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“Going over the next quarter’s budget. Fun times. What’s wrong? You look like you have something on your mind.”
Taking a seat in the chair, I decided to cut to the chase.
“Scarlett and I are getting married.”
A wide smile spread over his face as he stood and made his way around his desk for a quick hug.
“That’s amazing, dude. Congratulations. Can’t say I’m not surprised, but I’m glad y’all are going for it. Before the baby is due?”
I nodded as I sat back down, and he returned to his desk.
“Yeah, we’re thinking Valentine’s Day. We’d like to do it before Harley has the twins.”
“Valentine’s Day? That’s right around the corner. Y’all sure you have time to plan a wedding that quick? That won’t be too stressful for Scarlett?”
“Scarlett and I want a simple wedding. Family and close friends only, so it won’t be hard to plan. Mom, Waylynn, and Joyce have all agreed to help Scarlett with the planning. Plus, we’re having it here on the ranch so that makes it simple.”
Steed’s smile dropped, and he leaned forward. Worry etched across his face instantly. “Um, here? On the ranch?”
“Yeah, that’s why I was stopping in to talk to you.”
Leaning back in his chair, Steed let out a breath. “Patches.”
“You hit the nail on the head, dude. Listen, I love Chloe with all my heart, and the whole Patches thing is funny…most of the time. Dude, Mom said the damn goat was going to be in the wedding.”
He rubbed along his jaw, like he was trying to figure out how to break the bad news to me. “Mom has pretty much accepted the fact that the damn goat is a member of the family.”
“Isn’t he?”
“Okay, so you’re here to talk about how we can keep Patches out of the wedding?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, we could keep the wedding a secret from Chloe. Spring it on her last minute, throw her off-guard so she doesn’t have time to make any plans.”
The tension in my shoulders lifted. This was a halfway decent plan. “That might work. Keep the youngest Parker woman out of the loop. I like this.”
“But Waylynn is still somewhat bitter about all the occasions Patches has crashed the party. She may spill the beans to Chloe just to get back at you.”
“For what?” I exclaimed. “I haven’t done anything to her.”
Steed lifted a brow. “It’s Waylynn. She doesn’t need a reason.”
I nodded. “That’s true.”
“For all we know, she’s already planning the outfit Patches will wear to the wedding.”
We both shuddered. “God, I hope not.”
“Maybe I have Mom and Joyce give Waylynn the wrong day for the wedding.”
“That might work,” Steed agreed.
A throat cleared behind us and I turned to see Paxton standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Hey, baby! What brings you here? Where’s Gage?”
“With your mom. What in the world are the two of you doing?”
Steed made his way to his wife and kissed her on the lips. “Trevor and Scarlett are getting married here at the ranch on Valentine’s Day.”
Paxton smiled and hugged me. “Trevor! This is so amazing! I’m so happy for y’all!”
“Thanks, Paxton. I know it’s fast, but Scarlett wants to get married, and we figured Valentine’s Day would be nice. We thought about March, but with Harley due, we wanted her to be able to be there.”
“Harley was put on bedrest today. Tripp said she hasn’t stopped bitching in Spanish since they left the doctor’s office.”
“What?” I said at the same time as Steed.
“I mean, she might be able to come to the wedding if she asked the doctor. They just don’t want her going into labor too soon.”
“Are the babies okay?”
“Yep! They’re doing great, but Harley’s little body is taking a beating with those two. It’s just a precautionary thing.”
I sighed. “Damn. Then maybe we should move it to March?”
“Why don’t you talk to Tripp and Harley? It might be sort of nice to do it during the spring fling, when y’all first officially dated. Then you can dance with her as your wife.”
I smiled. “You’re saying get married right before the spring fling?”
Steed clapped his hands together. “Or what about during it? Y’all could get married right at the beginning of the benefit dinner. You know Mom will have Patches locked away for that. There is no chance of Chloe sweet talking her out of it.”
A rush of renewed energy ripped through my body, and I grabbed my brother. “You’re a fucking genius! Not only will Mom love this idea, but it will take care of Patches without having to hurt Chloe’s feelings. This is brilliant!”
“You are both terrible. Poor Patches. He only wants to be a part of the family.”
“He can be. He just can’t be a part of my wedding.”
Paxton grinned. “Oh, have you not met Patches? Where there is a will, there is a way.”
