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“Of course,” she replied. “I guess I just realized that I’ll have to be a bit more careful now about coming over.”
“Why’s that?”
“Em, you know as well as I do that you and Miles are not going to want me popping in at all times of the day and night to complain about the latest loser I’ve met, or about him wanting me to meet his family, or…”
“Or wanting you to fall in love with them?” Emma suggested. “I know we’ve never really discussed it, and I’ve never wanted to pry too much, but come on Stacey, it’s time you let someone in, and I don’t mean just into your bed.”
Stacey looked away as Miles neared the car and laughed. “Come now, you know how much the kids around here gossip, can’t you just see it if I had someone stay the night.”
“We’ll finish this conversation later,” Emma stated when he climbed in the other side. “We’ll see you over at the reception, got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Stacey smiled, watching their car pull out. “Okay everyone into the car, our presence is demanded at the reception.”
“Finally,” Lisa groaned, “I thought we’d never get around to the party.”
She rolled her eyes at their backs and waited until last to climb into the limo, hoping Celia and Lisa would take a seat on either side of Jake and leave her to sit next to Miller or even Tristan. Yet as fate should have it luck simply wasn’t on her side, and she was crowded up against Jake for the entire twenty-minute drive to the reception.
“Stacey, right?” Jake asked pretending he didn’t know as the car pulled out onto the road. “What’s your favorite sports team?”
“Oh, Stacey doesn’t watch sports,” Lisa smiled at him. “She couldn’t tell you the difference between a touchdown and a three-pointer.”
“Really?” he drawled, purposely putting a bit more southern into it than necessary and she felt her skin prickle with little goosebumps. Shit, she hadn’t felt anything like this in years. “I find that hard to believe, I mean any girl from the South would have to know football. I bet you had tons of boyfriends who played.”
“Stacey with a boyfriend?” Tristan huffed, still upset over her cutting their relationship, if you could call it that, short after three dates. “That would be a sight to see.”
“A pretty little thing like her?” Jake asked the car before turning back towards her. “You must have guys drooling in line to be with you.”
“Oh, she does,” Celia stated.
“And none of them have ever taught you anything about sports?” Jake prodded.
Stacey didn’t feel like playing this game. Her safe haven was slowly crashing in around her and she felt like screaming or crying, something she’d never allowed herself to do. “Not a one of them.”
“Sad, but they must watch something at night when you’re home together.”
“They don’t get the chance,” Tristan stated. “The poor saps are cast out into the cold long before she’d ever allow them to cross her threshold.”
“Tristan, grow up,” Celia said sticking up for her for once. Most of the girls did when it came to her not freely sharing herself thankfully.
“Ah,” Jake smiled sensing Tristan’s willingness to talk about her. “So, she’s a tease?”
“And what if I am?” she shot at him as her irritation grew, not about to let Tristan bash her right in front of her. “It’s my business not yours.”
“Well since Miles, who happens to be one of my best friends married your best friend that makes us pretty much family wouldn’t you say? And everyone needs to know the players in the family, who’s the boss, who’s the worker bees, who’s the lovesick fool, and who’s theliar.”
“And where would you fit in that description?” she threw at him.
“I don’t know quite yet, but it should be interesting to find out.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” she muttered not about to play games, especially this one. One wrong move and her whole world would crash around her.
“Did you say something?” he asked eyeing her intently, a bit of a dark anger in the look.
“Not a thing,” she said smiling sweetly before looking out the window as Lisa changed the subject quickly. They pulled up to the reception hall and climbed out, Emma and Miles were waiting by the front door for them to go in so they could make their grand entrance and she helped Emma bundle the train on her dress so she wouldn’t trip and then braced herself for the onslaught of feeling as Jake took her arm.
“So, my sweet Cee became a professional heartbreaker? You certainly started well,” he whispered as they entered.
Her heart dropped as she glanced around the room. Why, oh why had she agreed to date so many of Emma and Miles’ friends, she wondered, because as she took in who was actually there, she saw at least eight guys she had went out with over the past six years in attendance. They made their way to the head table and sat down in time for the DJ to announce the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Miles Timmons.
