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He pulled me in even closer then, and all I could think of was getting this beautiful man in my bed… like now.
“Baby girl, you just made my whole world,” he said. “Spend the night with me.”
And in the next few moments, without giving it another thought, we headed for the back door still holding hands.
We were about six feet from the front door when Bernard stopped us cold. He stepped right in front of us as if he were doing door patrol.
“And where do you two think you’re going?” he asked. His words slightly slurred.
“To my cabin,” Cody said without hesitation, as if he was proud of the fact.
I wanted to die right there. Bernard would certainly tell Natalie, and Natalie would have a meltdown, and I would be responsible for ruining her wedding.
I couldn’t let this stand. I slipped my hand out of Cody’s and said, “To his car for a smoke.”
“You smoke?” Bernard asked me, seemingly forgetting what Cody had just said.
“Yes, we both do,” Cody told him, straight up lying. “We thought we’d sneak out for a quick one and come right back.”
“Good, because I want a dance with Emily. It’s my last night as a single man, and I can’t possibly allow that to pass me by without dancing with as many single women as possible.”
He reached out for me, but I backed away.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Cody asked. “Nat’s not going to like it.”
“I don’t give a fuck what Nat likes or doesn’t like. This is my last night as a single man, and I’m gonna make it count.”
He grabbed me, then twirled me around, and at once, Cody pulled him off me.
“Hold on there, cowboy,” Cody told him. “I don’t know what’s going on, but maybe you ought to let me take you home so you can sleep this off. You don’t want to have a hangover on your big day, right?”
Bernard shook his head. “Whose big day? Certainly not mine. None of this is about me. It’s all about her, and if I want to dance, I’m going to fucking dance.”
He went to grab me again, but this time, both Dustin and Gabe showed up and twirled him in the opposite direction.
“Hey, big guy, there’s a lot of single women in this place that probably would love to dance with you as soon as you sober up a little. But Miss Emily here isn’t one of them,” Dustin told him while he held onto one of Bernard’s arms, and Gabe held onto the other.
“Just one dance… why can’t I have just one lousy dance?” he insisted.
I knew I probably shouldn’t, but when I heard Chris Stapleton’s “We Should Probably Leave,” I couldn’t help it. I felt kind of sorry for the guy. “Okay, but just one. Then you’ll need to go with Dustin and Gabe.”
“You don’t have to do this, Em,” Cody said.
“I know, but who am I to deny the groom one last dance as a single guy?” This time, I looked Bernard directly in the eye and said, “One and only one dance, and if you try anything even remotely inappropriate, I’m outta here. Deal?”
“Deal. Anything for the perfect wedding planner, which you are, according to my soon-to-be bride. She loves you; do you know that?”
“I do,” I told him as the guys let him go. “And I love Natalie, as I’m sure you do as well.”
I took Bernard’s hand and led him back on the dance floor, giving Cody an apologetic look.
When we found our spot, and he came in closer, he whispered, “More than I probably should.”
Then we twirled around and settled into the dance with Gabe, Dustin, and Cody watching our every move. The disappointment that ripped through me was soon replaced by more logical thinking. Perhaps this was for the best, just as the song warned… We Should Probably Leave and go to our own private cabins, alone. This hook-up was destined to be a big mistake, a huge mistake.
I had a wedding… we both had a wedding… we all had a wedding to prepare for in the morning, and nothing and no one could get in the way of it being the most perfect wedding any of us had ever seen.
Anything short of that, and we’d be letting down someone we all loved and cared about… Natalie Jennings.
