I feel a slight blush form over my cheeks, while Aubrey simply turns red from head to toe. She quickly swivels in my arms and buries her face in my chest. “Oh my God!” she gasps out against my shirt.
“So, baby Brey, how was lollipop town this morning? Sure you still got room for breakfast?” Emma continues, making everyone laugh hard and my girl wishing she could crawl into my skin.
“Okay, okay. That’s enough,” I tell them, chuckling myself because it is kind of funny.
“God, I’m horrified,” Aubrey mumbles into her hands when I push her away slightly.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, sweetheart. It happens to everyone,” I reassure her, pulling her hands away and pecking each of her reddened cheeks.
My phone pings and I pull it out of my pocket to find a gate alert. “That must be the cleaning crew,” I say out loud as I pull upthe feed but instantly frown when I see a town car. “Yes?” I say, pressing the microphone icon.
“Open up, little brother! We’re here to see our sister.” Eden’s voice comes through as her head pops out the back window and she waves to the camera.
“Eden’s here?” Aubrey asks, looking down at my phone.
I chuckle and let the car through. “She said ‘we’re here’, which means she’s not alone. My guess is Phoebe and Leah are with her, too.”
“Oh, yay! I miss your sisters.” Aubrey grins excitedly.
I don’t share quite the same excitement, though. I love my sisters, but I was hoping for a night alone with Aubrey. And I know how my family works, they never come down for just one day. But tomorrow the renovations are starting, which might convince them to leave earlier.
I hold Aubrey by the waist and kiss her head. “Why don’t you get something to eat, I’ll let them in?”
She goes off to her friends just as Marianne hands her a glass of apple juice. I head over to the front door just in time to see all three of my sisters step out of the town car, as well as Hailey. “Hailes?”
“They insisted I join them.” She lifts her arms in the air and laughs.
“Move out of the way brother, we’re here to hijack our other sister for some shopping.” Eden shoves me out of the way as she bulldozes past me. It’s then I register they don’t have any suitcases with them.Good, they don’t plan on staying the night.
I laugh. “That might be a problem since all her friends are here.”
“Her friends are here this early in the morning?” Leah asks as she pats me on the shoulder and passes by me.
“Yes, we had an impromptu wedding last night in the backyard, which resulted in them spending the night here.” Justthen my phone alerts me again, and this time it really is the cleaning crew.
“Hi, little brother.” Phoebe comes up next, kissing my cheek. “Sorry for the unannounced visit, but they wanted to surprise you.”
“Hey, big sis.” I bring her in for a hug. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
“As long as we’re gone by nightfall, right?” She smiles knowingly. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that disappointed look on your face when you saw us.”
I chuckle, cupping the back of my neck. “Sorry, I was just really looking forward to some one-on-one time with my fiancée.”
She pats my chest. “And you’ll get it. I need to be back in Detroit early in the morning, so we’re catching a late flight out.”
I nod as two vans pull up while the town car leaves. “Why don’t you head in, I’ll show these guys out back, and join you all in the kitchen? Or dining room. They may have moved to there by now. We were just about to have breakfast. Help yourselves if you’re hungry.”
I greet the workers and bring them to the backyard that looks like a hurricane has passed through it.They definitely have their work cut out for them.When I get back inside, I find Hailey waiting by the patio doors for me.
“How are you, Hailes?” I throw my arm around her shoulders as we walk toward the rest of the gang.
“I’m great, and you? Still living in paradise? Congratulations on the engagement.” She grins at me.
“It’s more than paradise.” I smile back.
She points behind us with her thumb where the workers are. “That was kind of you to host a wedding in your home. Not many people would do that.”
I shrug. “It was time for them to get married, and we were already all here. I didn’t mind and it made Aubrey happy.” That’sall that really matters. “And you, excited for your big day?” Hailey’s wedding to Henry is in just under two weeks, where Aubrey and I, as well as my entire family, are set to attend.
