Before You Say I Do

by Tina Martin

  He didn’t find the humor in her statement. “That’s not true,” he said. “I wasn’t happy that we ended if that’s what you’re really suggesting, Lauren.”

  “I—”

  “Wait…let’s do this. Let’s make a comparison between me and Evan.”

  “Let’s not. This won’t end well.”

  “Probably not, but we haven’t been biting our tongues thus far and I don’t think we should start now. You said Evan took a job in Charlotte without discussing it with you right?”

  “Yep.”

  “How’d that make you feel?” he asked right before shoving a fork full of pancakes into his mouth.

  “As I stated, it made me feel like he doesn’t value my opinion…like what I want doesn’t matter.”

  “Using that example, can you put yourself in my shoes and think about how I felt when you came to me and said marry me or this relationship is over?”

  “How can you compare the two, Kenton?”

  “Easy. You decided, in your heart, that your ultimatum was the way it was going to be without consulting me. Evan has done the same to you. He made a decision without consulting you.”

  Lauren spread butter on her waffle. “Okay, I get it, but with you…I know how strong-minded you were. When you made decisions, you didn’t sway from them. It’s one of those things I loved about you.”

  “It was also what I loved about you,” he told her. “We had that in common.”

  She smiled. “Yes, we did.”

  Kenton took a sip of coffee then looked at her and smiled. “Ay, do you remember the time we rode that rickety ski lift?”

  She grinned. “Yeah, and I dropped my phone.”

  “Man. That was something. You were mad...like seriously furious for a few hours.”

  “That’s because I didn’t want to ride the thing in the first place. You talked me into it.”

  “So, it’s my fault you went nuts,” Kenton said, amused.

  Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “Okay. I’ll admit…that wasn’t one of my finest moments.”

  “It wasn’t, but it’s still a memory I haven’t forgotten,” Kenton said. “That’s what makes relationships great—the good and the bad times. People tend to forget that.”

  Lauren displayed a reminiscent smile. “Yep. The good and the bad.” She drifted off to thinking about Evan. He had some good and bad but his good outweighed the bad, didn’t it? If that was the case, why was she having second thoughts about getting married?

  Cutting into her thoughts, Kenton said, “Hey let’s do something fun today.”

  “Like what? And don’t say riding the ski lift because I’m not going anywhere near that thing.”

  He laughed. “Okay, then. You choose.”

  A small smile came to her face. “What about miniature golf?”

  “Miniature golf? I play grown-man golf now, baby.”

  She chuckled. “Is that right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Then you’ll have no problem winning, right, grown man?” she challenged.

  “Not at all,” he said then took a sip of coffee, studying her. “How about we make it interesting? If I win, I get to ask you to do anything I want. If you win, you can make the same request of me.”

  “Deal,” she said without even thinking about it. “Now, eat up. You’ll need those extra carbs when I’m kicking your butt from here to Sevierville.”

  “I never knew you to be a trash talker, Lauren.”

  “I think we’ve established that I’m not the same Lauren you used to know.”

  “In some ways, but one thing hasn’t changed.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “You’re still the same, utterly beautiful woman you were back then.”

  She blushed. “Don’t try to charm me, Kenton Lennox. You’re going down.”

  “That remains to be seen, doll face.”

  She glanced up at him when he called her that name – the pet name he used to call her when they were together.

  “Sorry,” he said when he realized what he’d done. “I got a little carried away.”

  “That’s okay,” she said brushing it off when really she enjoyed hearing him call her that again. She found it strange how Evan didn’t have any cutesy names for her but she quickly dismissed that thought. “Should we head straight to the miniature golf course from here?”

  “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

  Chapter 16

  “Oh, I see how it is,” Lauren said laughing as Kenton used a stick to trace his path toward the hole. “Come on…as tall as you are, that’s totally unnecessary.”

  “Hey, let me be the judge of that. This game is mine to win, woman. You hear me. Mine.”

  “Gosh. I forgot how competitive you were.”

  He took a swing and waved the golf club in the air in a celebratory fashion when he nailed a hole in one. “That’s the third hole in one for Tiger Lennox,” he touted.

  Lauren chuckled. “Okay, Tiger.”

  While they walk to the next course, he said, “And how could you forget how competitive I am? You don’t remember those backyard cornhole games at Rem’s house?”

  “Oh, how could I forget that? You are the cornhole champ. Do you guys still play?”

  “Nah. We stopped right around the same time you and I broke up, actually.”

  “Oh.” Lauren studied the course, then took a swing, missing the hole by only a few inches.

  “Bummer,” Kenton teased. “I wonder what I’ll have you do for me first. I’m thinking foot massage.”

  Tickled, Lauren said, “First of all, I agreed to only one thing. Second, ain’t nobody touching your funky feet, so you can get that out of your head.”

  Kenton chuckled. “Why my feet got to be all that?”

  “Because they are.” Lauren struck the ball, and this time it went in.

  “This was a par-4 and you did it in two strokes,” Kenton said. “Not bad, amateur. Now, step back and watch the master do it in one.”

  Lauren shook her head. “Have at it, master.”

  Kenton took his time and got another hole in one. “Beautiful,” he said on the way to the next course. “Do you and Evan do stuff like this?”

  “We used to. Not lately, though.”

  “How long were you dating before he popped the question?”

  “Nine months.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “No reason. It’s just interesting. My sister was engaged for what seemed like a second to me.”

  “But she knew Spencer already, as I recall. He was always with you guys.”

  “Yeah, he’s one of us. I told Jess if it was any other man, ain’t no telling what I would have done.”

  Lauren smiled. “That’s cute but your sisters are grown women. You can’t hold on so tightly.”

  “Sure I can. It’s not like we have a father to do it.”

  Lauren nodded. She remembered how Kenton stayed away from discussing his parents when they were together. Now, she wondered if he’d be more open about it. “That’s a sore subject for you, isn’t it? Your father. Your parents.”

  He shrugged. “It is what it is.”

  “It’s not that simple. It bothers you and until you talk about it, I think you’ll always have a problem getting close to someone.”

  “You’re probably right,” he agreed. “For now, concentrate on this hole. You’re losing, girl.”

  Nice diversion, Lauren thought. Anyway, she focused on the par-3 hole and was satisfied that she actually made it in three strokes. Kenton had accomplished it in two.

  “I think it’s safe to say I got this game in the bag,” he said.

  “Yeah. That’s the last time I make a bet with you, Kenton Lennox.”

  Chapter 17

  After stopping off for a quick bite to eat, they headed back for the cabin around dusk. As they were getting out of the car, Kenton asked, “Can we sit on the porch for a while? Those old, woode
n rockers don’t look like they’ve been used in years.”

  “Try never,” Lauren said. “But sure. We can sit out here since it’s so nice. Not too hot. Not too cold. It’s very pleasant.”

  “Indeed it is,” he said sitting.

  She sat in the rocker closest to his, staring off into the woods – the vastness of the trees and shrubbery covering mountain rocks as far as the eyes could see. Out of nowhere, killing the silence between them and nature, Kenton said, “My father died and my mother wigged out. It’s like she...uh...she went heartbroken when she lost him. I guess that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase love hurts.”

  Lauren glanced over at him and could see the pain in his eyes when he made the statement, even though he tried to make light of it.

  “I always thought that if I didn’t let a woman get that close to me, she’d be okay if something were to happen to me. I couldn’t imagine leaving the woman I love, my wife, in so much pain that she’d have a heart attack.”

  A feeling came over her, the nurturing side that wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but the logical side told her it wasn’t a good idea to do so. “But neither of them knew what would happen when they fell in love. Things like that happen all the time in this world whether you know it or not, but that shouldn’t stop you from living. From loving. No one wants to think about someone they love dying.”

  “But why put someone through that pain, unnecessarily?”

  “If that’s your line of thinking, why bother dating anyone for any extended period of time?”

  “I wasn’t supposed to. When we met, I had no intention of anything developing with us.”

  Lauren smirked. “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yet, our relationship went on for a year and you never tried to break it off,” she said, looking at him intently. Just when she thought she had men figured out…

  He smiled. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Why?”

  He stared at her for a long, heart-stopping moment before he replied, “Because I loved you, Lauren.”

  Their gazes melted, fused together like molten steel, then solidified. She tried to look away, get her bearings, but she couldn’t. “If you loved me, why did you never tell me that back then? I gave you a year of my life without knowing how you really felt about me.”

  “You knew. You’re a smart woman. You know when a man is feeling you just like you know there’s something between us right now. I can certainly feel it. I felt it when I first laid eyes on you in Bryson City Barbecue, and since I’m being honest with myself, I never stopped loving you. I’m upset that you came back engaged, planning a party at a Lennox Hotel of all places like you’re rubbing your engagement in my face.”

  “It wasn’t my idea to have the party at that hotel. I told you, I didn’t want to have a party, period.”

  “But you are having a party. You are engaged. You have a ring on your finger. Finally, right?”

  Lauren could hear the sarcasm in his tone. They had a rather enjoyable day and now this – his anger leaking out concerning her engagement. “I’m going to head inside now,” she said, standing up.

  Kenton stood up, too. “Why? I wasn’t done talking to you.”

  “Kenton,” she said nervously as he towered in front of her, blocking her path to the door.

  “You can’t look at me now?” he asked.

  She could look at him. It was just difficult to do with his overpowering stance and the longing, pain and desire she saw mingling in the depths of his eyes. “Kenton, honestly, it’s probably better if we just—”

  “End it? Like you did our relationship?” He inched closer to her, feeling the heat of her body blend with his – a hair-raising experience that had his blood on fire. Being close to her was doing a number on him, but he could handle it. He could handle anything where she was concerned.

  “Kenton—” she whispered, looking up at him.

  Before she could protest, he lowered his head so that his lips were close to hers. He didn’t touch her. Didn’t make the move to close the space – those tiny inches between their lips. He waited, testing her to see if she would push him away. To come to her senses and realize that he wasn’t Evan. He was her ex, the man she claimed to be over and done with. The man who’d broken her heart. But she didn’t move away. Her breathing thickened. Lips moist after she licked them and then she found the courage to look at him – into his eyes this time as she felt herself inching forward for his mouth. She kissed him softly, leaving a gentle kiss on his firm lips, then around his mouth as if she was reacquainting herself to him. Testing the waters to determine if this is something she really wanted to do. Trying to justify her willingness to let this happen. But when she felt his hands grab a hold to her hair while the other tightened right at her waist, she knew there was no logic for this. It was two people who still loved each other – kissing and missing what they had. What they used to share. What they desperately needed to share again.

  She liked kissing Kenton. Missed it. The only thing Evan was used to grabbing was his briefcase, but Kenton – he was grabbing a hold onto her like he was afraid of losing her. And he held her tight as he plowed his tongue into the warm recess is of her mouth consuming a taste his mouth had been watering for.

  Lauren moaned softly as she slowly caved, wrapping her arms around his neck as she reacquainted herself with the intensity of his kisses. She’d had up her walls before. Lick by lick, he was tearing them down. Her heart raced and drummed. Her thoughts were consumed with how much she missed him. How much she wanted him. It wasn’t until he tore his lip away from her that she snapped out of her trance to breathe. “I—I can’t believe that just happened.”

  “I can,” he said smoothly. That’s what happens when you’re not loyal to someone. When you’re not committed and in love. She definitely wasn’t in love with Evan. This proved it.

  “I need to go,” she said, her face flushed.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Lauren,” he told her, still holding her in his arms as his possession.

  “I have to,” she said in a panicked breath. “That—that shouldn’t have happened.”

  “Maybe it wouldn’t have if you didn’t have doubts about Evan.”

  She looked confused. “Doubts?”

  “Yes,” he said, staring at her lips. “I miss kissing you, Lauren.” Kenton nibbled on his bottom lip. “I need you to spend the night with me. I won the bet and that’s what I want.”

  “I can’t,” she said conflicted. “I’m engaged.”

  “You were engaged two minutes ago, too, and my tongue was still in your mouth.”

  “Kenton, I—”

  “Spend the night with me.”

  “You know I’m not that kind of woman.”

  “Of course, I know that.”

  “Then why would you ask me to do something like this?” she inquired.

  “I only requested that you spend the night with me.”

  “But the implication is—”

  “Forget the implication. I want you in my room with me. In my bed with me. I want to hold you in my arms. I want to talk...to feel your head resting on my chest and I want you to pay careful attention to the way you feel while you’re with me because if there is any sort of emotion that comes to the surface, you’ll have to reevaluate other areas of your life. What and who you really want.” He smoothed his hand on the sides of her face, watching her eyes close as he did so. “Please.”

  “Okay,” she said. Giving in. Seemed she did that so easily whenever Kenton was concerned.

  Chapter 18

  Kenton was sitting on the bed, waiting for her to join him. He’d been waiting for nearly an hour now. She must have been having second thoughts, he assumed. She had probably locked herself in her bedroom. He was seconds away from jumping up off the bed when he heard a faint knock at the door. He smiled when she pushed it open. She had on a black pajama set that showed off the shape of her body. Her black hair was gathered back int
o a ponytail.

  “Didn’t think you were going to show,” he said.

  Lauren glanced at his thick chest, seeing that it looked to be as firm and rock hard as she remembered it. And then she looked up at his heat-seeking eyes when she responded, “I’m not going to stay, Kenton. “I came in here to tell you to have a good night. I don’t think—no, I know this isn’t appropriate. So, I’m going to go to bed.” She turned to walk back to the door.

  “No,” Kenton said. He hurried off of the bed and moved swiftly across the floor. He reached her as she was reaching for the doorknob. And he was right behind her – so close that his chest – his body conformed to the shape of her. He placed his hands flat on the door and when she maneuvered to turn around and look at him, he lowered his mouth to hers, taking a ravenous kiss. Unlike the kiss they shared on the porch, this one was heated, more passionate. One that had her toes tingling. Knees weak.

  “Kent,” she whispered when she could, feeling the firmness of him pressed against her stomach.

  “I need you to spend the night with me, and you need me, too,” he said, leaving little kisses around her mouth.

  “How do you know what I need?”

  “I’m in tune with you that way,” he responded. “I can see your pupils dilating. I can feel your pulse racing.” He brushed his thumb across her lips. “What do you really want, Lauren?”

  Lauren raised up on her tiptoes and touched her lips to his. That’s when Kenton knew she was okay with this and so he took control, delving deeper with a wild, uncontrolled kiss while lifting her up from the floor, effortlessly carrying her back to the bed. He lowered her then wasted no time lowering his body on top of hers, staring into her eyes as he did so.

  “I can’t make love to you, Kenton.”

  He smiled. “I know. I don’t expect you to.”

  “Then what is it that you want?”

  I want you, Lauren Chandler. I want you to be a part of my life. I want to settle down with you. I never thought I wanted children but I want them with you. And most of all, I want you to realize that what we had isn’t over. That you don’t love Evan. You love me. You need me.