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Ivy must have really wanted to see my brother for something because showing up on someone’s doorstep in a big, fluffy wedding gown was definitely a statement. I did feel a little guilty for not telling her she had the wrong brother, but not enough to change course.
There is no way I am letting this angel out of my sight. I love my brother—but she ismine.
I will give her the full truth soon—I just need to know more about her, why she is here and how I can convince her to marryme.
“Wait,” she says, confusion in her tone. “You had no idea you were engaged? We are supposed to get married in three weeks. Was your mother just going to tell you to meet her somewhere and then, boom, surprise! You’d be forced to get married at a moment’s notice?”
“Sounds like something my mother would do,” I tell her with complete honesty. I grin at the thought of turning this situation around on her and showing up at the altar instead of Cohen. My mother would be shocked but would burst into laughter. She loves surprises as much as I do.
I’d have to text Cohen later about my new visitor and dig deeper on what he was actually planning to do about this situation. With Cohen, there are always additional layers to every plan, every move he makes. If he agreed to go along with my mother’s plan of marrying Ivy, there must be an ulterior motive.
Until I learn everything, I am keeping Ivy by my side.
“Jeez,” she whispers more to herself than me. “Looks like even more secrets were hidden from me.”
What the hell does she mean by that? My mother would have kept something like this a secret until the last moment because she knows how stubborn her two sons are. Every sly game she plays is done with love. However, it sounds like that isn’t the case for Ivy.
Was she being forced into this?
I allow myself to take a longer look at Ivy, and an ache builds in my chest. There’s something about this woman. The thought of her marrying my brother makes me murderous. A feeling I never believed I could summon. I love my brother, would do anything for him.
But I won’t let him take Ivy from me.
She shuffles on her feet. The material of her large wedding dress crinkles with the movement, making her huff an exasperated breath as she lifts it. The small sound of aggravation has the corner of my lips twitching upward.
“Why don’t we take this inside?”
She worries her lip, eyes scanning the distance. That move, added to her hesitation, has me on alert. Ivy didn’t just drop by to talk about the wedding. Something else is bothering her.
“I, um, yes.” Her eyes close for brief moment, and I’m not sure I like the look that passes over her face. It’s there and gone in a second, leaving me confused and with a sense of dread. It’s almost like…she was preparing herself for battle. “Yes, I’d like that. And to explain why I’m here.”
Putting a hand on my chest, I try to break the tension with a joke. “What? You didn’t just come to get my opinion on your larger-than-life dress? A little too puffy for my taste.”
She gives me a shy giggle, just as I intended. Patting at the voluminous skirt, she agrees with me. “It’s not my style either. My stepmother, she chose it. It’s absolutely…”
“Hideousis the word you’re looking for.”
This time a full laugh bursts from her. “A hundred percent.” I gesture for her to make her way up the porch stairs before me. She climbs the stairs a bit awkwardly but makes it to the top before I can help.
Opening the door for her, I extend my arm over her head and allow her to walk in first. A slight blush paints her cheeks when she has to wedge herself through the door. The side of her body presses against me and I get my first smell of her. Peaches.
Closing my eyes, I fight my body’s reaction to her smell and touch. I’ve known her for a handful of minutes and already I’m desperate for her. Not able to stop myself, I place a hand on her shoulder and steady her as she fights her way into the cabin.
“Can I get you a coffee or something?”
“Do you have something stronger?”
Honestly, is this my dream woman?
“I have whiskey, wine and beer. Pick your poison.”
“Whiskey. Please.”
Bobbing my head, I pivot toward the kitchen. Ivy doesn’t follow me. Probably doesn’t want to squeeze through another door just yet. The thought makes me chuckle. The dress truly is atrocious.
I can hear her moving around the main room so I take my time pouring our drinks, giving her more time to explore. When I can’t bear to be away from her a moment longer, I grab both glasses and find her with her nose pressed against the glass of the back window.
I have to pause, the sight both sexy and innocent at the same time.
