Page 70 of The Wedding Favor

Wedding weekend had arrived, despite all my fervent prayers that it never would. Ali and Theo picked up Hallie, who would stay with them since the wedding was in Austin. I’d packed, then repacked, then triple-checked the list Missy had emailed to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. I wasn’t trying to stall but I might have double-checked my suitcase at least three times in the last fifteen minutes to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything: my shoes, a flat iron, my best bra, my second-best bra, chocolate, and my back-up chocolate.

I was probably overly prepared. So, yes, I was stalling.

Abe leaned against the side of his truck and watched me with amusement. “Any time you’re ready.”

“I’m ready,” I said firmly. “Except did I forget lipstick?”

He just shook his head and looked up at the sky, probably asking God how he’d gotten mixed up with me.

“Just going to check.” I opened the door to the back seat and began rifling through my suitcase. A trickle of sweat skated down my forehead. It was just after ten in the morning, but the sun was already working overtime. July in Texas was just like June in Texas except it had more days in it. “Look at this. Not only did I not forget my lipstick, I brought three different colors.”

“Amazing.” Abe rubbed the back of his neck. “Anything else you want to look for?”

“No. No. I’m good.” I zipped the suitcase closed and slammed the door. “We should get going.”

Abe didn’t move from his spot. His patience was impressive. Hell, I was annoyed with my own self at this point. He hadn’t rushed me once. Just stood there, calmly watching me have a minor breakdown.

“After I go to the bathroom. I swear we’ll go after that.” I dawdled as much as I could until it was just weird. When I made it back outside, Abe had the door open to the passenger’s side.

“We good now?”

“Yeah, sure.” I climbed into the truck and dug into my pocket for my stash of chocolate and panicked. “I forgot my chocolate⁠—”

“Hold your hand out.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

When I did, he placed four chocolate kisses into my palm. Because of the heat, they were soft, but I didn’t mind. “You have chocolate.”

He grinned and closed my door. After he’d gotten settled behind the wheel, he paused and gave me a long look. “Are you sure you’re ready? I’m about to turn the car on and then there’s no turning back.”

I stuffed a kiss in my mouth. “Let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit.” He turned the ignition and a loud voice with a British accent filled the car.

“Her skin was the softest he’d ever touched, like silk and flower petals. He kissed the back of her hand and smiled at her soft gasp.

“‘It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we may become better acquainted.’”

An audiobook. From the sound of it, a romance. Abe Ramos was listening to a romance novel? I pressed a hand to my mouth before a laugh could tumble out.

Frantically, Abe searched the area around him, hopped out of the car to look under the seat, patted himself down, all the while cursing under his breath.

“Can I help?” He didn’t reply, but the voice continued.

“‘Come with me to the garden. I shall show you how much I do admire you,’ he said, his voice deep and smooth. It sent a sensation down her spine. She gazed into his dark, hooded eyes and could only say yes.

“‘What if someone sees us? What if⁠—’”

Abe dropped out of sight. I unhooked my seatbelt and stretched across the bench seat to find him lying on the gravel driveway to look under the truck.

“My phone. Where is my phone?”

“You mean this one that was sitting in the cupholder?” I held it out toward him.

He jerked and banged his head on the edge of the running board. “Ouch.”