Page 113 of Auctioned To Be Mine

“Come on,” he said, handing me a fresh glass of tea. “Everyone’s sitting down.”

I took it and let him pull me to my feet. He kissed the side of my head as we headed down to the main deck with Cleo behind us.

The table was long and beautifully set. White linens, simple centerpieces of hydrangeas. It was the kind of effortless elegance I’d come to associate with anything the Blackwells touched. Max sat at the head with Tiana beside him, her hair loose and her face relaxed. Hollis and Micah were already seated, deep in conversation. Beau was pouring wine. Jeremy was taking pictures of the coastline on his phone. Drew was getting ready to address everyone.

I slid into the seat next to Callum and looked around the table at all of them. This family that had swallowed me whole without once asking my permission. I was grateful every single day that they had. They didn’t even give me the option of not wanting to be a part of their group.

“The last quarter numbers came in,” Drew announced. “We’re up twenty percent over projections.”

Cleo turned to look at him. “Seriously?”

He looked insufferably pleased with himself. “I’m incredible.”

“The store is incredible,” Callum said. “You’re just the one standing in it.”

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Drew said. “I was very gracious about accepting the position.”

“The wedding section has been doing beautifully,” Cleo said. “We have more work than we can handle. We’ve had to decline a few appointments and raise our rates.”

“Speaking of weddings, I forgot to tell you something,” Callum said.

He looked at me when he said it.

“Tell me what?” I asked, feeling a nervous flutter in my stomach.

“I got a call this week. New client inquiry. High profile.” He was already smiling, which meant he was enjoying this. “You want to guess whose wedding it’s for?”

I grinned and shook my head. “No, I don’t want to guess. Just tell me.”

“Chantilly Giles,” he said. “She’s getting married. To Jack Montana.”

I stared at him. “What?”

He took a sip of his wine and nodded. “Yup, she wants to be a Blackwell bride”

“They’re getting married,” I said.

“They’re engaged as of last month apparently. The announcement was quiet. Her people reached out to us directly.” He tilted his head. “Apparently she’s a fan of the store.”

Chantilly, who had been the reason everything began, was going to walk down the aisle in a Blackwell gown. The universe had a very interesting sense of humor.

“So your little fire alarm stunt created a love match,” I said.

“Drew’s fire alarm stunt,” Callum corrected.

Drew raised both hands. “I’ll take full credit. As we’ve established, I’m incredible.”

“They met on the same night we did,” I said with a scowl. “And they’re already getting married?”

“They are.”

“Hmm,” I said and took a drink of my tea.

Callum glanced around the table. “Actually, I want to say something. Before I do, I want you all to know that I didn’t bring everyone out here today just for lunch.”

I turned to look at him. “What’s going on?”

He didn’t answer me right away. He kept his eyes on his family for another moment. “You all know that I’m not someone who talks about what matters to me. I’ve never been good at it. I’ve always been better at doing than saying.” A small smile crossed his face. “But I’ve been learning. Slowly.”