Tom. She did a search on France and scrolled through pictures and articles while she imagined what it would be like to live somewhere else. Like Beckett said, Somewhere far, far away.
Chapter Seven
The rain poured down over Park Creek the following day, coating Main Street and no doubt making Jillian a nervous wreck because they were supposed to have a wedding and reception at his barn in three hours.
She’d sent him into town to help Anna. A good excuse to see her, but he was about through with Jillian and Poppy meddling in his love life. Every time he saw Anna with a new story of how Jillian had sent him, he felt another flicker of guilt.
Like he was keeping a secret from her.
He pulled the hood of his raincoat over his head when he jogged from his car to the back door of Keller Bakery. When he shoved open the door, a rush of rain followed him inside.
Anna whipped around, a piping bag in one hand and her eyes wide. “Beckett?”
He drew off his hood, but words froze in his throat. She was already dressed for the wedding, wearing low heels and a dress that hung just past her knees, fluttering as she moved. A ruffled apron covered the top.
“You’re already ready,” he finally managed.
“I didn’t want to have to carry all my clothes in the rain, too.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
She set the bag down, angling her head at him. “To help me carry my clothes?”
He forced himself to focus, to pull his eyes from the long line of her neck. “No, to help carry whatever else you need me to carry.”
“Doesn’t Jillian need help at the barn?”
“She’s the one who sent me here.”
Beckett winced as she wiped her hand on a towel. It was true enough, but the real reason he’d come was because he wanted to. He was tired of making up excuses to spend time with Anna. He shouldn’t need another reason more than what he already had. Love.
“I want to help,” Beckett amended, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the hook by the door.
“You’ve been helping a lot lately.”
Shit. He could see it in her eyes. She knew something was going on. He opened his mouth to tell her the truth, to explain that her suspicions were right on, and then her phone rang.
She looked at the ID and then smirked at him when she answered. “Hey, Jillian. Yes, I’m aware that it’s still raining. Yes, Beckett’s here. Yes, I’m coming soon.”
He chuckled and eyed the boxes she’d stacked neatly on the counter. The rest of the kitchen was a mess. He could hear Leah out in the store talking to someone and wondered if she’d be the one to clean it up.
Anna said goodbye to Jillian and ended the call. “She keeps everything so organized in that tablet of hers, you’d think she would have scheduled the rain for another day.”
He laughed, and before he could help himself, he reached for her. His hands connected with her waist. Her eyes widened and her lips parted as she looked up at him, completely still.
“Beckett?” The word came out hushed. “What are you…Jillian didn’t send you for this, did she?”
She’d hit so close to the truth, he couldn’t answer for a minute. “No. This is all me.”
When her lashes fluttered, eyes close to drooping shut, he took that as an invitation to lean in. She exhaled, her breath hitting his lips a moment before her mouth. His hands slid on the material of her dress, running from her waist up her back to hold her against him.
Her mouth parted under his, fingers gripping his shirt in a flash of heat. His brain short-circuited, a jolt so brilliant he couldn’t think, only feel. Everything. Her hands, the softness of her bare skin as he skimmed his fingertips along her arms. Her heartbeat racing against his.
“Beckett,” she murmured.
“Yes.”
“This…” She lifted her chin, eyes meeting his. They were still cloudy with passion, making him want take her mouth with his again. “I don’t know…”
He couldn’t tell whether she was shocked or angry. But her fingers still clenched on his shirt, heart still beat as fast as his. And she didn’t move.
“I want this,” he said.
Her eyes searched his, a thousand emotions flashing through them. He willed her mouth to form the words, to say something in return that would show him where he stood. I want this, too.
When her phone buzzed, she jumped, pulling back. He released her waist reluctantly, watching as she read the message.
“Just Jillian telling me to park around the side. It’s muddy.” She smiled at him. He couldn’t tell if it wobbled because of nerves or embarrassment. “We should probably get going.”
Just like that. We should probably get going. But what had he expected? For her to jump on him again? For her to tell him she loved him? This was hitting her out of nowhere.
“What can I help with?” he asked.
“All of this has to go.”
His eyebrows lifted at the spread on the table.
“Groom’s cake, top tier and second tier for the main cake, which I’m going to put together at the barn. And extra frosting and all that.” She went for the doo
r. “I should pull the car closer.”
“Wait,” he said, making her pause. “Don’t you have an umbrella or something?”
She glanced around as though just realizing she was forgetting something. She pointed. “My jacket.”
He held out his palm. “Give me your keys. I’ll move it.”
“Beckett—”
“No arguing.” He reached to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear.
She exhaled, otherwise frozen beneath his touch. “No arguing,” she whispered.
He let his hand trail down her cheek to her shoulder and then turned. “I’ll get your car.”
“Beckett?”
He glanced back.
Her eyes danced with amusement. “This…whatever this was…I think I need to try that again.”
“Me too.” He grinned and dashed out into the rain, barely feeling the cold water against his face as he thought about kissing her again.
{}{}{}
Jillian’s stress couldn’t seep over to Anna. She was still too shocked about what had happened in the bakery, still lost in the haze from the kiss. Damn. Beckett was a good kisser. No, a phenomenal one. Who would’ve thought?
But when she wanted to think about kissing, she had to focus. She had to make sure the cake was perfect and then help out the caterers, who were short two people because of the storm.
The bride looked beautiful and the groom completely in love with her. After they cut the cake, Anna brought it to the kitchen to cut pieces to serve the guests, and for once she didn’t mind the happiness she saw in the couple’s eyes.
She wanted what they had. She wanted love and someone to share her life with. But after Tom, trusting someone enough to believe that could happen was damn near impossible.
As she transferred the cake to plates, she felt someone behind her and glanced over her shoulder.
Beckett stood there with a smile. “Need some help?”
A chill traveled up her spine, and she straightened, trying to keep her focus. “Yes. Set these plates on the trays so the server can bring them out. And…” She gestured with her elbow. “I need more plates.”
He didn’t say anything, just did as she instructed. She watched him work for a moment, studying the strong line of his jaw, his long fingers. The same big hands that had just been on her, gentle but restrained. Like he was holding back.
Had this come out of nowhere for him like it had for her? Or maybe…maybe it was an accident. Sure, he’d said he’d wanted it, but why now? Why after all this time?
Once the cake was served and the rest was stored away for the bride’s parents to take home, Anna tried to find Jillian but couldn’t locate her. She found Poppy instead, leaning against the post just past the door to the barn. The sky behind her churned with dark clouds.
“It’s still raining,” Poppy said when she saw Anna. “And look—they’re so happy, they don’t even care.”
“You’re right. They look really happy. What about you? How did the rest of last night go with Jake?”
“We had fun. I get the feeling he’s looking for a little more, though, and me and relationships...” Poppy shrugged.
“Don’t let Mom hear you say that. Especially not now, with them out there looking so in love.”
The bride and groom swayed in the middle of the dance floor, completely oblivious to everyone else. On the other side of the wooden flooring, Anna saw Beckett. From here, she couldn’t tell if he was looking at the couple or at her.
Heat wormed its way into her cheeks. God, how was she supposed to get anything done now? She couldn’t stop thinking about him, the kiss, his hands. His smile. And then worrying about what the kiss really meant. How had her life suddenly gotten so complicated?
“Yeah,” Poppy continued. “I guess in theory it looks good. But damn—you’d have to find someone really special to want to go that route, right?” Poppy glanced over. “I mean it’s forever and…Anna? You okay?”
She couldn’t say anything. Not yet. Maybe it was a fluke, maybe they’d both been caught up in the moment.
But then she remembered Beckett’s words again. I want this.
Panic flickered inside. She wanted this, too, and it scared the shit out of her. There were so many what-ifs and so much uncertainty. And then there was plain, old-fashioned longing. Beckett made her feel again, and made her want. Him.
“If you don’t think Jillian will mind, I’m going to head home,” Anna said.
“Don’t you want to stay for the rest of the wedding?”
A flash of Tom and Catrina went through her mind. No, she still wasn’t the best at weddings. “I’ll pass this time. Everything is finished in the kitchen. I’m going to head out.”
Poppy gave her a quick hug. “I’m going to help clean up so I won’t be home for a while.”
Anna nodded and waved before scooting her way around the crowd to the back of the barn. She found her jacket and pulled up her hood before turning to the door.
When she glanced back, Beckett was gone and she still didn’t see Jillian. She debated. Did she say something to Beckett? What were you supposed to say to someone after something like what just happened in the bakery?
Let’s do that again? Because yeah, she was itching to be close to Beckett again, but her mind could stop sorting through what it meant.
Rain pounded her head as she raced to her car. She’d talk to him later, and ignore the thought that she was hiding from him. She had to fumble with the lock through the deluge of water, but managed to get the door open in the blur.
Once inside, she shoved back her hood and wiped her cheeks. The hem of her dress was soaked and her shoes slipped off her feet. At least her house wasn’t too far. She looked forward to a hot bath, even if she dreaded the emptiness of home.
She twisted the key in the ignition. The van whined, but didn’t start.
“Shit. Come on,” Anna whispered. Sure, her van was old but it hadn’t given her any huge problems up to this point.
She tried the key twice more and the van still wouldn’t start. Dropping her head against the steering wheel, Anna closed her eyes. Just what she needed.
When the passenger side door opened and someone got into the seat next to her, Anna jumped, her heart in her throat.
“Beckett!”
He smiled, pushing back his hood and settling his umbrella at his feet. “Car trouble?”
She exhaled, willing her breathing back to normal. He looked carefree and happy, even with water running down his face.
“It won’t start.”
“Try it again,” Beckett suggested.
Anna complied, twisting the key in the ignition. It made the same whining noise, and the engine wouldn’t turn over just like before.
She gritted her teeth. “See?”
“Yeah. I could take a look at it, but we’re going to have to wait for the rain to stop. No problem.”
No problem? Anna tried to force some of his enthusiasm but no matter how she looked at it, it was a problem. In fact, right now it felt like her life was full of problems. Her car was going to have to be replaced soon, she was going to have to see Tom and his new fiancée as they planned their wedding, and she had no idea how to deal with Beckett.
France was starting to look better and better.
Anna looked back to the barn. “I guess I can wait until the wedding is over.”
But her outfit was a disaster and all she wanted was to be somewhere warm and quiet.
She started to pull her keys from the ignition, but Beckett’s hand closed over her own.
“I can take you home,” he said.
Her gaze flashed to his hand still over hers, and back to his eyes. “You don’t have to. I know you have stuff to do here.”
He grinned, ignoring her comment. “Better yet, come on up to the house. Get into something warm and then I can take a look at your car when the rain stops. You’re going to need it for this week. We might as well get it taken care of.”
“But—�
�
“I’ll let Jillian know I’ll come back in a bit to help put away the tables and chairs.”
She tried to think of another argument, but he continued to smile. And she wanted to spend time with Beckett. He made everything seem so easy. Car trouble? No problem. Dress all wet? No problem.
“Okay.” Anna stuffed her keys into her pocket.
“Good.”
Before she could say anything, he hopped out of the van. She flipped her hood back over her hair and laughed when Beckett appeared at her door, taking her hand to pull her out.
He guided her to his truck and opened the passenger side door for her. She got in and he framed the doorway with his body.
“I’m going to let Jillian know where we are. I’ll be right back,” he said.
He shut the door behind him, dashing through the rain and into the barn again. She swallowed down laughter. What was going on with Beckett lately? He’d always been so reliable, and suddenly he was a completely different person.
No, Beckett was the same. It was how he looked at her that was so different.
And she was starting to look at him differently, too.
When he returned to the truck, she was shivering in her seat and ready for the warmth of his house. He started the engine and flipped on the heater.
“Wait,” she said, glancing back to her car. “My change of clothes is in the back.”
He smiled and smoothly pulled out of his space, heading in the direction of the main house. “You can borrow something of mine.”
Her laugh caught in her throat.
He glanced at her, turning the wheel to avoid a bump. The water was starting to rush over the gravel and pool in the ditch alongside the road. “What? You embarrassed to wear my clothes?”
“No,” Anna said quickly. It just seemed…so intimate. Kind of sexy if it had been someone else. But Beckett?
She already knew his clothes would be soft and worn-in, and smell like him. Like trees and the outdoors, like the inside of his truck smelled.
He stopped as close to the back deck as possible. Together, they ran through the rain, up the wooden steps to the porch. Water poured off the overhang like a sheet, pooling in the flowerbed below.
As Beckett put the keys into the lock, she watched his lips turn upward at the corners of his mouth. His hazel eyes swung in her direction. “Why are staring at me?”
