Road Trip With The Best Man. Sophie Pembroke

know, it’s funny. My brother never told me all that much about you at all. Whirlwind romance, was it?’

      Dawn looked away at his obvious attempt to turn the questioning round on her. ‘I wouldn’t say “whirlwind”.’

      They’d been together over three months before Justin had proposed. That wasn’t whirlwind, was it?

      ‘And a short engagement too.’ He glanced away from the road to raise an eyebrow at her.

      ‘Well, my work secondment was almost over, and if I wanted to stay, well, we had to make some decisions quickly.’

      ‘I’m sure. Of course, I know my mother was scandalised at having to try and plan a whole wedding in so short a time.’

      ‘We were lucky her name opened a lot of doors when it came to finding a venue,’ Dawn admitted.

      ‘You mean her money.’

      ‘Both, probably.’ Of course, that had also meant that Mrs Edwards had had the first and final say on where they held the wedding, what it looked like and who they invited.

      ‘Hmm.’

      Dawn frowned. ‘Is there something you’re not asking me? I mean, something you want to know?’ Because it felt very much like he was skirting around some accusation she couldn’t quite grasp. ‘Wait—did you think we had to get married? You know, for...old-fashioned reasons?’ The kind of reason that would have had her father on Justin’s doorstep demanding he marry his daughter now he’d ruined her.

      ‘You mean, did I think you were pregnant? No.’ Cooper’s words were blunt, unemotional, but the image they brought up stung Dawn’s heart all the same.

      She’d imagined it, even if he hadn’t. Her life with Justin. A family of her own. All of it.

      And now it was never, ever going to happen.

      Turning in her seat, Dawn stared out of the window at the lights and landscape rushing past. San Francisco Bay stretched out under them as they crossed the road bridge back to the mainland, on the interstate at last. The road that would take them all the way across the country. All the way to Justin and closure.

      ‘You might as well try and sleep some more,’ Cooper said suddenly. ‘I’ll stop in Sacramento so we can eat. Then it’s your turn to drive.’

      Her turn. Right.

      ‘You’re sure you don’t just want me to drop you off somewhere so you can fly home?’ she asked. ‘I promise I’ll look after the stupid car.’

      But Cooper shook his head. ‘No. We’re in this together now.’

      ‘Why?’ Who in their right mind would want to take this trip with her?

      ‘I have my reasons.’ And obviously no interest in sharing them with her.

      Dawn sighed and rested her head against the window again. If she needed to drive on the interstate, she really should try to sleep.

      Besides, apparently she had plenty more days ahead of her to figure out exactly what Cooper was getting out of this crazy road trip.