Page 9 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
“All right, then. Guess I’ll just take you home.” He starts up the engine. “But I guess your parents’ place isn’t really your home anymore, is it? Hasn’t been for a while. And now I hear you’re moving this summer. After the wedding. To LA.”
“Ah.” My stomach swirls. Brady’s been talking to my brother about me. “Beau told you?”
“He did.”
“Well, I heard through the grapevine you’re going to be his best man.”
“I am.”
I drop my chin, staring down at my purse. “I was kind of hoping Kasey would ask me to be in the wedding too.”
“I have no idea what my sister’s planning,” he says. “Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault she doesn’t see me as bridesmaid material.” I get quiet then, waiting for Brady to say something more. I want an excuse to tell him about Paige and Shannon. How they both just got engaged. How they’re going to be each other’s maids of honor. How they’re planning to buy houses on the same block in the same subdivision and raise their kids together just like their moms did. I’m not even sure I’ll be invited to their weddings. Probably I will. But it would be nice to know for sure.
When Brady doesn’t say anything, the silence gets to me. “For the record, I ran out of gas because I was giving my friends a ride home from the pub. Shannon and Paige.”
“Nice of you.”
“I thought so.” I shrug. “They were celebrating their engagements a little too hard tonight, if you know what I mean. Seems like everybody and their brothers are getting married these days. Literally.” I try to chuckle, but there’s a hollowness inside me, and the sound isn’t as happy as it should be.
“I remember Paige and Shannon.” Brady squints. “You three were attached at the hip back in high school.”
“Nah. Those two were, though.” My teeth find my lower lip. “I moved here too late to get on that train. By third grade, every girl in this town was paired up for life. But they let me tag along. It’s mostly my fault we didn’t stay closer.”
Brady keeps his focus out the window, taking the next turn slowly. “Well, they’re lucky you drove them home.”
“I’m luckyyoudrove by.”
“Hmph.” He doesn’t say anything more until we pull up to my parents’ house. Then he throws the truck into park and hops out, jogging around to open the door for me. When I step on the curb and slip on the ice, he wraps an arm around my middle. Once I’m upright again, he slides his hand to the small of my back and leads me up to the porch.
“Thanks for the ride,” I say at the door.
“I’d expect Beau would do the same for my sister.”
“Yeah.” I puff out a laugh. “He should. He’s marrying her.”
The emptiness in my chest seems like it could swallow me whole. I just want to feel something other than empty. I’m not some gas tank sputtering on the side of the road. At least I don’t want to be. So I lunge forward, going up on my toes to plant a quick kiss on Brady’s mouth.
He just stands there, frozen. Unmovable as a glacier. This is not the reaction I was hoping for. And I’m not being filled up even a little bit. So I move in to kiss him again. Only this time, I’ll make sure he feels it.
My lips brush his, sweet and soft at first, warm breath mixing in the cold air. Our motions are slow, like we’re sleepwalkers. Like we’re both inside a waking dream. When I press against him, moving in close, he comes alive, finally shocked out of his stupor. He rips off his gloves, dropping them on the porch and gathering me in his arms. I’m kissing Brady, and he’s kissing me back.
Brady Graham and I are kissing.
I mirror his moves, my mouth pouring over his. When his bare hands slide up to my shoulders, they leave a trail of fire. I reach up to clasp his neck, and he pulls back, just an inch, before dipping his head down again. His hands are in my hair now, tugging and tangled. As I surrender to a sigh, he loosens his grip. With a low growl, he tears himself away.
“Natalie.” He takes two steps backward, eyes in a squint. “We can’t do this.”
I draw my lower lip under my teeth. “Why not?”
He stuffs his hands in his pockets, scuffing his boots on the porch. “For one thing, you’re leaving.” His voice is all gravel, and my heart pounds hard.
“And?” I choke out.
“And … I’m staying.”
“That’s nothing new.” I expel an icy breath. How can I be so cold after the heat between us? “I’ve been coming and going for school for almost six years now. I’m only ever here for vacations and breaks.”
