Page 16 of Aisle Be The Groom (Bristlecone Springs #1)

OZZIE

“ S o you kissed Gray.”

My chest tightened as the bottom of the sofa seemed to open from beneath me, leaving me to freefall into a sea of panic. Was my conscience playing tricks on me?

“Excuse me?”

“You kissed Gray,” Opie said with confidence, grinning at me like we were sharing our dirtiest little secrets. “How was it? Gray always struck me as a good kisser.”

I frowned. “You think about Gray?”

“Sure. Lawson and I think about Gray all the time while we’re doing the nasty. It gets us off.”

My mouth fell open, and I squirmed. Maybe we wouldn’t become the friends I thought we would. I would never forget those words for as long as I lived.

Opie’s laughter rang out, and tears streaked down his face.

“I don’t see what’s so funny.”

“Your face.” He used his shirt to wipe his leaky eyes. “You totally kissed Gray. I can tell from the way you wanted to shove me off the sofa just now.”

“That’s not…true.”

Oh hell, what was the sense of hiding it? My expression probably gave our secret away already.

“I’m kidding about us thinking about Gray.” Opie grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “But it saved us the whole act of you pretending you didn’t kiss Gray and me having to pull the truth out of you. Plus, you’re not wearing your engagement ring.”

“But how did you know?”

“The way I heard it, Jessamine saw you two kissing.”

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. “I thought Gray sorted that out.”

“Wait a minute. What’s there to sort out? Didn’t he kiss you?”

“Yeah, but it was just an act.” At least I could be truthful about that kiss. “The kiss wasn’t a real one.”

Opie’s face fell. “Well, that’s a bummer.”

Wait… what?

“It’s been a while since we’ve had something juicy happen in this town, and by juicy, I mean a sex scandal.”

I gave a nervous laugh. “Well, no sex scandal here. I’m marrying Gray’s son.”

Opie shrugged. “You say that like I should care. I don’t know Gray’s son, but from Bristlecone’s finest rumor mill, he’s standoffish and not much of a nice guy.”

“That’s hardly a reason to encourage a sex scandal between me and his father.” Though I knew where to go if I needed someone on our side. “Sorry to disappoint you, Opie.”

He heaved a sigh. “I guess. How are the wedding plans coming along, then?”

“Good.” Except I’d done nothing but make the save-the-date cards. How could I spend Gray’s money on a wedding that might not happen? Carter was having the time of his life in the Caribbean cheating, and I was fooling around with his dad.

Such a wonderful couple we are .

Seeing that picture of him with the guy had flipped a switch inside me. For the first time, I’d acknowledged the truth. Carter had no intention of being faithful to me. He probably never was. But that wasn’t even the worst part. He didn’t treat me right. Not the way Gray did. Maybe I was out of line by hooking up with his dad, but I couldn’t even care. Everything inside me craved how Gray looked at me and touched me.

“Just good?” Opie said. “That doesn’t sound so promising. If you need any help, let me know. Too bad I can’t be the stripper at your bachelor party. It’s been a while since I’ve shaken my ass in someone’s face. Other than Daddy’s.”

“And you never will.” Lawson walked into the living room, his voice laced with amusement and warning. He lowered his lips to Opie’s ear. “This ass is mine alone.”

I swallowed.

Gray had come in behind Lawson. His gaze didn’t waver but stayed strong and steady on me, a look that held heat, a promise, a secret shared.

“Law, it seems you have your hands full,” Gray said. “Ozzie and I have plans. We should go.”

Lawson straightened from teasing Opie and smiled at me. “It’s nice seeing you again, Ozzie.”

“You too, Lawson.”

“If you need help with the wedding, don’t forget to call me,” Opie said. “Here, take my number.”

We exchanged numbers, and I felt bad for promising to call him about a wedding I was certain wouldn’t happen.

“Don’t bother walking us to the door.” Gray shook his head. “I think Law has plans for you, Opie.”

“You do?” Opie twined his arms around his husband’s neck. My last glimpse of them was Opie’s legs around Law’s waist as the rancher tumbled him to his back on the long couch.

As soon as we were outside, Gray placed a hand on my back and pulled me closer to him. “You okay? You seemed a bit flustered when I entered.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

What was the sense of bringing up Opie’s question about the kiss? I didn’t want to ruin the evening.

The setting sun painted the sky with shades of pink and orange, offering a stunning backdrop I could get lost in.

“Ozzie.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve stopped walking.”

“The sunset,” I whispered. “It’s so beautiful when it hits the land, Gray.”

For a few seconds, we stood side by side in comfortable silence as we watched nature take its course. The wind gently ruffled our clothes and tousled my hair, but neither of us made a move to break the tranquility.

“You really enjoy watching the sunset?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t?” I found his hand and clutched it.

“Let’s go.” He tugged, and I hurried along with him to the truck.

“Do we have to rush?”

“If we want to get the best view, yes.” He opened the door for me and ushered me inside. Gray slipped into the driver’s seat, and the engine grumbled to life.

“Best view? Of the movie? To be honest, Gray, it’s not really the movie I’m interested in seeing. I just…wanted to spend the evening with you.”

“Sweet boy.” Gray leaned over and kissed me briefly. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the sunset. I know the perfect place to watch the sun going down.”

“But the movie—”

“Like you said. Neither of us is interested in the movie.”

“So we watch the sunset?”

“We watch the sunset, sweetheart. What better view to have when I propose to you?”

He winked at me playfully, and reality left a bitter taste on my tongue. This was just roleplay. I shouldn’t take it seriously, but it was too late to turn back. Neither did I want to. I liked being with Gray, liked the person I was when I was with him. Pieces of myself that I’d lost over the years were returning, thanks to how he treated me.

I let out a soft laugh, leaning back in the leather seat as Gray pulled onto the road, the last slivers of daylight filtering through the windshield. He drove too fast, and we bounced around a lot, but he handled the truck with ease, and I wasn’t scared we would end up in a ditch. I kept staring at his hands, the callouses that had hitched on my skin, abrasive and such a fucking turn-on.

Fifteen minutes later, Gray turned off onto a dirt road, kicking up a plume of dust. We climbed a steep hill until he parked the truck on a flat overlook. From our vantage point, we had a perfect view over the vast expanse of the valley below. The setting sun had dyed the sky in hues of burnt orange and vivid pink, which reflected off the quiet river winding its course through the valley.

“This is one of the places where I used to come when I needed to think.” He switched off the engine. “It’s been too long.”

He reached into the back of the truck and took out blankets and a basket. I blinked in surprise. He smiled. “I have a little romantic side to me.”

A little was an understatement. I helped him spread the blankets in the bed of the truck, and then we climbed into the back, settling against the rear window. Gray pulled two thermos flasks out of the basket. He poured me a cup of hot chocolate and looked at me as though asking if I was all right with his choice.

I nodded, a soft smile on my lips as I accepted the cup. We drank in silence as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The wind picked up, carrying a fresh chill that had me snuggling closer to Gray for warmth. His arm came around my shoulders naturally, pulling me against his side where I fit perfectly. He didn’t push me away. Didn’t tell me I was crowding him and he needed more space. Didn’t argue with me that I was crushing him when I told him I wasn’t that heavy.

I wanted the moment to be frozen in time, to capture the serenity, the feel of him against me, the warmth his presence brought me. I wanted to always remember how it felt to sit here with him, beneath the setting sun, sipping hot chocolate with no need for words.

The scenery was nothing like I’d seen before, the distant mountains standing silent as the shadows from the setting sun crept over them. Below the river mirrored the sky's palette, like a shimmering canvas of colors. It was a painting in the making, and we were lucky nature allowed us to be a part of its creation.

An ache swelled in my chest, a piercing longing that seemed to mirror the melancholy beauty of the setting sun. I tried to swallow it down, but the lump remained stubbornly lodged in my throat. An incredible sadness spread through me, and my heart drummed faster. Why did I feel so alone in this world?

I felt Gray’s eyes on me, soft and always so understanding. He gently took the flask from my trembling hand and set it aside. He brushed away a tear that had leaked from my eye.

“Ozzie, what’s wrong?”

I shook my head, but a sob tore from my throat. Gray held me tighter against him. This was supposed to be a fun game. Why was I crying, clinging to him, and unable to stop?

“I don’t know.”

But I did know. Before Gray…before this moment, I’d always been afraid to acknowledge just how lonely I was. What would that have said about my relationship? I never wanted to be alone, and I’d been so scared no one would want to marry me that I’d said yes to Carter the moment he’d asked. Wasn’t that the reason I tolerated every nasty thing he did, put up with anything?

“Gray.”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Oh damn, I was already his.

“If we go out with your friends and they make jokes about my weight, what would you do?”

“In the first place, none of the people I call friends would ever make fun of you that way, and if they did, they’d no longer be friends.”

“But it’s not that simple, is it?”

“It is that simple.” Gray took my hand and brought it to his lips. “When you love someone, you cherish them and protect them. You stand up for them without hesitation.”

Gray shifted so I was lying on my back and he was leaning over me. His body blocked the view, but he was a much better one anyway—his eyes soft and, most of all, seeing me.

“Ozzie.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re beautiful inside and out. If I’m being honest, from the first time I met you, I think I fell in love a little.”

The air whooshed right out of my lungs. “Gray!”

“No, don’t panic. Listen. I know it doesn’t mean much. This is all pretend, and you’re…you’re marrying Carter, and I don’t want you to think I’m telling you all this to change your mind. If you do, that must be because it’s what you want. But I need you to know I find you insanely hot, and it’s hell to keep my hands off you. But what cemented you into my brain was the night you took an unfamiliar and lonely road to bring me Christmas presents. I knew you had picked them out because my son wouldn’t make the effort. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since.”

Gray placed a finger on my lips and traced the outline with the pad. “You think I don’t know it’s wrong? My heart’s beating hard because I know I’ll fuck up my relationship with Carter by touching you like this, but I need you to know what I think of you, how I feel about you, and what I want to do to you. Ozzie, if in the future, you ever doubt you’re wanted, remember me. All I’ve done since we met was want you.”

The sincerity in Gray’s words made my eyes wet. I cupped the back of his head, pulled him down, and kissed him. I’d made some mistakes I regretted instantly, but as I unbuttoned Gray’s shirt, I knew no matter what happened, I would never regret him.