“Of course I’m thinking about it!” he hisses, lowering his head like his sleeping girlfriend has developed the ability to extend her neck down hallways and around corners. “I’ve been thinking about it since the first time she looked at me. Our time will come. Don’t bring it up again.”
I smile, leaning my head against the cushions. He’s such a hopeless romantic, it’s ridiculous. He tookallof that trait in our family tree. Every single morsel of it. He spent forever looking for his Arden, and I’ll spend forever avoiding mine.
“What did you have to tell me?” I ask.
He reaches up and lifts his hat off his head, running his hand over his hair. “How do you feel about a wedding?”
My brow furrows. I slide my laptop onto the coffee table and take another bite of my donut. “I thought you just said youweren’tpopping the question?”
“I’m not,” he says, stretching his arms behind him. “Lowesy’s wedding is in a few weeks and I asked Boston to put you down as his plus one.”
I nearly spit chocolate chunks all over the couch. “Youwhat?”
His eyes go stern. “As hisplus one,not his date. I want to make thatveryclear. I’m hoping you’ll come with us. I know how much you love a good wedding. He agreed.”
I cough, swallowing the donut as best as I can. “He said yes?”
Carter is now eying me suspiciously. “As a favour to me, yeah. He’ll be at the head table, so again, youwon’tbe his date. You understand that, right?”
“I mean,” I say, pursing my mouth and angling my head. “Technically,I will be.”
“Technically, you won’t be shit. You will be a plus one,” he counters, his voice sharp. “I mean it, Ari. No bullshit with him, okay? The poor guy is terrified of you. I want you at the wedding and he isn’t bringing anyone. That’s all it is. I’ll pay for your flight and your stay. Just fucking behave, alright?”
My eyes light up, and he instantly realizes his mistake. Boston isterrifiedof me? Oh, that makes things much more interesting. Much more fun.
“Ariana,please.”
“Fine. Fine!” I hold up my hands in defeat, but I think we both know I will not forget that information. It will be stored until a later date. “You’re lucky I have a little cash saved up. I can buy myself a pretty dress.”
Carter shakes his head. “Focus on paying your bills in California and waiting for your severance package. Go shopping with Arden this weekend. I already told her to take my card so you both can spoil yourselves. Lunch, your dresses, and whatever else you need is on me.”
“Carter—” I go to protest, because his generosity never stops and I can’t keep accepting it. He just said he’s paying for my flight and hotel for a week in Canada, and now my dress?
“Don’t argue with me,” he says, resting his head on the back of the couch. He holds out his hand in request, so I pass him a piece of my donut. His blue eyes dart up to mine. “Let me take care of my girls. Okay?”
I lean my cheek against my shoulder and smile at him, feeling like the ten-year-old who fell in love with volleyball, andwhose parents never took it seriously. I remember looking into the stands at my championship game, where everyone’s parents sat except mine, and seeing an entire hockey team holding signs with my name on it. Because my brother has always shown up. He’s always taken care of me.
“You know, if you ever have a daughter, you’re absolutely screwed.”
He will be completely wrapped around her finger the moment she opens her eyes.
He snorts, letting out a deep, happy laugh. “Don’t I fucking know it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
boston
“Hey, buddy.”Lowesy smiles cheekily, hauling his front door open to let me inside.
He’s a bit too chipper to see me. He always greets me with this level of energy because I offer about one percent ofthatin all my interactions, ever. I swear he thinks one day he’ll get me to crack and I’ll start singing show tunes with him on the weekends or something. He’s tried to drag me up to sing karaoke at least fifty times. Number of times he’s succeeded?
Zero.
I kick off my shoes, hearing an unnatural silence. “Where are the dogs?”
“Lucky took them on a walk.”
We head right for the balcony, where he already has two cold beers waiting for us, unopened. I’m grateful. The summer heat is a bit stifling today, and there is nothing better than a cold one to take that simmering edge off, especially after a morning spent doing labour on the farm.
