Page 39 of The Road Trip Romance

“Not yet. But it’ll come to me, they always do,” I state as I see Jordan coming over toward us. We walk the block to the car and pile in.

“Let’s go see some giant-ass president heads on a rock,” Penn declares as he drives us toward Mount Rushmore. He seems less contemplative than earlier. I hope our chat helped.

I feel eyes on me, and I look over to see Tate watching me. “Did you enjoy it?” he asks.

“I did. You?” I ask.

He nods. And then looks out the window. I wonder what is going on with him, but decide not to pry. Maybe I’ll ask him later when we are alone.

I look around the car and realize just how much I’ve come to care about these men in such a short time. Tate’s lucky to have such good friends. I just hope I can deliver on my end of the bargain when it comes to getting him back with his ex-girlfriend. I also need to stop hoping he doesn’t get back together with her. Real life will be much easier to reacclimate to if I can keep reminding myself that this trip is just a temporary thing. Tate and the rest of the guys will leave in a few days and maybe he will make my book into a movie, but either way, I have to go back to my normal life. I frown to myself as I realize that I really hope my normal life still has Tate in it, even if we are just friends.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Tate

“I thought their heads were bigger than that,” Penn says as I walk out to the car with our room keys. We made a quick stop at Mount Rushmore as the sun was going down.

Carol made me promise to keep a low profile for the rest of our adventure. I don’t disagree with her. The five of us do sort of cause a spectacle when we are together. But the closer we get to Montana, the more I want to draw out this trip. Part of me wants to try making things work with Lacey one more time, but a part of me that is growing bigger by the hour says to not do that.Do I even want a life with her anymore?

“It was cool to see. Plus, I got this awesome Black Hills gold necklace. I love Black Hills gold,” Sophia says dreamily as she plays with the flower pendant I bought her. I said it was a thank-you-for-your-car-services-on-this-road-trip gift, but really, I just wanted to buy it for her. She loved the pink and green gold and it suited her.

“Keys?” Rex asks, shaking me from my thoughts.

“Oh, right. Uh, so there was a bit of a problem. There are only two rooms left,” I state as I hold up the keys.

Everyone’s eyes widen.

“Dude, isn’t there another hotel around here?” Penn asks. “I don’t want to have a slumber party.”

I shake my head. “I called a few. Everywhere is booked. It’s summertime and people are traveling,” I explain.

“Anyhow, there’s a double with a pull-out sofa, and a king with a sofa,” I explain.

Rex gives me a look that I can’t quite decipher. Either he has a plan or he’s trying to get the upper hand. “Penn, Jordan, and I will take the double. You and Soph get the king,” he says as he grabs the key card marked double from me and heads inside.

“Seriously, dude!” Penn calls out after him.

“Grab your bag, pretty boy. The last one in gets the sofa bed,” Rex says as he walks inside.

“Fuck you, T-Rex,” Penn grumbles as he follows him inside.

“Have fun, you two,” Jordan adds with a wink as he too goes inside, leaving Sophia and me alone in the parking lot.

I watch her neck muscles constrict as she swallows. My hands involuntarily twitch at my side as if my body wants to touch her even though my mind says that’s off-limits.

“You can have the bed,” I offer as I pick up my bag from the ground and turn toward the hotel.

“No, really, I’m smaller…ish,” she says, and I look over at her. She’s flushed.

“Ish?” I ask.

“I mean…I’m not a twenty-year-old anymore,” she says quietly as I open the door and hold it for her.

She stops at the elevator, which opens immediately, and once inside, I turn to her.

“You are small. Period,” I state as I scan her body. She’s a good foot shorter than me. And while she has curves, she’s got to weigh a less than I do. I frown as she quickly looks down at her feet.

“Right,” she huffs as the elevator stops and the doors slide open. She steps into the hallway, and for reasons that I don’t want to explore at the moment, I reach over and grab her, slinging her over my shoulder. Her bag goes sailing and hits my ass, but I don’t care.

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