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“I’m not carrying a soccer ball down the aisle.”
“It’s not a soccer ball. It’s a bouquet that looks like a soccer ball, and Avery’s wedding isn’t about you, London. It’s about her and her love of sports.”
“It’s also about Declan. Why in the world were you looking at flower arrangements this morning, anyway?”
“I was looking at some of the centerpiece options from your Etsy site, and I went down a rabbit hole that included soccer ball flower arrangements.”
His phone pings with an alert, and he apologizes while he checks the message.
I pretend to look out the window when really, I’m staring at Jackson’s profile in the dark glass. At least until I realize that we’re no longer headed toward the city. We pass a sign indicating that we’re about five miles from a private airfield. “Where exactly is this meeting?”
“Hmm?” Jackson slips his phone into his inside pocket and smiles distractedly.
“I thought the meeting was in the city.”
“It is.”
“Then why are we heading toward an airfield and not Denver?”
“Because we won’t make it to the meeting on time if we drive.” He clasps his hands in his lap and smiles innocently at me.
I narrow my eyes. “What city is the meeting in?”
“New York.” He busies himself with buttoning his suit jacket. It makes the muscles in his arms flex distractingly.
“Is this the minor change in plans?”
“No. I thought I told you about the location.”
“Uh no, Jackson, you failed to mention this meeting was halfway across the country. If this isn’t the change in plans, what the heck is?”
“Hmm. Are you sure I didn’t mention it? Maybe you weren’t paying attention? You have had a lot on your plate recently,” he muses.
I’m somewhere between flabbergasted and offended. “I always pay attention. Always. I’m meticulous when it comes to details!”
His smile widens and his eyes twinkle. I want to poke him in one, because he clearly enjoys seeing me flustered. “This is true most of the time. It must have slipped my mind. It’s a short flight, and we’ll be back early tomorrow morning.”
“Early tomorrow morning?” I need to stop repeating everything he says to me. “All I have is my purse. I don’t have a change of clothes, or makeup, or a brush. Or anything.”
“All of those things have already been taken care of.” He’s so matter of fact. I can’t decide if it’s alluring or infuriating or both.
I cross my arms. “What do you mean they’ve been taken care of?” I ask, attempting to imitate his voice.
“I cleared it with your sisters ahead of time. Harley packed you a bag with all of the things she thought you would need for an overnight.”
“Wait a second, you pulled my sisters into this? They already know? And you had Harley pack me a bag? That means she had to go through my underwear drawer!”
“Does she have a particularly strong aversion to your underwear drawer?” The way his gaze moves over me is both stimulating and frustrating.
I don’t know why I felt the need to mention my underwear, but now that we’re on the topic, I can’t seem to stop. “She’s my sister. We live together. There are boundaries, and touching my underwear should be one of them. And my underwear drawer has other things in it.” Oh my God, London, shut up about your underwear drawer. I wave a hand around trying to erase my words. “That’s not the point. They know I hate surprises!”
“To be fair, I was unaware of your extreme dislike of surprises.”
Now I know why my sisters were acting so weird this morning, and why Harley was up so early and told me to go on ahead to Spark House without her and that Avery would pick her up. “What if all she packed were pajamas? What am I going to do then?” I can see her doing something like that. Packing lacy business, thinking she’s being funny.
I can tell he’s fighting a smile. “Whatever you need, I can have picked up for you. I gave her a list of things I thought you might need. We can go over it right now if you like.” He plucks his phone from his pocket again. Apparently he’s serious about reviewing the list.
“You made her a list? Were underwear even on it?” I need to stop coming back to that point.
“I thought they were an unspoken essential,” he says while smirking. “And like I said, if you don’t have something you need, it can be picked up for you.”
I pin him with what I hope is an unimpressed glare. “You do realize this isn’t how it works for the rest of the world, right? We don’t just make phone calls and things magically appear.”
“Well, to be fair, London, there won’t be any real magic involved. I’ll have Aylin go to an actual store and pick these items up.”
