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“I should be furious at you for keeping this a secret, but how can I stay mad at my baby and the man she loves?”
I allowed myself to melt into the hug and bask in the excitement exuding off Bunny, knowing it wouldn’t last after we walked inside. Bunny pulled away much too soon, eager to see Nora’s ring, and I glanced back at the porch, finding Cal standing in the doorway glaring at me.
I gave him a placating smile he didn’t return so I rummaged a six-pack of beer I’d bought as a peace treaty out of the back seat. Too little, but with only a day to prepare, I hadn’t had time to spring for something big. Mustering my courage, I left behind the safe haven of Bunny and walked onto the porch.
“Andy,” Cal greeted me coolly.
“Hey, Cal. Thought this might go better if we all had a drink.” The joke fell flat as Cal grabbed the six-pack out of my hand.
“This isn’t going to go well,” he muttered, stalking into the house.
Guessing I wouldn’t get an invitation, I took a deep breath and followed him in, hoping Len had softened overnight.
“Andy!” Millie said from the kitchen, setting down her chef’s knife to greet me at the door with a hug. “I’m so glad you came! Where’s Nora?”
I motioned to the driveway. “With Bunny.”
Her eyes flitted outside. “Oh well, she’ll be in soon, I’m sure. You don’t have any food allergies, right? Cal said you didn’t.”
“I said I didn’tcareif he had food allergies.” Cal set the six-pack on the kitchen island, withdrawing a bottle and popping the top open on the counter.
“Seriously, Cal?” Millie gave him a good-natured smack on the arm before returning her attention to me. “That’s the thing about this family. They’re all a little prickly at first. Except for Nora, of course.”
“Well, don’t worry. I don’t have any allergies.”
“Shame,” Cal grumbled. “That would have made things easier.”
Millie rolled her eyes, distracted from Cal’s petulance as Nora walked in. “Oh, I want to see the ring!”
Len slipped into the room while Bunny and Millie oohed and aahed over the ring. With everyone here, Millie slid dinner into the oven early, which shortened the time we needed to field questions. Explaining how we’d managed to hide an entire relationship for over a year, without anyone in Franklin Notch suspecting a thing, turned out to be a harder sell than I expected.
Thankfully, we cobbled together a passable story and before long, Millie announced dinner was ready, directing us to the table. Bunny sat Nora and me at the center of the table. Despite how appetizing the food looked, as soon as Millie passed around the first dish, it was clear we wouldn’t be left alone to enjoy it.
“So, not to get ahead of myself, but I started a guest list and made a few calls to the different venues.” Bunny unfurled a stack of papers, setting them at the center of the table with a pleased smile. Nora brushed my shoulder with hers, an amused smile on her lips. At least Bunny and I had something in common. “Since you always said you’d want a spring wedding, I thought I’d get a jump on calling places. After seven weddings, I know a thing or two about planning,” Bunny said, shooting me a sly wink.
Nora lowered her fork. “We’re actually not having a spring wedding,” she said with a grimace.
“Oh, did you want a winter? Fall?”
Nora shook her head. “Um, we actually aren’t doing any of that. We’re going to the courthouse next week.”
A shocked silence enveloped the table, myself included.
“That’s fucking insane,” Len said, glowering from the head of the table at Nora, then me.
Millie set a hand over his, giving his knuckles an absent-minded squeeze. “What he means is: that’s awful fast, considering we just found out you’re dating.”
Len turned his palm up and glanced at Millie. “You really think I should soften this?”
“Since Andy’s going to be part of your family, yeah, I think you should soften on this,” Millie said pragmatically.
“That’s fine,” Bunny said, her voice at the precipice of tears. “That’s completely fine. We can arrange a wedding in a week.”
“We’re just going to elope. Nothing fancy,” Nora added softly.
I reached under the table, squeezing her hand.
“We can wait,” I muttered.
