“Mm-hmm…” Angela responded.
Carter smiled. She was already in play mode. “Let the games begin.”
With his hands to guide him, he stepped forward. He tried to recall how the maze was laid out, but the hitch with round two was that everyone was expected to go through the maze in the opposite direction. It made it impossible to rely on his memory. He would have to rely on Angela.
She remembered their system of grunts. He couldn’t help but smile when her grunts took on a more urgent tone. But then again, if he hadn’t been so amused, he might not have run into the vines so many times. Those vines were not soft. They poked and prodded him.
When he stopped trying to rush through the maze to make the best time and instead focused on what Angela was trying to grunt to him, he found he didn’t collide with the vines as much.
It felt like it took a long time, but he finally made it to the end of the maze. He lifted off the blindfold to find Angela standing there with a big smile on her face.
After he handed his blindfold to Bill, he joined Angela. They made their way to the refreshment table. “I didn’t do as well as you.”
“What?” Her brows drew together. “I think you did better.”
“You do?”
She nodded as they moved to the dry erase board that had been set up at the end of the maze. “See.” She pointed to his time of twenty-five minutes. “Once you quit trying to do it on your own, you really picked up the pace.”
“That was only possible because your directions were really good.”
“You know I don’t really care if we win or lose.”
“Really?” He searched her eyes, not sure if she meant it.
She nodded again. “It’s true. You made this a really fun day. It’s been a long time since we just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. I’m really glad we came here.”
He breathed his first easy breath since arriving at Vines Entwined. “Me too. Very glad.”
They each reached for a bottle of water at the same time, and their fingers touched. When her fingertips touched his, it sent a slight tremor up his arm. The sensation settled in his chest and set his heart a rap-a-tap-tapping. It felt like eternity since he’d felt this way. Obviously, it hadn’t been that long, but the distance between them had made it feel longer than it truly had been.
He yearned to pull her into his arms, but he didn’t want to rush things. It was with the greatest effort that he resisted the temptation.
Instead, they each took their water and turned to watch the other couples talking among themselves. Everyone appeared to be happy and getting along. He wondered if that was truly the case. Would everyone return to their worlds with a stronger, functioning relationship?
His gaze strayed to Angela as she drank the water. Would they still have a wedding? The question teetered on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back. It was too soon to start pushing things. At least Angela appeared happy. There would be time for questions later.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Thealarmbuzzedmuchtoo early.
Angela rolled over to slap her hand on her phone and silence it. She needed a few more minutes of sleep. As the alarm continued to blare, her eyes fluttered open. She found the room still bathed in darkness. It was way too early. She groaned and rolled over.
They’d won.
The thought roused her. A smile tugged at her lips as she recalled winning the maze challenge. Yesterday had been an amazing day. Not only had they worked together to win the maze race, but afterward, the couples had each had candlelit dinners.
She’d noticed how Carter had been careful to avoid any conversation about the wedding. She really appreciated him giving her time to collect her thoughts. The truth of the matter was that never once had she doubted her love for him. But for a moment there, she’d let his nervous utterance put doubt in her heart.
However, this weekend had reminded her of just how good they could be together. And when Carter looked at her, she could see he still cared.
She sat up in bed. She had her answer. It had been there all along, only it had gotten drowned out by all of the noise of the wedding.
With her heart set on what she wanted, she sprang out of bed and rushed to the shower. She had a date with her fiancé at sunrise for a hot air balloon ride. She couldn’t wait.
She raced through the shower, only slowing down afterward to style her hair and apply makeup. She wore white capris with a peach cotton top. With a last glance in the mirror and a spray of hairspray, she was out the door.
When she reached the lobby, she found Carter waiting for her. He looked so handsome in a pair of khaki shorts and a blue polo shirt. He had shaved, but his hair was still a bit damp from his shower. She longed to reach out and run her fingers through his hair, but she resisted the temptation.