Page 43 of Finding Her Leading Man

Trevor stepped closer. “I agree.” He lowered his voice, his arm brushed against her side. “It’s like starting over.”

She sipped at the sour beer. At least it was cold. It helped with the heat from Trevor. All she wanted to do was turn into his arms and hide out there. She’d been on her own since she was sixteen. She didn’t need him.

But she wanted him.

His strength. His calm voice always there, telling her it would be alright. And he might be bossy, but she’d realized that it was for her. He never pushed her to do anything for some selfish reason. Always for her.

“Okay. Let’s get started before I chicken out.”

Dewey clapped his hands together a few times, and everyone quieted down. “Alright. We have four paintball guns here. Two are filled with pink. Two are filled with yellow.”

Cameron moved from his spot near the porch. “Four? There were going to be five of us playing at the party with Grayson gone to Atlanta today.”

Dewey grinned. “Yes. And you weren’t going to get one.”

“Shit. I was the damn target.” He laughed and stopped by Addie’s side. She rubbed his back and kissed his cheek. They were so in love.

Had Samantha ever looked that way at Jasper? Maybe, in the beginning, she had. But even though ending her relationship the way it did, she knew, deep down, in hindsight, it was over before the cheating had come to light.

Dewey held out a gun, his hazel eyes looking cat-like yellow in the sun. “Here you go, sweetheart. You get first shot at that thing.”

Samantha didn’t immediately move to get the gun. Trevor did. He took two steps after her hesitation and took it from Dewey.

Trevor’s face was solemn. It was like he matched her mood internally. Only he could still function.

Why was this so hard if she knew she was over Jasper?

“C’mon, Sam.” He nodded toward the dress.

It looked picture perfect, just like an ad in a bridal magazine. Jasper would have loved the details around the bottom. He loved lace. That’s what drew her to the dress.

Trevor put the paintball gun in her hand. Feeling more like a rag doll, she let him move her in the direction of the dress.

“Don’t let anyone bully you into doing something you don’t want to do.” Their hands clasped together over the gun, pointed at the dress. Her eyes attempted to focus, but they wouldn’t. Everything seemed distant and surreal. “Sam, look at the dress.”

“I am.”

His lips pressed against a spot behind her ear. Her knees weakened, and she leaned back into his chest.

“No.Lookat that dress. You were going to wear that down the aisle to meet Jasper. Think of all the shit you’ve had to put up with because of him.”

She swallowed, hating the bitter taste as the reality of the situation crept back. Without the dress there, without having to face this day, she could have stayed in her little world. But Trevor stood beside her, pushing her to acknowledge it.

He kissed her neck. That should be her focus, not the dress. Her future. Maybe with him.

No. Today. Not the future. Today, right then, she had Trevor.

Right then, she was okay and would survive.

“Baby, look at it.” His breath brushed along her neck. Her chest rose with a deep breath. It might have hit the record for the strangest foreplay. Something shifted. At the moment, she wanted him more than she cared about the dress. Jasper. Broadway.

“I’m looking.”

“Then shoot.”

Her finger started to press, but she couldn’t make it pull all the way. Trevor wrapped his hand around hers, sliding his finger into the trigger guard.

“Ready,” he murmured, almost too low to hear. He kissed her neck again. This time she tilted her head. “Set.” He said that with a smile, she could tell by the tone. One more kiss, one more reason to shoot the dress, and when he said, “fire,” she didn’t hesitate.

---