AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You think? Well, maybe something that involves music too. Because when I’m around you, I keep hearing it in my head.”
Reese was practically floating when she walked into the suite with Sterling still clutching her hand. She had no idea how she was going to ever recover from what he was doing to her. Whenever this ended, it might destroy her.
Unless … it didn’t end. Reese folded that thought up and put it away.
Chapter Twenty
Reese woke up to a room filled with gentle morning light. Had she heard a noise? She listened, but only heard the ocean and wind. It was the kind of sound she could wake up to every morning. Though maybe after a better night of sleep. She yawned. Sterling had been, as promised, a gentleman who slept in his own room. But he stayed until well past midnight and she was feeling the lack of sleep.
When they got back after dinner, he insisted she change into pajamas and he took off his button-down shirt, leaving on just an undershirt. After she had changed, she came back out to see that he had cleared off the coffee table and was sitting on the floor next to it with two decks of cards. The surprise was that Sterling had looked online to find a new way to play solitaire together. It was called Double Solitaire and was a competition of speed. They sat facing each other and any Ace was fair game, so they raced to get rid of their cards first. It made them laugh and as they slapped cards down they shared stories—both silly and serious.
He had talked about May and got a little teary when he told her more about how their relationship used to be. He told her a story of how they had once tried to make homemade donuts and almost burned the house down. The fire department had to come. “You should have seen her,” he had said. “After they dealt with the fire—which was mostly just smoke at that point—May charmed her way up onto the truck. I still have a picture somewhere.” Hearing him talk about her made Reese like him even more. If like was the right word.
The late hour loosened her tongue too and she had talked about how badly she wanted to get married. “My sister’s wedding was so very Texas. It was practically the size of the state fair. Fourteen bridesmaids and flowers for days. Fireworks. Three cakes, because she couldn’t choose.”
Sterling hadn’t seemed bothered by marriage talk, which should have been taboo on what amounted to a first date. “That’s not what you want?”
Reese had shaken her head vehemently. “No. The opposite. And not just because I have to be different than Rachel. I want just a handful of people we love to be there. A brief reception. And then I want to spend the rest of that day—because I want a day wedding—and night being with my husband and him alone. Does that make me really strange?”
“That sounds like an introvert’s dream,” was all he had said. But there had been a small smile on his face.
When he had kissed her goodnight, it was slow and sweet, but the passion had been dialed back. She sensed that he, like her, would have struggled with his decision to leave if he hadn’t kept it lighter.
A quiet knock reached her ears. She hadn’t been dreaming it. Sterling was the only person who could be at her door this early. She darted from bed and threw open the door, just as she realized that her hair was a disaster and she definitely had not brushed her teeth. She covered her mouth with her hand as she smiled at Sterling, trying to keep the morning breath at bay.
“Hi,” she said.
He looked like he could have stepped off a movie set with his tousled hair, fitted T-shirt, and dark jeans. But when he smiled, it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He looked stressed. Probably the lack of sleep the night before didn’t help.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said.
“Not quite,” Reese said. “I don’t think that this unbrushed hair, smudged make-up, and morning breath vibe is my best look.”
“Trust me when I say that this is a look I could wake up to.”
They both seemed to realize the implication of what he said at the same time. Reese’s eyes went wide, and she tried to hide her shock. Was he thinking as far in the future as she had been? He cleared his throat.
“So, I got you a spa package for today. It’s in thirty minutes, so you should have time to get your vibe right and maybe have some coffee.”
“You can’t keep doing this. It’s too much.”
“Can we not fight about money this morning?” His voice was sharp and he must have seen the hurt on her face because his face softened and he took her hand. “Hey, I’m sorry. I’m just feeling really off this morning.”
“I understand.” She did, but it still hurt to be snapped at. This would be an emotional day for him. Reese wanted to be supportive, not make it worse. She squeezed his hand. “I really do appreciate this. I’ve never been to a spa.”
“This is nothing,” Sterling said with a smile. “You should see me when I really start wooing you.”
Reese felt overwhelmed with a surge of emotion. “Thank you, Sterling.”
He let go of her hand and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re welcome. I love pampering you. You get the cutest look on your face when you’re excited. Now, I better get to my mom’s.”
Reese touched his shoulder. “Hey, before you go—are you okay? How are you feeling?”
He looked strained. “Terrified. About all of it. I’m really glad to know that you’ll be here when I get back.”
She gave his hand a quick squeeze. “I’ve been praying for you and your family and for May. I’ll be praying today.”
It was as though his whole body recoiled. Sterling jerked back his hand.
