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Serves him right, Reese thought.
“Bro,” Tag said to him. “A minute?”
“If it has to do with the surprise,” Merina crossed her arms over her breasts. “Then I want in, too.”
God, Reese loved this woman.
“Fine. But only because I need your help,” Tag said.
Reese chuckled. He’d let his brother believe that his giving permission was the reason Merina was following them across the warehouse instead of retreating into the kitchen, but he knew the truth.
What his wife wanted, she got.
Merina Crane
She knew it!She knew Tag was acting weird for a reason. He was the laid-back one. The everything-rolls-off-my-back-one. The oft underestimated brother who worked hard but made it appear really, really easy.
Merina loved her brother-in-law. Tag was especially tender once you got to know him. Reese hid behind his formality, Eli put up a grouchy façade to ward off anyone who came close, but Tag? Tag wowed the world with his smile. No one ever asked the guy who appeared okay what was wrong.
“Do not tell me you’re getting cold feet,” she asked, now in the know. If Tag even hinted that he was having second thoughts about marrying Rachel—the sweet, gorgeous, lovely, strong woman standing in Isabella’s and Eli’s kitchen—then Merina was going to kick him right in the nuts.
“No!” Tag said in a harsh whisper, checking over his shoulder for Rachel again. “I don’t want to screw it up. I want her to be… I want to do it the right way.”
“Your engagement was pitch-perfect, Tag,” Merina told him. “You know her. You know what she likes. She’ll love it because she loves you.”
“Yeah. Or she’s tired of waiting and has decided I’m not worth it.”
“Tag,” she argued softly. He looked nauseous, and he couldn’t be more wrong.
“I did everything backwards and for the wrong reasons,” Reese said to his brother. “And Merina is still by my side.” He took her hand and wove their fingers together, then pinned her in place with his drugging, navy blue stare. She’d always been particularly weak where his looks were concerned, and he knew it better than anyone.
“Plus I find him devastatingly attractive,” she told Tag.
Tag made a face like he’d just licked a snail. “Gross.”
“Rachel finds you irresistible,” Merina said. “Not only because you’re almost as attractive as Reese—” her husband grinned “—but because you’re a catch and a half. You dote on her. You’re so in love with her it’s apparent to anyone within a fifty-mile radius. Your plan will work not because it’s the perfect way to marry her, but because she loves you, so any plan is automatically perfect.”
Tag’s true blue irises filled with so much relief that Merina nearly stepped back from the force of the blow. For once he didn’t cover with a smile. He swept forward and scooped her into a tight bear hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She hugged him back, her words slightly muffled by his thick caramel-colored hair. When he lowered her to her heels, she affectionately patted his furry cheek. “And start acting normal. We’re drawing attention.”
She turned and kissed Reese briefly before walking into the kitchen to join Isa and Rachel. Once there, she accepted a full wine glass from Isa and affected an eye-roll for Rachel’s sake.
“Sentimental boys, the lot of them.”
The second Rachel looked away, Isa’s mouth flinched into a half-smile.
Oh yeah, Eli’s wife knew exactly what was in store for tonight.
