by Emma Hart
Avery nodded solemnly. “I do. I bet she was expensive.”
“Worth every damn cent!” he cackled. “Adam, you ever been to Amsterdam?”
“Yes, sir,” Adam said, putting the cards down. “I went when I was sixteen.”
Grandpa leaned forward. “I’ll take you one day! We’ll have the best time!”
I sat on the table with a sigh, using a chair a footrest. Adam picked my shoeless foot up and sat down, resting it on his thigh instead with a wink at me.
I rolled my eyes.
I needed more Tylenol.
“Grandpa, you’d never make the journey,” I reminded him. “Your doctor said no flights longer than three hours.”
“He also said no Bloody Marys,” he cackled again. “And look what I have!”
“Don’t shout so loud. As far as Mom knows, it’s tomato juice to curb your addiction.” I slid a card into the holder and set it to the side with the completed ones.
He went to say something, but he was interrupted by the slamming of the door.
We all jerked around.
Rosie was flat against the door, wearing yoga pants and a tank that had a slice of pizza on it and the words “Love Triangle.”
“I’m gonna steal that shirt,” I said, inserting another card. “Yours is backward,” “I said to Adam. The little bird goes at the front.”
He sighed. “My fingers are too big for this.”
Avery snorted. “Only time a man will ever complain about being too big for something.”
Grandpa did his signature cackle and hiccupped.
“I’m glad you’re all having such fun,” Rosie said tensely.
“Not really. I’m bored out my fucking min.” I looked back up at her. “Why do you look like the police are after you?”
“They are!” she whispered. “The wedding police! Mom and the planner are on my back! I wanted to go to the gym because, hello, I get married today and I’m freaking out and panicking and I’m scared and I just want to let off steam, she’s on my back about cupcakes and flowers and when do the bouquets arrive and am I sure about that table and is Grandpa seated too close to the bar?”
“I’ll sit at it, petal, no problem.” More cackling. “Drink?”
Rosie looked at the Bloody Mary and took it. She sipped, then winced, making face. “Jesus! How much is in that?”
“Sending him to sleep,” Avery answered. “Then he can’t get into trouble.”
“Surprisingly, that makes sense,” Rosie replied.
“Carry on about the wedding police.” I grabbed my water bottle and uncapped it. “Are you hiding?”
“Yes.” She sighed. “And you’re not stealing my shirt.”
“We’ll see.” I grinned. “This is probably one of the first places she’ll come. She’ll ask me if I’ve seen you.”
A tiny snore came from Grandpa, and we all looked over in time to see him jerk awake. “Don’t let the scoundrels get away, girls.”
“You got it, Grandpa,” I said.
Adam’s face was buried in my thigh, and he was laughing hard.
Voices were outside the room, and Rosie’s eyes opened wide. “They’re here!”
“Under the table!” Avery hissed, lifting the cloth. Rosie darted under there and Avery dropped it just in time as the door opened.
“Can you pass more holders?” I said to Avery.
“Sure.” She slid the box closer to me.
“There you are, Poppy,” Mom said, walking into the room with the stuck-up planner on her heels.
I frowned at her. “You put us here with Grandpa and told me not to move until all the place settings were done. Where else would I be?”
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m surprised you’re here.”
Save me, God.
“Is he sleeping?” The planner asked.
“Yes,” Avery said. “Old age. It even gets to the ones who think they’re twenty-one.”
If that wasn’t the most accurate description of Grandpa…
“Bloody Mary?”
“Aunt Blythe was here earlier looking for Dad,” I improvised. “Left her glass. You know she’s…” I mimed drinking and clicked my tongue.
Mom sighed. “This family feels like a meeting of alcoholics sometimes.”
Truth.
“Have you seen your sister? There are last minute things for her to handle before she gets ready.” Mom clasped her hands together in front of her stomach. “Anyone?”
Avery shook her head. “I haven’t. Sorry.”
“Adam?”
“I’ve been in the gym until you said to come here.” He shrugged.
“Poppy?”
“When would I have seen her? I had breakfast, went up with Avery so she could change, then we found you.” I finished another place setting. “But if it’s about the damn seating plan, she’ll kill you if you change that again. And she texted me this morning that the bouquets arrive at, crap, when was it?”
Three taps on my calf gave me the answer.
“Three,” I said. “Pretty sure. The concierge is expecting the delivery to his desk.”
That much I knew from the info she’d given me.
“If I see her, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her, though.” I smiled at Mom and picked up another card. “Can we get on with this now?”
She sighed. “I suppose. We’ll see the concierge now. Make sure you call if you see Rosie.”
Crossing my fingers, I said, “Promise.”
She nodded and left the room with the planner.
The door clicked shut, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Jesus, that was like a fucking interrogation. No wonder Rosie was done with them.
She crawled out from under the table after a minute. “Is it safe?”
I nodded. “Come out.”
“You can have my shirt as thanks,” she laughed.
“I was having it anyway,” I replied, grinning. “There. Done. Bought you some time. Although, right now, you’re probably better staying here and helping us.”
“Yeah, I’m useless at this,” Adam said, dropping the stand.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed it. “You just sit there and look pretty,” I said patting his head.
“I’ll help. It’s better than going crazy in the room by myself. The girls are all getting their nails done, but I already did that yesterday, so…” Rosie sighed. “Oh, these are cute.”
“Shame they didn’t come pre-made,” I said.
We all lapsed into silence. Grandpa’s intermittent snores was the only sound as we continued on making the place settings. Adam’s hand trailed up and down the lower part of my leg, his thumb circling my ankle every time it came back.
Rosie side-eyed us before sharing a glance with Avery. I ignored them. I knew they were trying to rile me up, but whatever, I wasn’t biting.
“Attack! The Armada is coming!” Grandpa snorted, jerking. “Shoot the bastards,” he muttered, snoring one final time before lapsing into silence again.
We all shared a look before bursting into laughter, all of us trying to keep quiet so we didn’t wake him.
Jesus.
You could always count on Grandpa.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN – POPPY
Pizza and Pizazz
“How long do we have?” Adam asked, linking his fingers through mine and dragging me through the hotel.
I could barely keep up—I was basically jogging behind him.
“Uh—thirty minutes,” I replied. “Then I have to go and get ready. No arguments.”
“None will happen. I told you I’d steal you before you had to get ready.”
“I didn’t think that meant you’d crash my shower!”
He laughed, finally slowing down as we approached the restaurant. “You needed to hurry up. You have hair stylists and makeup people up there. You didn’t need to do yours for a date.”
He was right, but still. “I almost fell over.”
“Tell me something that won’t surprise me.�
� He grinned, letting go of my hand. “I called you half an hour ago,” he said to the host. “Adam Winters.”
The host nodded. “It’s ready. One minute, Mr. Winters.”
“What are you doing?” I grabbed his hand and tugged. “Tell me.”
He was grinning as he shook his head. “I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise.”
I sighed. This wasn’t fair. What had he planned?
“Here you go, sir.” The host returned with a pizza box and a cloth bag bulging with things.
“Thank you.” He nodded, shaking the guy’s hand before he took the box. “Come on, Red.”
I caught the host discreetly put his hand in his pocket. Had he just done that fancy handshake-tip thing? “Did you just him in your handshake?”
“You noticed.”
“I notice everything.”
“Sure you do. Come on. This will be the quickest date ever.”
Following him outside, he took a sharp turn to the steps to the beach. “This is a date is it?” I asked.
“You bet. And we have to eat pizza, talk, and make out all in…” He glanced at his watch. “Twenty-five minutes.”
I laughed. “You’ve got this all down, haven’t you?”
“Planned to a T. Will you hold the pizza?”
“Sure.” I slid my sunglasses down and took the box.
We walked a few feet onto the beach. Adam selected a spot close to a palm tree, giving us some shade from the hot sun. I stayed back as he put down the bag and pulled out a huge blanket, laying it on the sand in front of us.
He moved his arm in a sweeping motion, gesturing for me to sit with the pizza. My lips curved as I slid off my flip-flops and stepped onto the towel, making sure to set the pizza box down carefully.
Nobody wanted their pizza with a side of sand.
Adam pulled a half-sized bottle of wine out of the bag and two plastic glasses. “Voila,” he said, setting the bag down and kicking off his shoes with expert balance.
If I tried that, I’d be dropping the wine. And I’m not gonna lie, my heart did have a little extra beat as I watched him do it.
Wine was important.
He sat down carefully on the blanket and handed me the glasses. I took them, watching him with a small smile as he pulled the cork from the wine and went to pour two small glasses. When he was done, he turned and carefully wedged the bottle into the sand.
“Now, we can eat.” He grinned, taking his wine.
“This is perhaps the strangest date I’ve ever been on,” I admitted. “But I think I like it.”
“Of course you like it, Red. You’ve got pizza, wine, and a hot guy. It could be worse.”
I snorted, and wine went up my nose. Adam laughed, and I couldn’t even flip him the bird because fuck, my nose burned.
“I know it could. I’ve been on worse dates. I’m not single by accident, you know.” I raised an eyebrow and reached to open the pizza box. The smell of the cheese and the sauce was making my stomach rumble, and I didn’t even realize I was hungry.
Of course, it was mid-afternoon, and I hadn’t eaten since that super-early breakfast, so it wasn’t really a surprise. Not to mention I’d been running around like a headless chicken all freakin’ day long.
I was more than ready to lie on a beach for twenty-five minutes and do nothing.
“I’m sure you’re not,” he said with a light chuckle. “Is everything done?”
I nodded, chewing. I swallowed and said, “Rosie’s getting her hair done now. Her other bridesmaids are getting a bit of an ass-kicking from Mom for letting her out of their sight this afternoon, which was when I took my cue to leave.”
“Why is your mom kicking their ass?”
“Honestly? I think she’s one conversation away from losing her mind and having a breakdown, so we’re letting her get on with it at this point.” I shrugged and tore a bite of pizza off. “I ran away.”
He laughed and licked sauce from his finger. “Do you think everything will go right tonight?”
“Absolutely not.” I shook my head.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s my family. I have full confidence in the ceremony, but after it? Not a chance. It’s a miracle they managed to set it up without something going wrong?”
Adam leaned to the side and looked down the beach. “That it? In front of the bar?”
I nodded.
“Nice. What are the lights?”
“Lanterns. They’re positioned all down the aisle and around the arch. They’re all over the bar, too, for the party after.”
“It’s all outside?”
Another nod from me. “Rosie had her choice of inside or out, and since the wedding is so late, there’s no need for a sit-down meal. There will be speeches,” I rolled my eyes, “But it’ll all be informal.”
“And you have to make a speech?” His eyes twinkled.
“If you laugh at me, I’m never having sex with you again.”
He held up his hands. “I promise I won’t laugh at you. Know what you’re saying?”
“Yes, so I’ll forget it when I stand up to give it. Not to mention I’ve been informed that my stage is a chair.” That was asking for trouble.
Adam watched me for a second. “You don’t look happy about that.”
“I’m not. I’m not allowed to switch light bulbs anymore. Avery banned me.”
“Why?”
“Last time I tried, I slipped off the chair and broke the fixture because I took it with me.” I grinned innocently. “It’s not my fault it didn’t hold my weight.”
“Light fixtures aren’t made to hold human weight, Red.”
“I know that now, don’t I? You don’t need to be a pain about it.”
He laughed and closed the pizza box. We’d gotten through a little more than half of it despite talking, and now, Adam pushed the box to the side of the blanket.
“Is this the part of the date where we make out like horny teens?” I asked, catching his gaze with mine.
“No, because if that happens, you won’t be getting ready for anything except an orgasm.” His lips twitched. “And then I’ll be in trouble with your family.”
“That could work in our favor. They need a reason to dislike you. It’ll be easier when I tell them we’ve broken up.”
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes as he lay down. “We’ll come up with something. Maybe we drift apart once the season starts because I’m away a lot.”
“And girls throw themselves at you and it makes me feel like crap.”
“See? There. We nailed it.” He held his hand up for a high five with a grin.
I slapped my hand against his, and he caught my fingers with his, tugging me to him. I fell forward, using his chest as my landing pad. He let out a harsh breath as I fell on top of him, but I could only laugh.
“That’s what happens when you tug at me. I’m not a rope,” I told him, moving and looking down at him. “I’m a dead weight.”
“Oh, yes. All six-hundred pounds of you,” he said dryly. “Like a rock falling on top of me.”
“And you say I’ve got a mouth on me, hockey boy.”
“You have. I’m quite fond of it.” He grinned and flicked his thumb over my lower lip. “I never claimed I wasn’t sarcastic myself. Actually, I think you bring it out in me. Is it infectious?”
“No. It’s a language for smart people. It’s how we confuse the idiots.”
“Did you just call me smart?”
“You’d pull a compliment out of a toad, wouldn’t you?”
“Especially if they gave me a veiled one.” His laugh was the infectious thing. Especially when he threw his head back and closed his eyes, his whole body shaking with the power of it.
I buried my face in his chest and giggled myself. I didn’t know why. Nothing was funny.
Except this entire situation, that was.
Adam trailed a hand up my back and swept all my hair to one side of my neck. His fingers sent shivers down m
y spine as they trailed over my skin. Slowly, I raised my head and looked at him.
His full lips were curved in a smile, his eyes shone with the laughter that lingered in his gaze, and the stubble over his jaw was tempting me into touching it.
His eyes caught mine.
I gently rubbed my thumb over his jaw, following the curve of it as the stubble prickled at me. It was weirdly…good. Like, it was the strangest sensation, and I couldn’t believe that it was as enjoyable as it was.
Put “touching stubble” up there with stroking kittens.
I dropped my eyes to his mouth. His lips were there, and full, and smooth, and—
Under mine.
I kissed him softly, cupping the side of his face. It was so natural and gentle that my heartbeat picked up, and it pounded against my ribs in a fierce beat that was so against everything this kiss was.
Slow. Steady. Soft. It was a real kiss, one that made your feelings sit up and take notice, even if your mind wanted them to sit back down and shut up.
And that was what was happening to me right now. Feelings. I had feelings for Adam Winters, and they needed to shut up and get back in their box where they belonged.
Those thoughts were sent flying from my mind when Adam rolled me onto my back, diving his hand into my hair and kissing me deeper. His tongue teased mine, and I slid my hand around to the back of his neck.
He stretched his arm out, and the next thing I knew, I was getting splattered by a very cold liquid.
Wine.
“Oh my God!” I shoved him off me and grabbed the empty glass. “Adam!”
He clapped his hand over his mouth. “Shit. I’m sorry. I forgot it was there.”
My hair was now covered in wine. “I have to shower again!”
“Just jump in the sea. That’ll do it.”
“I cannot go to my sister’s wedding smelling like sea water and Sauvignon Blanc. I am not a drunk turtle.”
He bent forward, shoulders shaking.
Oh no. I wasn’t going to have that.
I grabbed the other full glass and tossed it over him.
He froze.
I did, too.
I bit my lower lip, holding it between my teeth to hide a smile as he slowly, so very fucking slowly, raised his head.
