Page 47 of Bad Boy Done Wrong
“You too! I just can’t believe the difference! Let me see the back.”
He turned and she ran her fingers through the short fine hair at the nape of his neck. No more thick hair to sink her fingers into, no more wave.
She sighed, mourning the loss.
He turned and tipped her chin up. “It’ll grow back.”
“You look like a lawyer or something,” she blurted.
His lips crooked to the side. “I’m not. Ready?”
She nodded.
He turned to Ally. “Nice to see you again.”
Ally beamed. “Have fun!”
She walked out the door with Zach, his hand resting on the small of her back as he led her to his truck. He even opened the passenger-side door and helped her get in so she wouldn’t mess up her nice white dress. She looked down at him all clean-cut and good manners in a suit he could wear to church. “My parents are going to love you,” she said forlornly.
His lips twitched. “Would you rather they didn’t?”
“They’re going to ask about you later. They’ll want to have you over for dinner.”
He gazed into her eyes. “I’d be happy to go.”
“You would?”
He dipped his head and went around to the driver’s side.
She smoothed her dress, her hands suddenly clammy.
Zach got in and pulled out of the lot.
“You know how to get there?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
He had grown up around here. She stared out the window, taking a deep breath as the panicky feeling returned. She didn’t know if it was Zach or Edward that was getting her worked up, she only knew she had to pull herself together fast. What was Zach thinking saying he’d have dinner with her parents? They’d both been very clear about this being their last night together. It was. It had to be. No matter how many unexpectedly sweet things Zach said, she had to hold firm to that for her own good. She tucked her trembling hands under her legs.
Zach reached over and squeezed her leg. “You’ll do great. I got your back.”
“Thanks,” she murmured. “I’m sure the anticipation is worse than the actual event. Right?”
“Usually.”
That didn’t make her feel any better. Not much could, it seemed.
“Tell me about your family,” he said.
“My dad, Mark, says it was love at first sight when he met my mom, Judy.” She launched into the favorite family story of how they met when her mom was her dad’s nurse for a physical. “She made my heart skip a beat!” Carrie said in a deep impersonation of her dad’s jovial voice.
Zach chuckled.
She kept going, sharing the way her dad had pursued her mom with bouquets of flowers, each one accompanied by a terribly rhyming poem about her beauty. Then she told him about her big brother, Rich, now a pilot like her dad was before he retired. She’d become a nurse just like her mom. She figured it all sounded kind of boring, but just talking about her family calmed her nerves.
Before she knew it, they were pulling into the parking lot. She could see the wedding pavilion in the distance with a small brick patio where the chairs were set up. On the opposite side stood a white tent for the reception. She stepped out of the truck and admired the Long Island Sound beyond the pavilion with its softly lapping waves. It was always a bit cooler by the Sound and felt wonderful. The ceremony would be in an hour, close to sunset. They’d arrived early so she could help with any last minute setup stuff her parents might need.
They ran into her brother, Rich, first, who gave her a brief hug. He was tall, but not as tall as Zach, his dirty blond hair in a crew cut, clean-shaven, and had sharp blue eyes. She quickly introduced him to Zach.
