His body blanketed mine as we caught our breaths for the second time. Hovering mere inches above me as he stared down at me, his smile faded slightly as he brushed a wayward hair from my face. I looked up at him expectantly, curious about the thoughts running through his mind.
Running the pad of his thumb across my cheekbone, he gave me my answer, “Even though I know you’re going to be the one that got away, I wouldn’t change being here with you right now.”
His words were more than I expected but expressed exactly how I felt. My mouth met his, and I let myself get lost in the high that was Billy Miller for the rest of the night.
Still half asleep, head pounding, body sweating, tummy turning, I popped up in bed. The bed shifted beside me and for a moment I forgot I wasn’t alone. I jumped with his touch, then relaxed.
“Everything okay?” Billy’s voice was a soothing balm for my groggy head.
I nodded, falling back to the mattress, pressing my cheek to his firm chest as he cradled me into his side. His fingers stroked my back, relaxing me further as my eyes drifted closed and my brain fell back to sleep. I moaned my pleasure, feeling content.
“Does that feel good?” he whispered, pressing his lips to the top of my head.
“Mmm…I love you.”
His hand halted and my eyes flicked open. That’s not what I meant to say. The word had slipped out. I’d intended to say I love THAT. But before I had a chance to explain my slip up, what had initially woken me came back full force. My stomach churned and the bile shot up. I lifted my head and vomit splattered all over his bare chest before either of us could make a move.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as I covered it, my stomach still turning. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”
I jumped from the bed, running for a towel in the bathroom. I returned, flinging it at him. Knowing I was mere seconds from losing my stomach again, I ran back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.
A soft knock followed. “Hannah?”
“Stay out! I’ll be out in a second!” My throat burned along with my cheeks.
After I was sure nothing else was going to come up, I stood from the toilet. Washing my hands, I looked at myself in the mirror, ready to die. Embarrassed wasn’t the right word for how I was feeling. Utterly mortified was barely adequate. I splashed some cool water over my flushed cheeks before drying off. I took a deep breath after pulling on a robe and opened the door, knowing I couldn’t hide in the bathroom forever.
It wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t believe a word I was feeding myself. Not before and definitely not after I found Billy fully dressed standing in the living room, waiting for me, the sunlight filtering in through the windows behind him.
I pulled the robe tighter, my arms holding my stomach protectively. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, his eyes refusing to meet mine.
“Billy, I—”
“I need to go. I promised Aaron I’d be back at the barn early this morning to help clean up.”
I nodded, not knowing what else to say. I’d already said enough, done enough, to send the man running for the hills.
He stepped forward, giving me an awkward kiss on the cheek before disappearing through the front door.
I turned to look at Wes after confessing one of my most embarrassing moments.
I wished I hadn’t.
His body shook with his silent laughter. I punched his arm, using all the force I had to push him off the side of the hay bale. He fell easily, weakened by uncontrollable laughter that was now echoing through the barn as he rolled on the ground.
“Why on earth did I just tell you of all people? I must be drunk.” I pressed the bottle back to my lips, chugging it.
Wes pulled himself to a sitting position, his knees bent, arms draped over them as he took a few deep breaths to gain control of himself.
“Shit, city. Not what I was expecting.” He stood, swiping the bottle from my hands once again. He took a drink. After wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, he pointed the bottle at me. “Looks like I just learned the best kept secret in Billingsley.”
“And it better stay that way,” I warned, taking the bottle back.
“What are we talking about in here?” Leighton appeared out of nowhere in the wide-open doorway of the barn. I prayed she hadn’t caught the tail end of my little story.
I gave one more warning look at Wes before responding, “Nothing.”
Her eyes suspiciously bounced between us. Wes shrugged, shaking his head as he continued to chuckle to himself.
She crossed her arms, her head tilting to the side. “Fine. Wes, the boys are looking for you.”
He picked up the rope he’d dropped on the floor, smiling before saying, “Duty calls, ladies.” He winked, walking backwards as he continued to laugh at my expense before turning and disappearing.
We both watched him go. Leighton turned back to me, her brow arching sharply. “Are you two—”
“Oh, hell. No. Don’t even go there,” I cut in before she could finish making assumptions.
“Hey”—she threw up her hands—“just asking. You wouldn’t be the first to fall for his charm.”
“Ha. That man is far from charming. Beyond his good looks, he’s nothing more than a pain in the ass.”
She laughed, linking her arm with mine as she dragged me back toward the reception.
“I saw you and Billy dancing.”
“Yep.”
“And?”
“And, nothing.”
“If you say so.”
I did say so. But it didn’t seem that anyone believed me when I did.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked when she veered me toward the house, away from the reception.
“We have bridesmaid duties of our own to attend to. Lottie’s trying to delay leaving for the honeymoon.”
Why on earth would she do that?
We walked into the main home of the Monroe farm that reminded me of an old Southern estate home you’d see in Gone with the Wind. I followed Leighton up the stairs and down the hall to where we heard Lottie and Tucker talking.
“Lottie, the store will be fine being closed for a couple weeks while we’re away. The whole town knows we just got married. I’ll have Wes swing by and put up a sign in the morning.”
“I have shipments coming, Tuck. Someone has to be there to receive them and go through them.”
“Wes can handle it.”
Lottie’s chin dropped to her chest as she cocked her head at Tucker’s suggestion. I didn’t blame her. I wouldn’t trust Wes either.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Both Lottie and Tucker’s heads turned to where Leighton and I stood.
“Dana just quit. On my wedding day. Through text, no less. Apparently, the drive is just too much for her.”
“The drive?”
“She was commuting from a town north of here. It’s about a forty-five-minute drive each way,” Tucker explained.
I took it that Dana was her one employee, who I’d gathered during my short time here wasn’t the most reliable.
“I have no idea what to do other than postpone the honeymoon, until I can get someone else hired.”
“That’s crazy, Lottie. You can’t do that. I’m sure we can figure something out,” Leighton interjected.