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“Did you and Uncle Landon get married on your trip?” she asked as Jurnee and Summer walked up right behind her. Embry was all smiles not having a clue that was one question that needed to be avoided like the plague. My mouth dropped open in shock and my gaze swung to the right and I caught Landon choking, as he cleared his throat.
I knew something had been coming, but I was not expecting that.
“Well, did you?” she asked again but carried on before anyone could get a word in. “When I told my best friend Rachel that my aunt and uncle went to Las Vegas, she said that means you are getting married.” She paused just long enough to take a breath so she could continue her rant. “She told me her mommy and daddy got married there, so you would too. And Rachel told me some other stuff too—”
She stopped mid-sentence, and abruptly turned around to her mom. “Mommy, if they already got married then I don’t get to wear another pretty dress and spread flowers for Auntie Alley, do I?” Her little lip jutted out in a pout, and it was hard to not melt at the sight. Then again, I was trying to figure out how to get out of this pickle it seemed I was in, so I wasn’t turning to mush quite like usual.
Finally, before she could get going again, Jurnee jumped in.It is about damn time.“Sweetheart, why don’t you come with me and we will go down and start watching for their bags, okay?” My friend may have been addressing her daughter, but her knowing eyes were accessing me. My girl could tell something was up.
“Yay, I like the spinning thing,” Embry said, forgetting all about me and Landon now, as she and Jurnee started to head off. But just as she turned, her eyes landed on a very specific item and sparked with animation.
She ran back to me, grabbed my hand and squealed. “It is so shiny and pretty. I knew you would get married!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down.
Jurnee rushed up and peeled her daughter away as she stared at my hand in shock. “Let's go grab the bags, girly,” she said to her daughter.
And once again Embry’s attention was on something else, as she took hold of her mom's hand and they headed off. But not before Jurnee looked at me and mouthed,‘married’,her big brown eyes, as large as saucers.
“I’ll come with you!” Landon shouted out to the girls.
Coward.I couldn’t believe he was going to stand there and leave me with his sister. And not only that, but he fueled the fire before he went.
Leaning in close to my ear, he laid his palm gently on my upper arm. “Hey wifey, don’t go trying to ditch me now. You are not hiding from me anymore.” It was my turn to choke. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but Summer was watching the exchange very closely and before I could do a thing, he dropped his hand and walked off.
I was trying to tell myself I didn’t miss his closeness, but when he’d touched me and whispered in my ear, another little piece of last night came rushing back. Landon’s hand hadn’t just been on my arm, it had roamed my whole naked body.
And dammit I liked it.
“You might want to spill the beans to me before we get to your brother’s house because you know he can usually read you like a book,” Summer said with a smirk and quirk of her brows.
“Who said I was going to my brother’s? I need to get home and unpack,” I told her.
Summer smiled. “Good luck telling your niece that, she made welcome home signs and everything.”
Well shit.
“Yup, that face tells me she will have you there without a struggle. So let’s try this again. Is there a story you would like to tell me?” She raised her eyebrows and motioned with her eyes to my ring.
“Nope,” I said, popping the P. “Let’s go.”
It was my turn to walk away, but Summer was right on my heels.
Landon could take a spot in the hot seat with me when we got there, there was no way I was the only one getting grilled.
This was his fault. Well, I couldn’t remember everything, so I honestly didn’t know whose fault it was, but when in doubt, blame it on the man.
* * *
ALLEY
The hot seat was on fire.
Since Landon had his own car at the airport, I had got a little space from him on the drive to my brother and Jurnee’s house. It was time I needed to regroup in my head because so much had happened in Vegas, and I honestly didn’t know what I was going to do.
Embry had forgotten about the marriage topic and had rambled on about school and how her best friend Rachel and she were just like her mom, Summer, and me. She went on to say they would be friends forever like us. It was adorable and I hoped she would have what I did. Friends like mine were hard to find, like a needle in a haystack, and I was one lucky girl. I wanted that for my niece.
So while I got a good thirty-minute break or so from any questions, my time was up, and there I sat as Braxton fired off question after question about the letters that had shown up in my hotel room. So far that was as far as it went. Landon mentioned it and while the kids were in the house with Jurnee’s parents, the guys and my friends stood around me as I sat on one of the wooden Adirondack chairs in my brother’s backyard.
But hey, at least I was comfy and I could hear the river rippling, soothing me a bit as each of my group asked what they wanted and gave their two cents. The guys were in full-on protective mode, going over what needed to be done and the girl’s eyes were full of sweet concern as they listened to the rambling around us.
