Page 72 of Cruising for You

Rubbing my chest in an entirely ineffectual attempt to get my heart rate to slow down, I pulled into a fast-food parking lot on the edge of the town and admitted defeat. It was well past nine. My car had to look like it had tumbled out of a compactor, and I doubted I looked any better. Even if the Allens were still at the Three Bears well after the schedule said, they’d probably assume I was an escaped convict come to kidnap their daughter.

All that effort, only to end up in a fast-food parking lot. Worse, I’d have no chance to be with Jenna tonight. And it was very unlikely I’d have the chance to present her with my meticulously crafted arguments in a brief interaction before the ceremony tomorrow. I’d lost my only chance to win her over.

Except Jenna hadn’t needed all my arguments for going on the cruise before she’d agreed to help me, and I couldn’t remember a time when she’d seemed enamored with my logical side.

Whathadshe liked about me? Kissing, definitely.

The idea of kissing Jenna again sent a wave of hopeful energy through me. But I couldn’t lead with that, not after we’d been apart for so long.

What else? She giggled at my humor. She seemed to enjoy our deep conversations.

Simply put, she’d just seemed to like me, for me.

Slowly, realization dawned. If I wanted to win Jenna back, it wouldn’t be through carefully structured arguments. It would be through showing her who I’d become since we’d been apart: a man in love, who wasn’t afraid to admit how he felt.

Tomorrow I’d try again to do just that.

On Saturday morning, I stood under the awning at the wedding chalet, holding both mine and Beth’s bouquets, waiting for my sister and dad to arrive. They were a couple of minutes behind schedule, and we needed to get Beth inside fast if we wanted her to walk down the aisle on time.

A tall man in a black suit turned the corner around one of the paths leading up to the chalet.

As he approached, recognition hit me like a thunderbolt.

It was Adam.

A magnetic pull anchored my gaze on him as I watched him stride closer, my lips parted in shock.

He paused a few feet away, a small, hesitant smile tugging at his lips.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted out, surprise making my voice sharper than intended.

“I’m here for the wedding. If I’m still invited.” He hung back uncertainly, one foot on the porch, the rest of him in the August sun.

“I thought you were—” Just in time, I stopped myself from mentioning DiseCon, which he’d never told me about. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“I hope it’s okay that I just showed up like this.”

I couldn’t ignore the flutter of joy in my chest at the sight of him. “Yeah,” I managed to say.

He watched me hesitantly. “Can we talk?” He gestured back the way he’d come. “I’ve been here for a while. I hoped I could catch you walking in so we could talk before the ceremony.”

Mom and I had come through the back entrance, where vendors enter, so we could settle an issue with the flowers. All that time, Adam had been right outside? “Beth should be here any moment. But... yes, we can talk.” Despite the tight schedule, I had to know why he’d come.

Adam moved closer, his eyes sweeping over me in a way that sent a shiver down my spine. The undeniable heat in his gaze made my heart skip a beat. “That dress is...” He swallowed. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks,” I whispered, possessed with a sudden urge to throw the flowers to the ground and jump into his arms.

That was crazy. We weren’t a thing anymore, and I wasn’t going to crush my sister’s bridal bouquet just because Adam decided to show up at the wedding.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he told me.

“Me too,” I confessed, his honesty challenging me to return the same.

“Jenna, I—” He broke off at the sound of a car approaching—the vintage Rolls Royce Chase hired for the occasion.

Right. Beth’s wedding. The reason we were all here. She needed to walk down the aisle in about two minutes. “We’ll talk later,” I assured Adam. “Go and find your seat.” Unless Mom had thought to take him off last night after we talked, he was still on the guest list.

Adam nodded and went inside at once, and I plastered a huge smile on my face, hoping Beth and Dad hadn’t seen him.

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