Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Why don’t you stay here? I’ll go make sure she’s okay, and you know, cool her down a little.”
I bite my lip, at war with myself over what the best option is. Sure, I don’t want to die, but not going myself to check that she’s okay seems like the kind of cold shoulder she might not forgive.
“I promise I’ll tell her you want to know she’s okay,” Breezy adds, correctly reading my dilemma. I swear, she’s one of the smartest women I’ve ever met, and she’s shown it from the second she arrived last week.
“Okay. But please come get me if—”
Breezy nods before I can even finish and squeezes my hand affectionately. “You take care of my brother and niece. I’ll take care of your sister.” One small smile later, she’s off like a flash, out of the square and down the road toward my sister’s coffee shop. Bennett and Clay are arguing heatedly about Clay’s over-the-top behavior, and Summer looks on from her spot as people funnel in and out all around her.
I check on Summer first since she’s basically helpless in the middle of the chaos, but I’m shocked to find she’s more than okay.
Her eyes are alight, and her cheeks are flushed as she rushes a ramble worthy of one of my own. “Oh my gosh, Norah, that was the best thing I’ve ever seen! It was even better than I thought! So much drama, so much excitement! Are all weddings like this?”
I snort through a chortle. “No, baby. No. Weddings are not usually like this.”
“Well, they should be!” she asserts. “That. Was. Awesome!” Her excitement pauses then, her words spilling into a cough that won’t stop and won’t let her catch her breath.
I grab the oxygen mask from her tank and switch it with the tubing in her nose, encouraging her to take deep breaths to get herself back under control. Bennett and Clay appear immediately, their arguing no longer the priority.
Bennett squats down to check Summer’s pulse, his eyes tearing the air between us as they jerk to mine. I nod.
It’s time to take Summer home.
“Let’s go home, Summble,” Bennett says gently, brushing a loose strand of hair from her watering eyes. She nods slowly, and everything about the strength she seemed to have just a minute ago disappears.
Clay, the bastard, at least recognizes what’s going on, offering, “I’ll take care of all the cleanup here. You all just go on and head for the house.”
I serve him a glower as I rearrange the bottom of my dress and follow behind Bennett and Summer on the way to his truck. Once she’s loaded safely, I offer Bennett the option of my company. The thing is, I really don’t want to assume he wants me there every minute if he’d rather have time alone with Summer.
“Do…do you want me to come with you? I’ll follow in my car, of course, but I can also stay here and help Clay if you’d rather—”
“No. I want you to come,” Bennett interrupts. “I want you to come, and I’m sure Summer does too.”
“I just don’t want to overstep here, Ben. I can—”
“Norah, get in the damn car.”
Argument forgotten, along with our very public location, I get up on my toes and press a single kiss to his lips. Brief, soft—just a whisper. But the feel of his fingertips as they dig into my hip is enough to tell me he appreciates it.
I hustle to the Civic on the other side of his truck as he climbs in and starts his engine. When he’s sure I’m ready to follow, he takes off, and I pull out of the space after him. In tandem, we make the ten-minute drive to his house, and by the time we arrive, Summer is fast asleep. He scoops her delicate body into his arms, and I grab the oxygen tank without a word, following him into the house.
Charlie is already there, waiting in the kitchen when we arrive. Her rugged face is soft with compassion as she gets her first good look at Summer. “Was it everything she hoped for?”
“And so much more,” Bennett huffs as we walk into Summer’s bedroom.
“Sounds like there’s a story there.” Charlie smiles at me as I secure the oxygen tank behind the bed. “I can’t wait to hear about it.”
“It was certainly something.”
“Yeah,” Bennett grumbles. “I could stand to wait a day or two before reliving it.”
I have to bite my lip to hide my amusement. Charlie, though, outright laughs. “Man, now I really can’t wait to hear about it.”
“I’m sure Summer will talk your ear off about it when she wakes up,” Bennett says as he sits down on the edge of her bed. She’s deep in sleep, and he takes her small, lax hand into his. With his free hand, he fusses with her sheets and comforter, making sure they’re tucked around her just right.