Page 7 of The Runaway and the Rugged
Because he knew I wouldn’t have gone.
“Clarke…”
The hand she had on my arm moved to the curve of her hip.
“Come on, Millie. He finally has a ring on your finger and he sends you on a secret trip? Put two and two together.”
I wasn’t oblivious to his agenda, rather, I simply chose to turn a blind eye more to the inevitable. Those who knew Nathaniel well understood his impatience. When he set his sights on something, he wouldn’t rest until it was his. So when Ifinally agreed to be his wife, I knew it was only a matter of time until he took the reins and accelerated our plans.
What I couldn’t anticipate was when, or how, he would make his next move.
“Are you really ready for what's next?” she questioned, her eyes softening with genuine concern.
It took me a moment to process her words. As if my mind was refusing to let them sink until eventually the weight of them was far too heavy to hold. And once they hit, they hit hard.
Of course I wasn’t ready, but there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Needing to act fast before my facade was exposed, I let out a forced chuckle. One that was meant to convince Clarke that I was more than okay with everything. But Clarke Burns, my best friend, was no fool. She knew me about as well as I knew myself, and from the way her nostrils flared in response, it was clear that my reaction wasn’t what she had hoped for.
She wanted any sort of truth from me, a woman who was paralyzed by the fear of abandoning all that she’s ever known. But I wasn’t like her. I didn’t have the courage to voice my thoughts or confront my own fears. Instead I remained trapped in a cycle of contemplation, endlessly rehearsing my doubts and forever wonderingwhat if.
“You need to quit worrying so much,” I teased, hoping to alleviate the tension surrounding us. “Everything will be fine. I will be fine.”
I mustered my most convincing smile as I went in and palmed her shoulder in a light squeeze. Although her expression told me she wanted to delve further into the topic, we were interrupted by the awful squeaking sound of Beau’s passenger window being rolled down.
“Ya’ll okay out there?”
Removing the hand from Clarke’s shoulder, I turned myself around until I was facing the passenger side of the truck.
“Yes, we're fine, sorry.” I offered him a friendly, reassuring smile. From behind me, I heard Clarke mumble under her breath before coming up beside me where she leaned over the opened car window.
As both our eyes explored the interior of his truck, it was as if we reached the same revelation in unison: there were no back seats. Only a small middle seat flanked by the passenger side.
Beau must have sensed that something was amiss, the look on our faces was likely a dead giveaway.
“Uh, where are the rest of the seats?” Clarke questioned, her eyebrows drawn inward as she leaned the top half of her body farther into the truck while searching for the nonexistent back seats.
Beau let out a low chuckle, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “No back seats in a single cab, sugar.” Clarke’s stare snapped over to his and from the corner of my eye I caught the beginnings of a scowl form. “I know it probably ain’t what you’re used to, but I promise you this ol’ girl runs like she did in her prime.”
He slapped his palm onto the dashboard before gently caressing it like you would a family dog.
“You have no idea what I’m used to, but that's not the issue here. The issue is there’s barely any room for Millie and me,” she deadpanned. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my build isn’t exactly made to sit in the middle of a single cab truck.”
My mouth dropped.
Clarke was the furthest thing from being overweight. In fact, she had the best curves of any woman I’ve ever met, and for her to even question whether she could fit in one of the seats was completely preposterous.
“I don’t know wh…” Beau started to speak, and I could already sense that his efforts at making her feel better would only deepen her frustration. So, I quickly intervened before she walked her ass back onto the plane and left me here in Texas.
“Beau, I know I barely know you and what I’m about to say will come off as rude, but please stop talking. The last thing she wants to hear right now is you telling her she’s wrong.”
More specifically, she doesn’t want to hear it coming from a man.
As I turned my attention back to Clarke, I noticed a pleased grin spread across her face. And just as I was about to speak, she swiftly cut me off with a swing of her hand.
“Oh, I don’t need to hear anything more. It was way more than enough to see my nonconfrontational best friend finally being assertive. Even if I’d much rather see it aimed at her fiancé.” Smiling, she leaned in and pressed a brief kiss to my cheek. “Plus, I never said I didn’t like my curves. I just don’t want to be all pressed up against Mr. Wannabe Southern Gentleman over there.”
A low, rumble of a laugh filled the truck.
