Page 94 of Always a Bridesmaid
“Before you showed up, I’d never call myself a romantic. Thanks to you, Violet Abrams, I might be changing my stance.”
Another string looped around her heart, tethering her to this man, this night, and this place.
Dangerously close to falling had come and gone. Affection had been replaced by a stronger emotion—one she dared not name.
Violet’s defenses sounded the alarm, a belated warning to reinforce her walls. It had a Trojan War vibe: letting the enemy in and then closing the drawbridge so they were stuck inside to battle it out, no escape in sight.
Now her only option was a white flag, one she hoped not to have to wave, but she clenched it in her fist just in case.
“I haven’t had a girlfriend in years, and the few I’ve had…”
Violet froze, afraid to move or breathe.
“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t bring girls here. I don’t do this.” He gestured between him and her, and everything inside her began to crack. “But I want to do it with you.”
One by one, she peeled her fingers off the metaphorical white flag so she could hold on to Ford instead. She placed her palm over the center of his heart, feeling thethump,thump,thumpin response.
When she glanced up through her lashes, he was peering deep into her soul, imprinting himself upon it, and she knew she’d never be the same.
And for the first time, instead of scaring her, it comforted her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
For making me feel witty, cared for, understood,andbeautiful. For showing me a different side of Uncertainty and another side of yourself. Pushing me to pick up my camera. Bringing me here.
Getting me to believe in love again.
The words lodged in her constricting throat, and she wasn’t sure which ones to choose, anyway, so she kept it simple. “For everything.”
Strong fingers wrapped around her hip, and then he rolled her so their hearts lined up and beat against each other. He splayed his fingers on her lower back as he sealed the perfect night with the perfect kiss.
Lost as she was in a sea of euphoric happiness, his words sounded far away when he said, “Get dressed. I wanna show you one last thing before we go home.”
…
Between cutting off Violet’s circulation and a possible fall off the rocky path, Ford decided to err on the side of holding her hand too tight.
Gravel skidded underneath their feet, and he made sure she was steady before stepping on the next large boulder. Finally, his feet hit a familiar flat landing. “See that alcove there?”
Violet peeked around him. “Yeah.”
“I spent countless nights there in high school. My dad would go on these binges, and that’d rile up my brothers. Or one of his new girlfriends would be around, and they’d be loudly fighting or fu—” Ford rubbed at his neck, wishing he’d cut himself off earlier. “Anyway, whenever it got to be too much, I’d head here with my pack, sleeping bag, and fishing pole.”
“For how many nights at a time?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Eh. Anywhere from two to five.”
“Your dad didn’t send the search and rescue team after you? Or was that what inspired your career path?”
Although it wasn’t exactly funny, he chuckled at the thought of Jimmy McGuire admitting he might need help of any kind. “That’d require him realizing I was missing. He did teach us wilderness survival skills, so I guess I have him to thank for that. My ability to rough it allowed me to find peace out here, even at the most contentious times.”
Violet lowered her eyebrows. “I… I don’t know what to say.” She hugged him around his middle. “It sounds rough. But I’m also glad you had those skills, and admittedly I do find your badass side super sexy. I just wish you didn’t have to run away to find peace.”
A band formed around his chest, one that contracted with each inhale and exhale. The fact of the matter was, he’d often been jealous of his friends’ parents and home life. They’d complain here and there, and he’d pretend he was glad he had so much freedom.
When in truth it was indifference.
