Page 35 of Seein’ Red

“Talking about kegs and eggs?” Hux asks.

Ugggggghhhhh, that is not what this is called!

“Yup,” Milo confirms.

“Here’s what I want to know. Why is Dolly only catering that?” Hux continues, invoking the name of his childhood best friend and the woman who now runs the town’s greasy spoon, Dolly’s—after her grandmother. With six older brothers, Dolly McLain was the closest thing I had to an older sister growing up, and I secretly wished for Hux to ask her out. That never did happen, and now she’s engaged to some guy from Tifton. “Why isn’t she doing the whole wedding?”

“First off, not my wedding to cater,” I quip. “Second, maybe it’s because Kenzie wants her to be able to attend the wedding and actually enjoy it, rather than worrying about the food?”

“She could have done both.”

“I’ll remember that for your wedding.” I give him a pointed look, as if I could one-up him in this department. I can’t though, since all six of my brothers are as single as they come. Just like me.

Although, I might be a party of two here soon enough…

Bzzzzzzzzzzz…

Another rattle of my phone steals the attention of the whole room, my nerves starting to grate. All six men stare at it, then up at me, clearly wondering why I’m not taking it. I don’t bother giving in to their inquisitive looks but simply move it to sit on top of my notepad so it will stop making that horrible noise.

“You’re gonna have to have the memory of an elephant, my girl, if you’re going to remember a detail for Hux’s wedding,” our father, Auggie, says, sliding into his chair. “I have a feelin’ we’ll be waitin’ on that one for a long time.”

His strong, quiet demeanor easily commands the room, his southern accent as thick as molasses, all of us turning our attention to him. Hux, however, still has a comment.

“Hey now, somewhere out there, it’s sundown, and there’s a pretty little thing just waitin’ on me to find her.”

“Well, we know she’s not in Tifton, since you’ve been through all the girls there,” Anton mutters.

“Because you have room to talk? Your perfect woman isn’t gonna sprout up in the peach grove,” Milo says.

“Least I’m not this one,” Anton adds, hooking a thumb in Gus’s direction. “Still trying to read a smeared phone number.”

I bite back my laugh as Gus flips them the bird, same as he did last night when we had this exact same conversation. There’s a comfort to it though, knowing that no matter what, my brothers are consistent. They’re also fiercely protective of and loyal to each other…and me. Without question, they will make the best uncles ever.

Something they might all be sooner rather than later.

Shit, I’m going to have to tell them. All of them. In all my worry about am I or aren’t I, getting to the point where I have to tell people hadn’t fully registered. Especially owning up to how I got this way and with who.

Oh fuck… Now the nausea is back. I really need to get that test.

“Willa, do you need to get that?” my father asks.

“Huh?”

“Your phone is going off.” He points to my notebook, which is vibrating along with the device sitting on top of it. Fucking Nash.

“No, it’s fine.”

“You sure? What if it’s Kenzie? It’s wedding week…”

Yes, I am aware it’s wedding week. With the way this whole family is acting you’d think I was getting married. Lord, if they are this way now, I’m not sure I want to see what they’re like when I get married. If I get married.

“It’s not.”

“How do you know?” Jace lobs out there with a snark to his tone that resembles mine.

I glare at him. How dare he try and steal my move.

“Because I do. That is who I am, Jace. I’m pretty and I know things.”