“Good to know. Thank you, Bella.” Sophie murmurs before letting her head drop on Roman’s shoulder.
“I’m sure that the time change is going to throw you off. Six hours is a huge change.” Matthew sighs. “Take today and tomorrow to adjust however you need.”
“How is the spa?” I ask, trying to bring something positive to the conversation.
“Oh, it’s amazing. Honestly, it was a big part of why I wanted to be at this venue. They take care of everything. You’ll love it, Sophie. It’s like being on cloud nine.”
Matthew and Bella keep talking about the wedding, about the pros and cons, all the stress they’ve had to deal with. When we finally get to the hotel, I think I have second-hand stress. I grab some of the luggage, and Matthew helps me, pulling me aside while Bella keeps talking to Sophie.
“I’m sorry about that rule. It’s silly, but it means a lot to her that no one suspects anything about the past, and no one is distracted from our day.”
“I get it. We’re going to make sure that everything is good for you. No worries about that.”
Matthew nods. “And I don’t want to lose our friendship. What we all have is so important to me.”
“We’re here for you, man. And we only want the best.”
He glances over at Gunner, just staring as Bella leads Sophie and Roman into the hotel. “Yeah. We’ll see. I have a feeling that we may have a few private talks this weekend and more than a few close calls.”
I raise an eyebrow, but he forces a smile. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
With that, we’re shown our rooms. Gunner is farthest from Sophie and Roman. Holden and I have rooms that are close, which I know isn’t an accident. Bella’s testing for weaknesses. Some part of her wants to push Gunner over the edge, punish him for something.
Maybe for all the times he stayed out late for work or traveled without texting or anything else in our past. He’s never been an angel, but this isn’t fair. Matthew scratches the back of his neck and pulls Gunner over to his room to talk to him in private.
Bella claps her hands. “Well, I will leave you to it. You can call room service or the front desk if you need anything.” She winks at Roman and Sophie. “Have fun!”
I watch her sashay away, and Roman rubs down Sophie’s back. Maybe we should have left her home.