I pull my shirt over my head when she removes her tank top. My hands move to cup her breasts while she works at removing my pants. When I reach back to unsnap her bra, she freezes.
Her face turns white and her eyes widen.
“Sloan… what’s wrong?”
Suddenly she leaps from my lap and shoves her head into the trashcan beside the bed. Apparently, ‘just a little’, meant a lot. She proceeds to vomit the entire contents of her stomach, very loudly, beside my bed.
I gather her hair and hold it behind her head. She would really be pissed if she puked on her new highlights. Rubbing my hand down her back, I whisper soothing words in her ear while she heaves and cries. This isn’t anything new, but it’s not what my dick had in mind when we came back here.
The door peeks open and Jeremy shields his eyes. “Oh, shit. That looks really bad.”
“Get out of here, Jeremy,” Sloan cries, mascara trailing down her face.
She releases another large heave and I stifle a gag. Jeremy clutches his stomach. “Okay, dude. But I’m taking Walker for a little chat. Keep an eye on Tess, will ya?”
With one hand on Sloan’s hair and one on her back, I give him a look. “And how am I supposed to do that?”
Jeremy points to her. “She’ll quit eventually and pass out. A girl that small can’t have that much alcohol inside her.”
I roll my eyes. “Thanks. You’re a great friend.”
He grins and reaches into the closet and throws me a towel. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”
I level glare at him as he turns to leave. Sloan stopped heaving and is now quietly crying into the trash can. I bunch her hair up around my wrist and pull her into my lap. She takes the towel and wipes the remnants from her face and buries her head in my leg.
“I’m sorry I ruined your party,” she murmurs.
I continue to rub small circles on her back. “You didn’t, baby. And it wasn’t supposed to be a party. All I wanted was for everyone to come up here and hang out a few more times before the end of summer. We only have one month left.”
She turns her head, her bloodshot eyes rimmed in red. “I love you.”
I smile and kiss her forehead. “I love you.”
She grabs my hand and places it on her face. “No, like I really love you, Perry. I want to have all your babies, and live in a two-story house, and pack your lunch in the morning before you go to work.”
I stifle a laugh. “You’re drunk, baby. Get some sleep, okay?”
She shakes her head, but rolls over anyway. “You’ll see Perry Michaels. I’m going to marry you one day.”
As I’m lifting the blanket over her, a sharpness pierces my chest. She says all the things I want to hear, but she’ll never remember it in the morning. They say people are honest when they drink. I sure hope that’s true.
Trying not to breathe through my nose, I grab the waste basket and towel and head to the bathroom. Lucky for me Sloan has good aim, so she didn’t get it anywhere else. As I’m rinsing out the basket in the sink, I spot Tess perched in the doorway.
She brings her hand up to her heart. “Oh, I long for the day when I can have a relationship as romantic as yours. Cleaning chunks from a garbage can spewed in there by my beloved.”
I laugh. “You’ll see, Bishop. Relationships aren’t always roses. You have to take the good with the bad.” I give the basket one final rinse and set it on the floor, turning to her. “And it’s about taking care of the ones you love, even if they did it to themselves.”
Tess nods down the hallway. “Everyone left. Jeremy kicked them out and then he took Walker somewhere on the golf cart. Said he needed to talk about ‘guy stuff’.”
Tess is annoyed by this, but I know exactly what he’s doing.
“You want to go hang out by the fire some more? Sloan will be passed out ‘til morning and I can check on her from time to time.”
Tess smiles and then nods.
I grab an extra blanket and the few remaining beers. With all the drama of the evening, I’ve barely been able to catch a buzz.
We sit side by side, staring into the flames in silence for a moment. I crack the top of a beer and hand it to her. She smiles over at me when I reach for one for myself.
“So, you and Walker, huh?”
Her mouth pops open and I smirk.
“How did you know?”
I bump my shoulder with hers. “It was kind of obvious. He isn’t exactly subtle when it comes to someone he likes.”
She takes a small sip of her beer, but doesn’t face me. “So, what do you think about that?”
I shrug. “Walker’s a good dude. I know he’ll take care of you.” I turn to her so I can meet her eyes. “I think that’s important. That you have someone you can rely on.”
“What about Sloan?”
I sputter a laugh. “What about Sloan?”
“This back and forth… it’s not healthy. Do you really think a relationship can withstand that forever?”
I chug the rest of my beer and crush the can when I finish. I toss it into the fire and watch the flames engulf the tin.
“I guess we’ll see.”
8
Slow It Down
Tess- Now
The sound of Perry snoring is one thing I didn’t miss. My bedroom is down the hall and it still sounds like he’s sleeping right next to me. Unable to tolerate it any longer, I throw my covers off and reach for my robe. Typically, I wouldn’t even wear one, but the small cotton shorts and tank top I have on don’t feel appropriate at the moment.
I pad into the kitchen without even evoking a stir from Perry and turn on my coffee pot. The stack of bills by the microwave is piling up more and more. Not only did Walker share most of the work with me, he also handled the finances. That coupled with the income we were getting, which wasn’t on the books, I’d say I’m in trouble. No threat of losing the shop just yet, but it’s coming if I don’t think of something soon. Maybe I can hire an apprentice?
I’m halfway through a much-needed cup of espresso when Perry stumbles in. He has an uneasy look on his face.
“Good morning, dear. Can I fix you some breakfast, or won’t you be staying?” I say with my sweetest smile.
He lets out some sort of grumble and points down at his clothes. “This is Walker’s shirt.”
I nod, taking another sip. “Yeah, well, you woke up in the middle of the night and destroyed your clothes. You left me with few options.”
He’s quiet for a moment and then I catch him bunch it up at the collar and inhale. He smiles, but it clouded with sadness. “It smells like him.”
I turn my head away and wipe a tear with my knuckle. “You can have it if you want. I haven’t exactly gotten around to—there are still a lot of things to take care of.”
He nods, running his hand along the faded letters.
“I washed your clothes, too. They should be dry any minute.”
This causes him to smirk. “Did you also undress me?”
My cheeks get heated, but I keep my features even. “I helped you. You have nothing I haven’t seen before.”