Page 115 of Hired Husband

I slid my fingers around hers and pulled her farther into the house. As we walked, I smiled when I saw how comfortable everyone already was. It helped that they knew each other from Colin and Deja’s wedding, but they also just got along surprisingly well.

Holden, Wyatt, and Jasmine’s younger brothers were already gone, probably having a round of beers in a secluded corner somewhere. Colin, Basel, Deja, Layla, and a few of the Westwoods were laughing with Nanna in the kitchen, and my sister was deep in conversation with Ashanti, her friend, who was also married to Jasmine’s brother.

Even Cameron seemed to be having fun, and from the snippets I heard as Jasmine and I walked by, he was negotiating a camel ride with one of the Saad uncles. Meanwhile, Ryan was somehow already holding court with a group of Jasmine’s cousins, making them all crack up at whatever story he was telling.

He’d always had that ability, though. Ryan could walk into a room full of strangers and leave ten minutes later with everyone convinced they’d known him for years.

Jasmine followed my gaze, smiling when she saw who I was looking at. “That brother of yours is dangerous.”

I frowned. “Ryan? Why? He’s harmless.”

She gave me a look, one eyebrow arched and a knowing smile on her lips. “No, he appears to be harmless. That’s what makes him dangerous. He’s so charismatic that if I had a single sister, I’d be pretty worried right now.”

I laughed. “Don’t worry. As much as he loves Egypt, he’ll be back in New York in no time, wreaking whatever havoc you think he’s capable of there instead of here.”

“He’s still commuting?” She grimaced. “I know he graduated from Columbia, but does that really mean he needs to stay in New York for the rest of his life?”

I nodded solemnly. “Apparently, it was a condition of his degree.”

“Poor guy.” She laughed. “Colin was so happy when Ryan went back to Chicago to fill in for him while he had to be here.”

“Yep. We all thought he was back in the fold for good, but it turned out the move was only temporary. He’s still splitting his time between the two.”

She smirked. “Well, at least I don’t have any single sisters, so it’s not my problem anyhow.”

“Oh, but it is, because by this time tomorrow, he’s going to be your brother-in-law.”

She laughed as she tugged me toward the tables set up in the garden. “Let’s just go find our seats.”

We headed into the late afternoon sunshine, the brutal heat of the day easing ever so slightly as the hours ticked by. Group by group, our families followed, everyone taking their seats for the welcome dinner. Unsurprisingly, even though we were outside, it was still a deafeningly loud affair.

At least four conversations were constantly ongoing at every table, the music was still playing, and the kids were shouting as they ran around on the grass between the walkways. Caterers brought out enough food to feed several armies and Nanna flitted between tables, admonishing absolutely anyone who wasn’t eating.

I got my own hand smacked a few times, until eventually Jasmine saved me from physically exploding. She’d disappeared a while ago, taking off with a few of her cousins, but she suddenly tapped my shoulder from behind and brought her lips to my ear.

“Come with me,” she murmured quietly.

“Where are we going?” I asked, already standing up. “I mean, it doesn’t really matter. You already know I’ll go anywhere with you, but I’m nosy.”

She nodded toward the sea of people around us. “We’re going anywhere they aren’t. Just for a little while. I need a break.”

I took her hand and nodded my agreement. “I love you.”

“I know.” She laughed, winding her fingers around mine and leading me through the gardens and around the back of the house. “Would you still have loved me if I wasn’t stealing you away for a while?”

“Yes, but maybe a bit less,” I joked.

Jasmine laughed again. We hit the road that led down toward the Old Market and took a deep breath. “God, my ears are ringing so badly. Why are they all so loud?”

I waggled my eyebrows at her. “It’s not that they’re loud. It’s that there’s three hundred people at every get-together.”

She cracked up again and leaned into my side. I felt like we were both trying to grab hold of our thoughts after what had been a whirlwind day so far. Wandering through our favorite streets of the Old Market together, we didn’t say much, but I was happy to have some time with her before we were separated tomorrow before the wedding.

The idea of deliberately being apart for even just one day felt ridiculous at this point and I tightened my grip on her hand just thinking about it. She glanced up at me, smiling softly.

“Are you ready?”

I knew what she meant without any explanation necessary. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”