Page 81 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
“I don’t know, Nat.” He groans.
I purse my lips. “If you’re not quite ready to think this through right now, we can table the subject until after the wedding.” I say this to let Brady off the hook, because the planes of his face have tensed up, and a vein’s throbbing at his temple. “Then I’ll be happy to stand by your side and remind everyone it’s normal for a man to want more out of life than an idea he came up with when he was twenty.” I nod to encourage him. “Just a few more days, and we can reveal your future as Brady Graham, mystery novelist. We’ll do it together. You and me. I’ll be with you the whole time. Sound good?”
“Hmm.” His jaw shifts, which I think means I’m convincing him.
“And don’t worry about upsetting anybody.” My shoulders creep up. “Both our mothers are already plenty disappointed that Beau, Kasey, and I are settling in Los Angeles instead of here, so we’ve totally blazed that trail for you. You’re welcome for that.”
Brady lets out a long, low groan. If I’d been hoping to lift his spirits, what I just said did the exact opposite. His crestfallen face is in a full-on grimace.
“About you moving,” he says. “There’s something you should know, but I’m not supposed to—”
The sound of laughter interrupts him. A man and a woman stumble around the corner of the inn. “Shhhh!” The woman giggles.
“You’re being louder than I am.” The man cackles. “And I like it!”
“No one can see us, right?” she asks.
“No way.”
“We’re all alone?”
“I like that even more!” He cracks up, and they throw their arms around each other, moving backward against the wall. And as they embrace in a circle of moonlight, I figure out who it is.
Molly Fitzgerald and Grantly Bender.
ChapterThirty-Four
BRADY
“Is that Gr—”
Natalie throws a hand over my mouth, her palm soft and warm against my lips. Then her eyes widen, and she nods slowly. ItisGrant and Molly. Whoa.
Talk about people changing…
“Come on,” Grant says, halting their make-out session just long enough to lead Molly around the back side of the building. “Over here where it’s darker!”
“Shhhh!” Molly follows, shushing him again. Guess I don’t have to feel guilty about my disinterest in Molly Fitzgerald any more. She’s got a new goal.
And it isn’t Brady Graham: mystery novelist.
Natalie’s eyes are still locked on mine, and I raise my hand slowly, entwining my fingers with hers. I don’t want to pull her hand away from my mouth just yet, so I let mine rest there as the friction vibrates up my arm. The truth is, my heart’s been hammering for the past five minutes. Ever since I opened up and spilled my most private thoughts to her.
The fact that Natalie believes in my dream of being an author means everything. But she’s also clearly still imagining a future living near Beau and Kasey. And I haven’t told her what I know. Which leaves me sitting here, whirling, like a rug’s been ripped out from under me. I feel a little like I’ll never be anything but head over heels again. Still, making sense of what comes next with Nat has to be pushed to the back burner.
For now, we need to get out of here.
I stand, still grasping Natalie’s small, smooth hand in mine. “We should go,” I say softly. She rises from the bench willingly, moving in extra-close. She’s still clutching my hand so tightly I can practically feel her pulse. Then she goes up on her toes, her honeyed lips skating along the edge of my ear.
“Not yet,” she whispers, her words searing heat straight into my soul. When she draws back and meets my gaze—an unspoken signal—I scoop my mouth down to capture hers, and she melts into my body.
My lips feather along her jawline, then down to her silken neck, before skimming back to her mouth. We’re tender at first, then more insistent. Desire claws up from deep inside me. What can I give this woman who just offered me new hope? All of myself.
All for her.
But I don’t just want Natalie’s hope. I want her whole heart. If I could, I’d offer her mine right here. Under the stars. On the shores of Abie Beach.
But I shouldn’t even be kissing her in this moment. As hard as it is to stop, Molly and Grant are still somewhere nearby, and I don’t want them to see us or to discover we saw them.
