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Except for one thing, that I hope to take care of tonight…
“I was just a little sad that you chose the blue dress instead of the red,” I say, bending to press a kiss to her upturned mouth.
“Because you’re obsessed with my boobs,” she murmurs against my lips.
“Obsessed is a strong word, but I’m definitely a fan,” I say, deepening the kiss, pinning a purring Keanu between us. My ward may be a weirdo of uncertain genetic origin, but he doesn’t have a jealous bone in his body. He loves snuggling on the couch with Wren and me at night, but he never tries to get in between us. He respects and enjoys our love if not always our tomatoes and baby eggplants.
“I’m a fan of you in a tux,” Wren says, pulling back to scan me up and down. “Here, hold the baby.”
“He’s not a baby. He’s a feral creature.”
“Well, you’re a feral creature, and I still love you.” She passes Keanu’s basket over before adjusting my bow tie and sweeping her thumb across my bottom lip. “There. You had lipstick.”
“You should have left it. I like to wear your mark whenever possible. Show all the other women who I belong to.”
She grins. “You could get a tattoo on your forehead. Property of Wren Baxter.”
“Might be a turn off in the delivery room. Doctors with face tattoos don’t inspire confidence.”
“But they inspire friskiness,” she says, her brows bobbing up and down. “I can’t wait to rip your clothes off later.” She grabs her purse from the entry table and slips her feet into her silver high heels. “You ready? I told Kinsey I’d get there early and help entertain her stepmother, so Pam doesn’t get into it with her mom or try to take Uta’s flask away again.”
“I can’t believe she invited Uta,” I grumble. “She’s a hot mess.”
“She is,” Wren agrees, “but she’s still Kinsey’s mom. Pam raised her and they have a great relationship, but there’s something about that mother bond, you know? I imagine it would be hard to shake.” She sighs. “I’m so grateful Starling and I have a good relationship with our mom. That kind of conflict would be so rough.”
She has a great relationship with her mom and so do I. When I asked her for permission to ask Wren to marry me last week, she cried, hugged me, and said she’d always wanted a son. I couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome into their family.
Now, I just need Wren to say yes.
Surprisingly, I’m not nervous. I feel pretty certain she’ll say yes, and if she doesn’t, I can wait. I’ll wait as long as she needs to wait to feel the time is right. I’ll wait forever, if I have to, because I already know there’s no other woman in the world for me. It’s Wren or no one.
Well, Wren or Keanu Reeves and me sharing a bachelor pad, but no one wants that.
Especially not Keanu. All the way over to the marina, he keeps a paw on Wren’s hand, bending to lick her fingers every so often in a sloppy display of affection. And when we’re parked, he sits like a good boy while she gets his leash on and adjusts his outfit.
Unfortunately, Kyle is not quite so well-behaved…
We’re about to head toward the dock when I’m nearly knocked over by a feathered body descending on Keanu.
“Kyle, no! Kyle, sit!” Starling cries out from behind us as Kyle does his “happy to see you” dance, nearly crushing Keanu in the process. “Sorry!” A breathless Starling arrives beside us and gently pulls Kyle back a few feet. “He’s just so excited. It’s been too long since they’ve had a playdate.”
“It’s fine,” Wren says, laughing as the turkey bends his head to Keanu’s, cooing and clucking. “Aw, they’re so sweet. I feel bad. I’ve just been so busy lately, helping Kinsey with the wedding plans and training her replacement.”
“It’s okay,” Starling says. “But maybe I could take Keanu home with me tonight? Kyle could really use some friend time. He’s been trying to jump over the fence again and make friends with the wild turkeys.”
“That sounds like a brilliant idea,” I say, glancing Wren’s way.
She nods. “Yeah, that would be great. Give us a chance to sleep in tomorrow.”
Starling sighs. “Oh, good. I’ll get to sleep in later, too. Kyle always sleeps later when Keanu’s there to snuggle.” She reaches for the leash, her hand hovering above Wren’s. “You want me to take him now? I could take them for a walk, make sure they get all their wiggles out before the ceremony.”
“Sounds perfect,” Wren says, handing Keanu over to her sister. As they walk away, she leans in for a hug. “Save me a seat, okay? I’ll join you as soon as I make sure Pam and Uta aren’t up in arms.”
