No Weddings (No Weddings #1)(60)

“You won’t.”

“But what happens if—”

I placed a finger gently on her lips, silencing protests that held no merit other than fear of the unknown.

But she didn’t know me. I did. And nothing in this world would veer me off course.

“Nothing will happen. We will take this as slow as we need to, until each step of the way we feel confident enough to take another.”

She sat there for a long while, staring at me. I held her gaze, more certain about the present moment than any other that had come before it.

“Okay.” The word was soft, but echoed into my ears with the force of a thunderclap.

I smiled. “Okay.”

A corner of her mouth kicked up. “Besides, I don’t want to give up your friends yet. I’m kinda attached to them.”

“Watch it.” I narrowed my eyes. “I can only tamp down my jealousy for so long.”

She laughed. “Your sisters too.”

Rocking back on my heels, I glanced up at the graying sky, thankful for my family and friends. My gaze fell back to Hannah. “Yeah, sorry about that. Give those three time. They’ll annoy you eventually.”

Hannah leaned to the side, propping her elbow on the armrest and dropping her head onto her palm. “So I guess that means no third date.”

I gaped. “No post-musical sex?”

With her other hand, she shoved at my chest. “How do you know it wasn’t going to be during-musical sex?”

I blinked. “Woman, you continue to intrigue me. And turn me on.”

She laughed.

But when the amusement fell away from her face, I could see she was genuinely concerned. I needed to fix that.

“How about we don’t plan things out? No timelines. No pressure. We take things one date at a time. Maybe we should take the whole musical-third-date rule off the table. We’ll throw it way out into the future and cross that bridge when we come to it.”

She nodded. “I think I need that. One step at a time.”

“Good.”

“Ummm, Cade. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I need to skip tonight’s dinner. Wednesday night too. I need a break for a bit to ground myself before being with the guys again.”

My heart stuttered. “But we’re still on. You and me. Slow and easy. Right?”

Without hesitation, she nodded. And I was able to pull oxygen into my frozen lungs again.

“What about something new for a change? Everyone usually gets together when Jason comes back into town after a long trip, and this Friday night we’re all going out to Versailles for drinks.”

A slow smile curved her lips, and she nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Good. It’s a date that’s a non-date.” I tapped the tip of her nose with my finger, then stood, letting blood rush into my legs again before I lost all feeling.

Hannah downed the last of the Champagne as I stretched. She tossed the bottle into the ashy pit, and I pulled her up from the chair.

“That’s not gonna burn.”

“Don’t care. It goes with everything else.” She hiccupped.

I smiled, a calmness spreading through me. I finally felt like I could breathe normally for the first time since Saturday. And I wanted to leave things on a good note while giving her the space she needed.

“Cade?” Her brows twitched then furrowed.

“Yeah?”

“Would it be okay if we still…teased each other, though? You know, go back to the flirting and fun with no pressure about how fast it has to go. Just take things as they come?”

I slid both of my hands into hers, squeezing. “Of course, Maestro.” I sighed, feeling the world settling back down. “Why don’t you take those hideous pajamas off and take a shower. I’m going to my place to do the same.”

She almost pouted, like she didn’t want me to leave. It nearly killed me.

Be strong, Cade. She’d asked for a little space, but clarified we were still good. I’d do my f*cking damnedest to give her everything she needed.

All of a sudden, she broke our handhold and shoved my chest, the flicker of a smile on her face. She jogged up to the patio as I laughed at her unexpected outburst. But once she hit the steps, she whirled around, plucking the fabric of her pajama bottoms away from her thighs.

“Wait. What’s wrong with my PJs?”

I arched a brow, snorting. “Seriously? They have flying toasters on them. Toasters. Wings.”

She grinned. “They’re soft and snuggly.”

Wicked thoughts flashed through my mind of her tossed on the bed, stripped in seconds by my impatient hands. I smirked. “Burlap bag, baby…”

Before my foot hit the first step, she disappeared into her house, squealing.

Then I heard another door inside slam, and I laughed.





Spending another night without Hannah was like going through the motions of life as a dazed zombie. And I wasn’t the only one. The living dead had infiltrated my house, everyone mourning the loss of Hannah’s vibrancy.

“When’s Hannah coming back?” Ben poked the grilled cheese with a fork, looking uncertain about the food on his plate.

“Don’t know. Not this week.” I took another bite of my sandwich. Mase actually made a killer grilled cheese. Sourdough bread with a shitload of butter slathered on either side and grilled until golden brown, a thick slice of Tillamook sharp melted in between. But it paled in comparison to anything Hannah created.