Page 35 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
If I can’t kill Drake Hawkins, I’ll just have to beat him.
“Brady?” Amber peers up at me from under her sunhat, fanning her face with a magazine. “Before we start, could you possibly get me some water?” Her cheeks are red, and beads of sweat dribble down her neck.
“Sure thing.” I splay my hands. “Hydration coming up. And please don’t be shy about asking me for anything this week.” Even without Beau asking me to look out for Amber, I’d never leave a pregnant lady hot and thirsty. So I head off toward the inn in search of water, while Ford and Three get the beach ready for our games.
By the time I return, there’s a Tug O’War rope stretched across the sand and a baby pool of ice water in the center. I’d assumed we’d be splitting into two big groups for this particular game—like bridesmaids against groomsmen—but according to Kasey, we’re going against each other, with our partners, in teams of two. The losers take an ice-water bath, and the winners take on the next pair.
Beau and Kasey go first, losing almost immediately to Ford and Lettie. Then Ford and Lettie beat Three and Nella. Next up are the triplets.
Hawk steps forward, hand in the air. “Excuse me,” he says. “Three against two isn’t quite fair, is it? The girls will have an advantage.”
Beau smirks. “You worried they’ll eventually beat you and Nat?”
“No.” Hawk waves the comment away like it’s absurd. Then he glances at Natalie. “We aren’t worried, are we?”
Nat shrugs. “I’mnot.”
Ford and Lettie beat the triplets anyway.
Next, Hawk and Nat step up to the rope, ready to take on the champs. When Beau drops his arm, signaling the start of their round, Hawk gets down to business. Fast. He grits his teeth, grunting and gasping. Man, this guy really wants to win. Meanwhile, in front of him, Natalie’s got her hands on the rope, but she’s cheering the other team on.
“You’re doing great, Lettie!” she calls out. “Don’t give up now!” So I decide to forget about the fact that Hawk has his sweaty body pressed against hers, and focus on the kind of woman Natalie is. The type who roots for others, even when they’re competing against her.
I’m sort of awestruck by her kindness.
But when the rope slips away from both couples at the same time, they have to start the whole round over again. Nat blows into her hands, rubbing them on her legs, like they might be chafed. She looks hurt. I come toward the rope, brow furrowed. “You all right, Nat?”
“I’m okay,” she says. “Thanks.”
Hawk hops up and down, shadow-boxing. “Come on, Natalie. You’ve got this. Quitters don’t win trophies, do they?”
For the rest of the matchup, I sit beside Amber, my guts knotted up like the ends of the Tug O’War rope. This guy cares more about an ugly trophy than the comfort of the woman hechoseto pair up with. When they eventuallydobeat Ford and Lettie, he crows, “Winning!”
I leap up, ready to go. I can’t wait to take Hawk on.
“NEXT!” Kasey shouts.
“That’s us,” Amber says, from her folding chair. “But I don’t think I can participate.” She shoots me an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, Brady.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s more important that you’re safe. You take care of that baby. I’ll take this on for the both of us.”
I step up to the rope by myself, meeting Natalie’s gaze across the kiddie pool.
“On your marks,” Kasey calls out. “Get set!” she yells.
When she takes too long of a pause, Hawk shouts, “Go!” In an instant, my whole body engages, muscles taut, core clenched. My arms are ready for battle. But on the other side, Nat locks eyes with me. Then she wags her brows.
What’s going on?
She peeks down at the rope and widens her eyes. Cocks her head. Behind her, Hawk can’t see that she’s mouthingOne…Two… One quick nod, and she lets go of the rope, jumping out of Hawk’s path. That’s when I yank him straight into the pool.
Victory. It’s very sweet.
While Hawk is sprawled in the pool—red-faced and sputtering, blowing ice water out of his mouth—Natalie casts a gleeful look my way. I arch a brow to acknowledge our secret teamwork, and a strange emotion crawls across my stomach. Partnering with Natalie feels way too good.
“We absolutely had him, Natalie,” Hawk spits. But he’d better not be spittingather, or we’re going to have a problem. “There’s no way Brady beat us by himself! What happened?”
“I have no idea.” Her shoulders creep up. “One minute we were good, then…” She wrinkles her nose. “I guess he’s just that much stronger than we are.”
