Page 3 of Aisle Be The Groom
“Right. And you are?”
He tugged off his gloves and extended his right hand. “I’m Ozzie.”
I reluctantly accepted his handshake. His hand was soft, like touching a cloud. So different from mine, which was full of calluses and probably felt rough on his skin. “I’m sorry. The name doesn’t ring a bell.”
“It doesn’t?” He looked crestfallen, and his smile faltered. “Carter said he told you about me.”
“Carter? Carter’s here?”
“Yes, well, technically, but not herehere.”
“Oh my god, he’s not still in the car, is he?”
He shook his head. “You see, Carter met up with some of his buddies at the bar, and… he decided to stay with one for the night.”
Disappointed, I nodded, trying to mask the sting of rejection. “I suppose that’s okay. One night in town won’t hurt. We’ll get to see each other tomorrow.”
“Actually, sir, that’s why I’m here.” He bit his bottom lip. I found myself oddly fixated on how his perfect white teeth hooked into the flesh.
I blinked several times. “Please speak plainly. Who are you to Carter?”
“Carter’s my fiancé. I’m so embarrassed to have to tell you like this, but he promised me he talked to both you and his mother about it. He must have forgotten.”
“Carter’s engaged toyou?” I swept my gaze over the plus-sized guy. Beneath the bomber jacket, he probably had more than a couple of extra pounds on him. Not exactly Carter’s type. Since he came out as bi when he was fifteen, the guys he dated were always muscular.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His eyes glinted with uncertainty and vulnerability. “You don’t think I’m… good enough for your son.”
“Of course not. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I don’t know you well enough to make such a statement.”
“Then what are you trying to say?”
My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. There was no way I could answer that question truthfully and not have it come back to bite me in the ass. “I meant nothing by it. You were saying?”
“We’re not actually here to stay for the holiday,” he said, the happy gleam gone. He was avoiding my gaze. Was it because of what I’d said? “We’re just passing through Bristlecone Springs to get to Aspen, so I told Carter we should drop by and bring yousome presents. He really intended to come, but he got distracted by old friends he ran into. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be on our way again.”
My heart sank, the sting more intense than the fact that Carter had stayed in town. My son was just passing through, not planning to stay, not even for my sake. He hadn’t bothered to bring the gifts he’d bought but had his fiancé, who I had never met, bring them. What kind of son had I raised?
“I see. Why didn’t he bring these himself?” I shook the bags.
“He’s a bit, umm, unavailable.”
“You mean drunk?” I wasn’t stupid. I knew my way around social media, and I’d seen all the photos of him drinking his life away.
He nodded. “I’m sorry. I asked around for directions to your ranch to bring you the gifts. I wanted to ensure you got them.”
He was more thoughtful than my son. Carter didn’t deserve him. Maybe it was a little heartless to think of my son that way, but the truth could be a bitter pill to swallow. One I hoped like hell this young man never had to consume when he realized my son had to be marrying him for some nefarious reason.
One I could already guess at. When he got married, he could access a portion of his inheritance. But how to bring that up to a stranger? Especially one who seemed genuinely in love with my son to go to all this trouble for him?
It’s none of my business.
“Once the snow lets up, I’ll take you back to town,” I said. “Let me hang up your coat for you.”
“Thank you. I hate being a bother, but I didn’t expect the roads to be like that when I left, or I wouldn’t have tried. Carter’s going to be so mad I wrecked the rental.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was thoughtful of you to bring the gifts.”
He shrugged off his jacket. Underneath, he wore a plain gray sweatshirt and a pair of dark denim jeans with boots. As he handed the jacket to me, the sweatshirt stretched over his love handles, thick waistline, and overdeveloped chest.
