Best Two Out of Three

Part 10

Saturday, June 6, 2020
Alex's House – Roanoke, Virginia

Alex rummaged through her walk-in closet, trying to decide what to wear to Adam and Callie's cookout. She'd decided to go, after all. If nothing else, she needed a distraction.

Kenny hadn't gotten back to the hotel room until after 1 a.m. on Friday. Alex had stayed up waiting for him until the anxiety of it had become too much, so she'd taken a hot shower to calm her nerves and gone to bed. He'd woken her up as he'd crawled in beside her and pulled her close, nuzzling her neck as he'd apologized for not returning sooner. It'd taken a long time for her to fall back asleep after that, her mind racing with the day's events all over again. In the morning, she'd woken him up with kisses and climbed on top of him, riding him deep and slow. Looking for the reassurance she hadn't gotten the day before. It had worked in the moment. But it hadn't lasted.

"No, no, definitely not," she said as she went through each piece of clothing. She didn't like the look of anything today. It was going to be hot—it was summer in Virginia, after all—and she wanted to look cute but still casual. She got to her dresses and frowned; she didn't want to wear a dress. But then she remembered: she'd bought a romper not that long ago. She moved a little bit further down and pulled it off the rack. It was a pretty sage green color with a spaghetti strap V-neck and decorative buttons down the front. Perfect, she thought.

She pulled it on and looked in the full-length mirror on the closet door, satisfied. That was one thing down. Now she needed to decide on shoes. She moved over to where she kept her sandals—but a pair of strappy espadrille wedges caught her eye. She picked them up and set them on the carpet, sliding her feet in and buckling the straps at the ankles. She went back over to the mirror. The wedges combined with the short hem of the romper made her legs look a mile long. She smirked, feeling good; but then she worried at her lip. Will I be taller than Cash if I wear these?

She stopped, staring at her reflection with wide, surprised eyes. "Oh my God, I'm trying to look good for Cash," she realized aloud.

Her phone chirped from her bed, interrupting her thoughts. She walked over and picked it up. She had a text from Adam.

Have you left yet or are you running late like usual?

She pursed her lips as she typed up a response. Give me 30 minutes. I'll tell you my ETA once I'm out the door.

She threw her phone back on the bed and went back to getting ready, trying not to think about Cash.

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Adam and Callie's House – Aaron's Creek, Virginia

"Me, Adam, Cash, Dax, Alex," Callie repeated to herself as she made sure she had enough of everything for the cookout. "One for luck. Maybe two for luck..." she said as she counted out steaks for the grill. She'd just started to season them when Adam snuck up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist.

"Thank you for doing this," he said as he kissed her cheek. "It really means a lot to me."

"Well, this isn't all for Alex's benefit." She turned in his grasp and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him. "I don't want Cash and Dax thinking I don't know how to look after my man."

He let out a laugh. "Trust me, once they see the amount of beer and whiskey we have, they won't doubt you for a second." He glanced at the salad bowl on the kitchen island and tried to snatch a tomato, but Callie smacked his hand.

"Would you stop eating everything? Go buy the booze."

Adam held his hands up in surrender. "Yes, ma'am," he said, and Callie smirked as he grabbed his keys and went out the door.