Page 13 of Dash to Me
“Liar.” His voice is gentle. “You plan everything.”
“Not this.” I turn to face him. “This wasn’t in any plan.”
Atlas reaches across the console, taking my hand in his. The gesture is so natural it scares me. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”
Before I can respond, his phone rings. The caller ID shows Ryan’s name again.
“Put it on speaker,” I sigh.
“Change of plans!” my brother announces without preamble. “The wedding’s been moved up. Two o’clock instead of four.”
“What?” I shriek. “Why?”
“The venue double-booked. It was either move it up or postpone, and Jenna refuses to wait another day to be my wife.”
Atlas presses harder on the accelerator. “We’ll make it, Ryan. Even if I have to break every speed limit.”
“Tell her we won’t let her down,” I say, my mind already calculating the new timeline. We now have barely an hour of buffer time.
“You better not,” Ryan warns before hanging up.
Atlas’ jaw tightens as he merges into the fast lane. “New plan. No more stops.”
The highway stretches before us, and for the next hour, we exist in a bubble.
“We should make it with forty minutes to spare,” Atlas announces, checking the GPS. “Assuming no?—”
The blaring of sirens cuts him off. Red and blue lights flash in the rearview mirror.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groan, slumping in my seat. We don’t need this right now. After months of meticulously planning this wedding, I might freaking miss it.
Atlas pulls over, his expression grim. “Stay calm. I’ll handle this.”
The officer approaches, a middle-aged man with a stern expression and mirrored sunglasses. “License and registration. Do you know how fast you were going?”
Atlas hands over his documents. “Officer, I apologize for the speed, but we’re in a hurry. We’re transporting a wedding cake to my friend’s ceremony, which was unexpectedly moved up. The bride and groom are waiting.”
The officer peers into the truck bed, confirming the presence of the cake. His expression softens.
“Wedding, huh? You two together?”
Before I can correct him, Atlas reaches over and takes my hand. “Yes, sir. And someday I hope to have a cake just like that one. But first, I need to make sure my buddy gets his happy ending.”
I’m too stunned to speak. The officer looks between us, then hands back Atlas’ license with a sigh.
“My wife would kill me if I made a bride wait for her cake. Follow me—I’ll escort you for the next twenty miles.”
True to his word, the officer leads us with lights flashing. When he finally peels off with a farewell honk, we’ve made up precious time.
“That was brilliant,” I admit once we’re alone again. “Using our alleged relationship to get out of a ticket.”
Atlas keeps his eyes on the road. “Who says it was just a tactic?”
My heart skips. “Atlas...”
“I know, I know. Bad timing.” He flashes me a quick smile. “But when this wedding chaos is over, we’re having that talk.”
If he only knew the things going through my mind right now…
