“I have my moments.”

He orders another drink from the bartender. “She’s sharing a room with one of Catherine’s bridesmaids. Room 227.”

I start to leave, but he grabs my arm. “So help me God, if I find you in her bed again, I will shoot your ass this time.”

No, he won’t.

But even if he did, Sawyer’s worth it.

Chapter 80

Sawyer

“Does this look okay?”

My head snaps up as Clementine—yes, that’s her actual name—walks out of the bathroom.

She’s wearing sexy red lingerie complete with a garter belt and fishnet stockings.

Damn. All I had on underneath my dress was a decent bra and a reliable pair of Spanx.

I’ve known the girl since I was five given she’s Catherine’s best friend and all, but it’s still awkward having her stand in front of me in nothing but her underwear.

However, there’s no denying she looks beautiful, so I tell her so.

“You look gorgeous, but it’s a little…um, excessive…for bed. Don’t you think?”

Tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder, she laughs. “You are so cute.” She cups one hand over her mouth, even though there’s no one else in our hotel room. “I met a guy at the wedding.”

Good for her. “That’s awesome.”

She starts throwing various things into a tote bag. Hmm.

“I guess you won’t be spending tonight in here?”

Placing the bag on the bed, she shimmies into a little black dress. “No, he’s only in town for the night. Evidently, one of his buddies was having a little girl trouble, so he suggested they drive here so his friend could fix things with her.” She places her hand over her heart. “Gosh, I just love a man who’s compassionate toward others.” She walks over to my bed. “Can you zip me up?”

“Sure.”

Shifting in bed, I drag the zipper up the back of her dress. “One night, huh? That sucks.”

“I know.” She steps into a pair of red heels. “Normally I wouldn’t do something like this, but he’s so different from anyone I’ve ever met before. Really open and outgoing…but deep, too. Almost philosophical.” Her eyebrows dance. “He also seems really adventurous, if you catch my drift.”

I catch it, all right.

“That’s awesome. I’m happy for you.”

Her smile is so bright, it rivals the sun. “Me too. I really think he could be the one.”

I don’t want to be a negative Nancy, so I clamp my mouth shut.

Besides, who knows? He just might be.

“Well, if you need anything, just call me.”

She air kisses my cheek. “By the way, I meant to tell you earlier. You look so good, girl. No wonder you had guys fighting over you during the reception.”

Not really something I want to think about right now. It was so bad, Catherine publicly scolded me for inviting Cole in the first place.

She was throwing such a fit, Mama actually came to my defense and told her to pipe down and eat some wedding cake.

It worked like a charm though, because the second Catherine had some carbs in her system, she apologized for acting like a spoiled brat.

Feeling uncomfortable, I look down at the carpet. “Yeah.”

Clementine’s practically skipping to the door, but I halt her. “Can you describe him? Just in case anything happens.”

I’ve watched enough crime shows to know I should get some deets on the guy before she spends the night with him.

She blinks. “Oh. Well, I mean he’s gorgeous of course. Kind of reminds me of a surfer actually. Tall, dirty blonde hair, mysterious blue eyes.” She cups her hand over her mouth again. “Smells like weed.”

Wait a minute. Nah. It can’t be.

“What’s his name?”

Tapping her chin with her pointer finger, she thinks about this. “I don’t remember exactly. I know it’s a bit strange.”

Says the girl whose name is Clementine.

“He’s named after a tree, I think.”

Well, shit.

“Oakley?” I all but screech.

“Yeah, that’s it.” She blows me a kiss as she opens the door. “Have a good night, sweetie. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Wai—”

It slams shut before I can stop her. Dammit.

A moment later, I hear a knock.

She must have forgotten her key. Which means I still have time to stop her from hopping on the Oakley train.

I turn the doorknob. “Don’t have sex with Oakley—”

I feel like I just got the wind knocked out of me when I see Cole on the other side. His tie is undone, his suit jacket is long gone, there are circles under his eyes, and his dark hair is disheveled.

Yet, he’s still so heart-stoppingly good looking, I almost forget I’m mad at him.

Cole’s eyebrows shoot up. “I wasn’t planning on it, but thanks for the warning.”

“What are you doing here?”

His eyes sear through me. “I don’t want you to marry Abbott Carney and have his baby.”

Say what now?

“Wh—”

He takes a step forward. “I want you to marry me and have my babies.” His Adam’s apple bobs. “Not because I deserve you, but because I’m so in love with you I’ll never stop fighting for you…for us.”

I’m pretty sure my jaw hits the floor.

Emotion clogs my throat. “Cole—”

“I’m sorry I ruined the wedding. I’m sorry I push you away when you get too close. I’m sorry I keep fucking things up. I wish I could say I’ll stop, but the truth is I’ll probably fuck up a million more times…but one thing I’ll never do is stop loving you. Ever.” He punches the spot above his heart. “You weren’t supposed to get in here, but you did.” He cups my face. “And now you’re stuck.”

My heart feels like it’s going to explode right out of my chest.

“Good. Because that’s exactly where I want to be stuck.”

“I love you,” he whispers against my mouth. “So fucking much.”

His kiss is like breathing air after you’ve been suffocating.

A beautiful rainbow after a horrible storm.

Your first piece of chocolate after a grueling diet.

His kiss is everything.

Wrapping an arm around my lower back, he kicks the door closed behind him.

And just like that, our kiss goes from gentle and sweet…to passionate and all-consuming.

A raindrop to a tidal wave.

“I love you,” he repeats, mapping kisses down the column of my throat.

“I love you, too.”

I love him so much, just the thought of ever being without him is enough to stop my world from spinning.

But it won’t…because he’s here.

And no matter how much we screw this thing up…we’ll always find our way back to each other.

Because what we have is real.

“I can’t believe you drove here,” I say, recalling what Clementine told me. “You could have just taken a plane.”