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“That’s Dominic’s son Dean coming down the steps with his wife Courtney and their two kids, Zoey and Hudson. Courtney is Scarlett’s best friend.”
“Ooh…the whole best friend’s older brother thing, huh? That’s a seriously popular trope in romance novels.”
Beside her, he chuckled. “If you say so, but…yeah. I think I heard that Hudson had an ear infection, so they had to miss the wedding. Great couple, though. Dean also owns a repair shop on the other side of town. They’re not quite a chain, but they had such a great reputation that they needed a second location.”
“That’s very cool.” She paused and noticed Garrett and Emma walking their way. Savannah waved and noticed that they were both grinning. It was nice that they were happy, but they almost seemed…giddy.
“Hey,” Garrett said as he stepped into the gazebo. He and Jackson shook hands before he hugged her, and then Emma came in and hugged them both.
“Why do you both look so goofy?” Jackson bluntly asked.
Garrett looked over his shoulder before facing them. “Okay, we weren’t going to say anything to anyone yet, but…if you two can keep a secret…?”
“We’re pregnant!” Emma said excitedly. “Honeymoon baby!”
“Holy crap! That’s great! Congratulations!” Jackson grabbed them both in a fierce hug before Savannah joined in. “Why don’t you want to say anything?”
“Geez, dude. Are you serious?” Garrett asked. “This is a memorial for Dad. And Austin and Mia just had Everly. We don’t want to take anything else away from them. As it is, Dad dying basically the day after she was born really made it hard to celebrate. So we figured we’d just wait a little while.”
“And yet you lasted all of thirty seconds before blurting it out to us,” Jackson pointed out, and Savannah playfully smacked his arm. “What? It’s the truth.”
“We had to tell someone,” Emma said quietly, even though she was still smiling brightly. “We haven’t even told my folks yet because they definitely can’t keep a secret and they’re coming today so…you guys are it. If anyone finds out, we’ll know you blabbed.”
“My lips are sealed,” Savannah said solemnly. “I swear.”
All eyes turned to Jackson.
“Well…shit. Fine. I won’t say a word, but…” He glanced at Savannah. “You’ll just have to shut me up with a kiss if it seems like I may blab.”
“I’m on to you,” she said with a laugh. “Although I don’t think making out at a memorial service is really sending the right message.”
“Are you kidding me? In this family, you’d be surprised,” Garrett said before cracking himself up. “Now come on. We need to go and welcome everyone.”
* * *
“That isMia’s best friend, Sydney. She’s married to Scarlett’s brother Kyle,” he explained with a small huff. His throat was getting sore from talking so much about every single person who showed up. He knew Savannah was curious, but damn there were a lot of people here.
“And who’s that with them?”
Standing next to Savannah, Emma replied, “Oh, that’s Sydney’s niece Haley. Syd is her guardian and she moved back to Magnolia to take care of her when her sister and brother-in-law died in a car accident. Haley’s 17 and currently dating my little brother, Wyatt. How cute is that?”
“Wow!” Savannah’s eyes went wide. “This is all getting to sound a little like a soap opera.”
“Only with a little less drama,” Emma said.
“That’s debatable,” Jackson murmured. “But yeah, that’s Kyle and Sydney. They just had their second baby two months ago, right, Em?”
“Yup. She and Mia are thrilled to have babies so close together. They’re already hoping they’ll be best friends.”
“That’s so sweet.”
His cousin Peyton came walking over, arm in arm with her fiancé, Ryder. “Hey,” she said somberly. “We just wanted to say how sorry we are about your dad. It was nice to get to reconnect with him this last month, and I can’t even imagine how you’re all feeling.”
Ryder nodded. “I have to admit that I didn’t have the best opinion of him after his last visit, but it was nice to get to know him and understand his situation a little more. We really are sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks,” both Garrett and Jackson murmured.
“It’s kind of cool having everyone together,” Peyton said. “I know we were just here for the wedding, but this feels a little more relaxed and like the cookouts Pops used to host.”
