Page 28 of Three Grumpy Groomsmen

I give him a smile, to let him know I appreciate his stance. “It’s orange,” I tell him.

“What?”

“The hint of flavor behind the hazelnut. It’s orange.”

The corner of his mouth turns up. “Bingo. Beautiful and a foodie. I’m officially an idiot for hitting the pause button.”

The magic of the moment is broken, but it doesn’t feel awkward with Ford. I just give a soft laugh. “Thank you for dinner. Goodnight.”

When he leaves, I wait for the door to close with a soft snick and I lock the deadbolt behind him. I sigh as I take in the takeout boxes and the minibar mess.

Being a jilted bride sucks.

“I’m driving today,” I announce, as Harrison and Ford meet up with me in the hotel lobby at eight the next morning. “You two can take the backseat.”

Maybe if we split up Harrison and Liam, they won’t bicker nonstop.

I actually slept well and I feel refreshed today. Maybe all the stress of the last couple of days has caught up with me and I slept hard. Or maybe Ford’s kindness reminded me that there are decent men in the world still.

God, Ford is a great kisser.

Which is confusing.

Or is it? Why wouldn’t he be a great kisser?

But itisconfusing that I did it in the first place.

I just was staring at him and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

But he broke it off and left my room and he was wise to put a halt to it. I don’t need to hook up with my ex-fiance’s best friend and complicate my life any further.

At first, when he pulled back, I was angry at what felt like yet another rejection, but that’s not what Ford intended. He was worried I was behaving impulsively, which I was.

If we’d had sex, it definitely would have been a rebound situation.

And yet I sneak a peek at Ford, who is glancing down at his phone. Given that kiss, I can only imagine what else he could do with that tongue…

“Works for me,” Ford says with a smile.

I’ve forgotten what we were even talking about.

Right. Me driving. “I’m ready to take on the rest of this road trip and sell the hell out of the house I never wanted,” I tell them.

Harrison just gives me a grunt of acknowledgement, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his shorts. He’s wearing sunglasses.

Ford gives me a smile. “Wise move,” he murmurs, leaning in closer to me. “Harrison is hungover. Apparently, he decided to stay in the hotel bar last night and try to drink Liam out of his system with some bikers from Wisconsin. It didn’t go well.”

“Oh boy,” I say, smiling back at Ford.

I’m grateful he’s not being awkward around me in the aftermath of that amazing kiss.

“Where the fuck is the coffee?” Harrison mutters, glancing around the lobby.

“They don’t do breakfast here. We can grab some on the road.”

My answer draws a grimace from Harrison. I hand him my Stanley cup. “Have some water. You should hydrate.”

He doesn’t take the cup from me but he does lean over and puts his lips around the straw and takes a sip. His sunglasses slip down his nose so that I can see his eyes, which are locked on me. He has deep brown eyes that are usually filled with mischief. Right now, there is something else there…

---