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Archer only sets his hands on his hips and shrugs. “Beats me. I’m not sure if he knows how to be nice or normal. And he has no experience with respectable.”
“He has Debbie!”
“Her name is Christabelle. And although I doubt he’ll ever touch you, for fear Christabelle will destroy him in every way imaginable, I doubt his brain will be quick enough to shut down the annoying shit he spouts off without thinking.”
“Felix is coming to my wedding!” I yank the shorts up my legs and around to cover my ass, then I look straight up as a giant helicoptershoop-shoop-shoopsabove us. “Can that thing even land on a boat? Will we tip over?”
Grinning, he comes around the chair—in a totally normal, respectable way—and stops only when our toes touch and my neck folds back to keep his face in my vision. “It lands just fine. They’ve done it a hundred times already. Micah’s got skills.”
“Micah?” I jolt back and almost topple when my heels hit the legs of the next chair. “Micah can fly a helicopter?”
Archer shrugs. “His skills are multifaceted.”
“Micah is coming to my wedding, too!” My heart thunders. It’s ridiculous how giddy I am to see people I rarely see in regular day-to-day life, anyway. “This was your surprise? You kept this secret from me all week?”
“Ha. Well…” Stepping forward, he wraps me in his arm and leads me along the deck, while above, the helicopter whirs tooloud to speak over. Far too loud to hear over. “We gotta stay on this deck,” he shouts. The helicopter’s blades create waves in the water, and sends all the diving birds away, fleeing for safety. “There’s not enough room up there for us to wait.”
My hands shake. I’m on a giant boat, with a giant helicopter coming in for a landing. I’m wearing a giant friggin’ diamond on my left hand. And despite my giant bad mood about all this ridiculous stuff, I feel nothing but glee at this moment.
“Get ready,” he shouts again. But just as the words escape his lips, the helicopter touches down and jars the entire boat so I would have pitched straight off the side if not for his hold. Waves lap at the bow—the stern?The bottom!—of the boat, loud enough to be heard over the chopper’s blades. But the pilot—Micah—is good at what he does. He settles it on the roof and shuts the engines down fast, the pitch of the blades’shoop-shoop-shoopchanging almost instantly. It’s like turning your car off after a long drive, as the engine clicks and the steel works to cool down.
“How does the roof not collapse under all that weight?”
“Engineering, baby. That’s what those folks are paid to figure out.” He pulls me in tight and leads me to the bottom of the stairs. Then pointing straight up, he only shakes his head when a brightly dressed Aubree bursts into view, her short shorts, tiny enough to make my brows pop, and her t-shirt, cut off enough to expose her belly. “Surprise,” he murmurs.
“Minnie!” Aubree waves her hands and dashes down the stairs, skipping every second one and risking her ankle and life on the way. But she’s too loud, too excited to stop and realize she’s on a giant friggin’ boat too. “I’m here!” She bounds off the last step and throws herself into my arms, so we clash with a boom.
If not for Archer’s hold, I’d pitch over the side.
Again.
“I missed you, Chief!” She wraps her arms and legs around my body and smacks an obnoxious kiss on my cheek. “A whole week away was stupid.”
“Get off me!” I try for stern. For serious. I attempt to push the woman away and unravel her legs from my body, but a part of me, half of me at least, settles in for the hug and absorbs every last wave of love she throws my way. “Doctor Emeri,” I faux scold. “You look like a fool.”
“I love you too.” She squeezes me again, groaning loudly to match her exertion. “I missed you so much. I wanna come on your next honeymoon.”
“Why are you even here?” I pull back and release my arms, forcing her to stand or fall to her ass. “You didn’t tell me you were coming!”
“It was a surprise.” She fixes her top, pulling the too-short fabric down, only for it to spring up again the moment she releases it. “Just one of Archer’s devious plans.”
“Aunty Minka!” Mia bounds to the top of the stairs, the four-year-old with soft brown curls, white, short overalls, and a purple stuffed monkey squeezed under her arm. “Aunty Minka! I went on a helicopter!”
In stunned disbelief, I look at Archer. My eyes sting—it’s not tears—and my jaw quivers. “Really?”
“Go.” He nods toward the stairs. “Greet your guests. There’s room for you up there now.”
“Oh my gosh.” I break away and charge upwards, scooping Mia into my arms and carrying her much the same way Aubree wanted to be carried. Then I emerge onto the roof deck and find so much more. Tim, my favorite bearded lumberjack, and Fletch, the flirt I never get mad at for flirting with me. These men pass me and Mia from one set of arms to the next.
“No way was I missing out on this, Delicious.” Fletch presses a noisy kiss to my hair before passing me along.
“A little tan looks good on your skin, Mayet.” Tim drags me in and gives a little squeeze. Then leaning closer, he grunts, “Now put a shirt on Aubree before I kick her ass. Apropershirt.”
“You give her yours.” Laughing, I step in again and accept his crushing hug. “Do something about it, Tim, or step aside.”
“Chief Mayet…”
I turn at that voice and jolt when I find Fifi wringing her hands together. A sweet sundress hugging her curves, and inch-high wedges strapped around her perfectly manicured feet.
