Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Tommy
I sealed it in an envelope with his name on the front and took it to the front desk. “Can you make sure this gets to the guest in room 428? Foster Blake.”
The desk clerk nodded. “Of course, Dr. Marian.”
I hesitated, then added, “And could you please have a bottle of your best bourbon sent to his room? Put it on my tab.”
“Certainly, sir. Anything else?”
I thought about what else I could leave for Foster—some token of what our chance meeting had meant to me—but nothing seemed adequate. “No, that’s all. Thank you.”
As I walked away, I wondered if I’d ever see him again. Wyoming wasn’t that far from Montana, where several of my family members lived, including Ella. Maybe someday, our paths would cross again, when I’d figured out who I really was and what I really wanted.
For now, though, I had a wedding to cancel and a fiancée to face.
3
FOSTER
I woke up the next morning in a foul-as-fuck mood, with a head that felt like it had taken a solo ride down the Majestic River rapids without benefit of a boat or a helmet.
After being unable to fall asleep, I’d discovered a delivery just outside of my door of the world’s most seductive bourbon… and a cagey, piece-of-shit note from the world’s most alluring man.
The combination of the two had seduced me right into a pitiful midnight drunk the likes of which I hadn’t experienced in years, if ever.
After fumbling with the in-room coffee maker and throwing down a cup of black coffee, I showered and dressed in my clothes from the night before, then headed to the front desk to inquire if there was any news about my lost luggage.
In the lobby, I stopped short. There, looking even more unfairly beautiful than I’d remembered, was Dr. Marian himself. I opened my mouth to call out to him when I noticed several things at once.
First, that he was surrounded by his friends and family, staring at the ground and looking profoundly uncomfortable.
Second, that the moment I stepped into the lobby, nearly everyone but Tommy turned to look at me and did a double take.
And third, but most important… that he was wearing a black satin sash across his shirt with the word Groom emblazoned on it in sparkly silver letters, and standing next to him was a striking woman with olive-brown skin and shiny dark hair, wearing a matching sash that read Bride.
My stomach dropped and wobbled sickly.
Tommy had mentioned being here for a wedding. He hadn’t mentioned it was his own.
Jesus fucking Christ. I’d kissed a man who was about to be married.
As I stood there, stupid and frozen, an elderly, female voice from behind muttered, “What the actual fuck am I seeing, Irene? Let’s get him out of here!” and I suddenly felt myself being yanked back the way I’d come by a trio of white-haired ladies.
It said a lot about how the last twenty-four hours of my life had gone that I didn’t resist.
Just before they pulled me around the corner, I locked eyes with Tommy. His flared wide in surprise as he recognized me and possibly the old lady platoon attempting to abduct me.
My kidnappers muttered curses and fussed as they frog-marched me away from the scene and shoved me into an empty conference room.
“You got ten seconds to tell me how you got that shirt, Muscle Muffin,” the leader of the trio hissed, grabbing the front of my tee. “’Cause I don’t remember seeing you at the last reunion.”
I scowled down at my shirt—Tommy’s shirt—which read “I want to be” in a scripty font above block letters that spelled out MADE MARIAN. “A friend gave it to me last night.”
“A friend.” Her blue eyes narrowed in her wrinkled face, and her hot pink lips pursed. “I’ve heard that one before.”
The tallest of the trio shook her head in disappointment. “We should have anticipated this. I remember the day Tommy saw a picture of that vampire from Twilight—”
“Irene, Jesus,” the shortest of the three said. “Tom’s as straight as they come. He lost his virginity at the prom, for fuck’s sake. No self-respecting gay man would have held out that long.”
The leader shook her head at them and glared at me. Her fist held fast to the shirt fabric over my chest, pinching a chest hair or two in the process. “Which friend, Captain Deltoid?” She tilted her head toward the lobby. “The pretty doctor out there or somebody else?”
“Who wants to know?” I shot back.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “I’ll be asking the questions, Shoulders. You’ll be answering them. Capisce?”
The little one darted closer as if to intimidate me. Her walker banged my knee. “Yeah! Answer her questions, asshole.”
I put my hand over my mouth to hold in a sudden urge to laugh when Tommy appeared. “For god’s sake, leave him alone, Aunt Tilly.”