Page 35 of Three Grumpy Groomsmen

“This is crazy,” Ivy says. “It never pours like this in California.”

“It does in South Carolina.”

“Oh, goody,” she says, dryly, before shooting Ford a grin over her shoulder.

Whatisgoing on with those two?

Harrison comes back and jumps into the car. His shirt is soaked through, outlining his chest in a way that makes my mouth dry. Water is running down his face, and he swipes a large hand over it and through his hair, torturing me further.

“Bad news. There’s only one room available.” He holds up a classic motel key. “Be prepared to get cozy tonight, kids.”

I sigh in defeat. A whole night crowded in a room with a wet Harrison and Ivy and Ford sneaking glances at each other?

Fucking fabulous.

CHAPTER 9

Harrison

Okay,so I’m going to be riding out a monsoon in Texas in a roadside dump with my best friend, my ex-lover, and my other friend’s ex-fiancée. Oh, and that ex-fiancée is the woman who both of the aforementioned men are in love with. Yes, I’m aware of Liam’s not-just-a-friend feelings for Ivy. I’m not an idiot. I just play one…most of the time.

I watch them all run from the car to the door to the motel room.

It’s one of those places that has the doors on the outside. It opens right up to the parking lot. It’s just one thin piece of wood between us and the rain storm. Or the serial killer with the chainsaw.

I sigh.

This is the craziest road trip ever.

So why am I having such a great time?

I watch as Liam unlocks the door and lets Ivy precede him into the room. Ford lugs his bag and Ivy’s suitcase inside. The door shuts behind them.

I take a breath.

Okay, so this is it. The four of us in one room for the night. The guy told me there are two beds. Two queens. Not even king-sized beds. That means it’s going to be two and two. It’s gonna be a tight fit.

And somethingisgoing to happen.

There’s no way the four of us will emerge from that room in the morning unscathed.

This sexual tension amongst us is ridiculous.

And yet, I don’t think I like three other people on the planet as much as I like the three people in that room.

I’ve liked Ford for most of my life. I love him like a brother. I’d do anything for him.

I’ve liked Liam since I met him. Fucking him was just the hot caramel, crushed cashews, and whipped cream on top of the grumpy-sexy-bossy-intriguing sundae. I could just listen to him talk or watch him do, well, anything for hours. And that was before I knew he could dance.

Fuck, that was hot. And surprising. And watching him smile and actuallylaugh…God, I wanted to push him up against the wall and kiss the hell out of him just for that.

And yes, I definitely like Ivy. She’s spunky and funny and has been up for absolutely everything I’ve tossed at our entourage. She’s supposed to be heartbroken and down on her luck and was even hungover for a good portion of the first day. But the girl rallied. She was fun, adventurous, and curious about everything from the new sour candy I found at the gas station to the rubber ball “museum” to the armadillo circus. I love her smile and making her laugh gives me a warm feeling that I want to keep producing. Yeah, I absolutely like her.

Somethingneedsto happen in that room. We all have a lot of emotion to work off and we need to really connect somehow. We’ve been getting closer. Between the wedding debacle, getting Ivy through that first night, the silly stops that first day, thehonky-tonk…now we need something more absolute. Something real. I can’t explain it better than that.

So Ivy was just left at the altar. Big deal. It wasn’t her fault. Brad is an asshole. We all know that now. It’s time to move on. What good does it do for her to hold herself back from Ford because of Brad? That’s stupid. She probably should have been with Ford all this time. No time like the present to correct that mistake.

As for me and Liam, I know I hurt him, but he wants me as much as I want him. I just need to make the first move since I was the one who bailed last time. Fine. I can do that.

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