Falling for the Groomsman (Wedding Dare #1)(44)
Author: Diane Alberts

Hmm. She liked the sound of that.

She knocked three times. As she stood there, heart racing, she shifted her feet and swiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. The longer he took to answer, the more her mind hopped from one scary conclusion to another. It wasn’t until she heard a feminine laugh from inside the room that she realized he might not be in there alone.

As a matter of fact, he must not be. If there was a woman in there…

Then she was too late. He’d already moved on. Julie and Regan were wrong—he didn’t love her. Not if he was already in there with another woman. She backed away slowly, swallowing past her aching throat, and headed to her own door, blinking back the tears trying to escape. She hadn’t cried in eight years, and this made twice in twelve hours. She was a mess. A big, ugly, crying freaking mess. She slid her card into the lock and pushed her door open.

She froze…unable to move or speak or think.

Chapter Nineteen

Tyler stiffened when the door opened, a basket still half filled with murdered roses in his one hand, and a handful of petals in the other. He was supposed to cover the bed and floor surrounding it with the red things before she came back. He was trying to create a romantic setting and all that shit, since he’d messed up the last romantic gesture he’d made for her, but now it was ruined.

He’d been caught red-handed…literally.

He’d sent Kady down to keep an eye on Christine. She was supposed to text him when or if Christine left the dining room, but that hadn’t happened, had it? Apparently, she’d missed Christine’s exit, because she stood in the door with tears on her cheeks and wide eyes. Wait…tears?

Why the f**k was she crying?

He dropped the basket and rushed to her side, cupping her cheeks and wiping the tears away with his thumbs. “Shit. Don’t cry. I can’t…I won’t…what’s wrong?”

She made a weird sound, half laugh, half moan, and gripped his forearms. “I thought…it doesn’t even matter. What are you doing?”

He ignored her question. “It matters. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s stupid.” Her eyes were shining with happiness, even as tears ran down her face. Would women ever make sense? She even smiled up at him. “Did you leave your TV on?”

He blinked at her. “I don’t know. Maybe. Why?”

“I went to your room and I heard…voices.” She licked her lips. “I thought you weren’t alone in there. I thought there was a woman in your room with you.”

His heart squeezed tight. Had she been crying because she thought he had someone in the room with him? If so, that meant she cared. If she cared…he stood a chance in hell of getting her to give him another chance to love her right.

He wouldn’t fail this time.

“Red, I wouldn’t be with someone else.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re the one I want. No one else will ever be good enough. Just you.”

She blinked up at him. “R-Really?”

“Really. But you’re early. I’m not ready for you yet.”

“Would you like me to go back in the hallway?” she asked. The tip of her nose was still red, but the tears had stopped. “I can wait out there if you prefer.”

“Don’t be silly,” he said, his heart racing.

She peeked over his shoulder at the half-covered bed. “So, uh, what’s going on back there? Why does my room look like a greenhouse?”

“Give me a second to get my thoughts straight.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re early.”

“You already said that.”

He laughed nervously. “You’re right. I did. So, let me just say this: I get it now. I get why you wanted payback, and I’m not mad at you anymore.”

She bit down on her lower lip. “When I came here, I had a list of things to do, but none of them were about you. I wanted to be wild and free, but then I saw you. I wanted you so badly it hurt. My whole made-up list turned into a reason to be able to touch you. To be with you. It was a stupid, silly excuse and nothing more. You have to believe me.”

“I know. I do.” He grabbed her hands and led her toward the bed, easing her down on it. He frowned and looked over his shoulder. “Wait a second. You should be still be using your crutches. If you don’t want to be carried down that aisle, you’ll—”

She rolled her eyes. “Focus, Tyler.”

He cleared his throat, knowing he was stalling because he was about to spout some shit about his feelings, and he’d never done that before. He’d learned to suppress his feelings long ago. In the ER, emotions got in the way of rational thinking. People got killed in his line of work if his head wasn’t on straight.

Now he had to let all those suppressed feelings out of the cages?

God help them both.

He couldn’t f**k this up. Couldn’t lose her. Not this time. He kissed her head again, loving the way she leaned into him and sighed. “That night in Mexico, I was a different man than I’ve ever been. With you, I knew we had something special. That it wasn’t just a one-night stand.”

She nodded and squeezed his biceps. “I know. You don’t have to explain yourself. Just like you get it, so do I. I’m not mad anymore, either.”

He shook his head. “I know, but that’s why I ran away.” He let go of her and dragged his hand down his face, knowing he was f**king this up. “I knew we could be something serious. I was young, and I was due to leave the country in a few days. But I’m not that boy anymore. There’s so much I have to tell you. So much to say.”

She bit down hard on her lip and remained silent, nodding.

“I was scared back then, but I’m not scared now.” He blew out a breath. “Okay, that’s a lie. I’m terrified. Terrified of not being enough for you. But even more so, I’m terrified of losing you. I’ve spent a long time trying to deny the fact that we belong together. I spent a hell of a lot of years running from the way you made me feel that night, thinking that it was for the best, but I refuse to run away again. From now on, I’ll run with you, not away from you. If you feel the same way about me, all you have to do is say the word.”

“Tyler,” she whispered, her voice cracking. She reached out and pressed her hand to his cheek. “Yes. I feel the same way.”

Relief, joy, and hope crashed through him and he kissed her hard. She tried to wrap her arms around him and pull him closer, but he ended the kiss before she got too close. There was more he had to say. He wasn’t done yet. “Wait. There’s more.”