Read Online Unexpected Wedding by Carla Rossi - Free Book Online Page A

and swayed, their shadows passing through the flashing neon lights of the carnival rides and reflecting in Rocky’s big brown eyes. “First of all, I’m not going to let you spend any more money trying to win something we can buy on the way home at a gas station. Second, you had your fun showing off. I’ve got more novelty toys here than a gift shop in a truck stop. And what do I need with a gargantuan flyswatter and a fat, two-foot number two pencil?”
    “Hey, that thing really works.”
    “Do you see any two-foot composition books around here to go with it?”
    “Nope. I thought you could donate all that to the prop box at camp.”
    “I will.” She pressed her nose to the bear. “All except this little guy. I’m keeping him.”
    “I can still get the big one.”
    “You are not getting the big one.” She dug in her stash for the t-shirts he’d won earlier and tossed him one. “I think we should put these on.”
    “No.”
    “Why not? They’re hilarious.” She held up hers. “It’s a huge floppin’ catfish with enormous blueberry eyes. Where else can we see this?”
    “Thankfully nowhere.”
    “Put it on,” she urged.
    “It’s too small.”
    “No it’s not. Large is the only size they had and you are not that big. C’mon. I’m going to find that ladies room and put on mine.”
    He met her gaze and arched a brow. His lopsided grin grew into a smile. He was too cute when he was about to give in.
    “All right. I have to go wash up anyway. I’ll meet you back here in ten or fifteen. I can’t remember where I saw the accessible bathroom.”
    “Want me to go with you? I have that map here somewhere.”
    “No, but if you don’t have that t-shirt on when I get back I’m not letting you stay for the fireworks.”
    “A deal’s a deal,” she said and grabbed her plastic bag full of loot.
    The busy, stuffy bathroom reminded her of camp. People dashed in and out, slamming doors and dropping wads of paper towels on the sticky floor.
    She quickly peeled off her yellow top and slipped on the tee. It hung well past her waist, and the giant sleeves made her look like she was about to take flight. Still, it was funny.
    Something else surprised her about the look she saw in the mirror. She was grinning. Like from ear to ear. She never did that. Of course, she smiled at camp and that did make her happy, but this grin was about having a good time. And really, when was the last time she had a genuine good time with a guy?
    She splashed water on her cheeks, smoothed her wild, sweaty hair, and put on a fresh coat of lip gloss.
    Then she waited for Rocky by the wall as ten to fifteen turned into more like twenty-five to thirty.
    She texted him a question mark.
    He didn’t respond, but within seconds he rounded the corner toward the massive oak. He had a passenger.
    He came to a stop in front of her. The big purple bear sat in his lap. “Here,” he said and pushed it into her arms.
    “I thought we agreed we would stick with the baby yellow bear and that we didn’t need to waste any more money on the big purple bear.”
    He shook his head. “I didn’t agree to anything. Nice shirt, by the way.”
    She’d almost forgotten about that in her efforts to prop her new friend on the wall beside her. When she took a good look at his, it surprised her. The shirt was too small for him. Muscles bulged everywhere and stretched the once happy blueberry-eyed catfish into a sad misshapen blob. She struggled to read the words.
    “All right, you win, you need to take that off. It looks like you shrunk a load of laundry.”
    “Not now. You started this.” He motioned toward his chest and flexed his biceps for show. “I’m a former college football player. I told you I had a lot going on up here and that a large wouldn’t fit right.”
    She stood and pointed at her own new mini-dress. “Well, I apparently don’t have enough going on up here... Uh... Never mind. What am I supposed to do with this bear?”
    “We can