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He shakes his head, smiling so slightly I almost miss it before he’s brushing his lips over my mouth. “I’ve never cared much for the opinions of others. Not those outside of my family, and in case you haven’t noticed, Buttercup, my grandparents would damn near adopt you if given the damn chance. They like you nearly as much as I do, and that’s sayin’ somethin’.”
The confidence in his words is good enough for me. Right now, at least. Whether or not it will still be tomorrow or the day after, I’m not sure. All I am sure of is that I’d rather have Brody for a couple of weeks than not at all. I’ve fled from important choices in the past, ones that could have held the potential tochange my life, and I won’t do it again. I’ve let others help dictate what I should and shouldn’t do, but this is the new Annalise, the badass that doesn’t cower.
Let the country music fans judge me if it comes to that. Let the potential heartbreak drive me back to the place I was post-Stewart, because this right here, this skip in my heart and warmth in my bones, is so fucking worth it.
“It makes sense now,” I whisper.
His brows tug together slowly, thumb moving back and forth over my chin. “What does?”
“When I heard that you wrote most of your own music. You naturally know just what to say.”
“It’s easier for me to talk to you than it is to write. It’s one of the first things I realized when we first met, both via text and in person. Was easy to talk to you. Easier than it’s been to talk to anyone for months.”
I nip at the inside of my cheek, fluttering my lashes. Pride blooms in my chest. “Good.”
“Good,” he repeats, his voice a breathy, surprised sound, as if he’s in awe of my simple answer.
“Yeah, good. I’m glad we’re on the same page because I could happily talk your ear off every damn day.”
With a low laugh, he kisses me just once, even as I chase his lips for more, and releases my chin, tucking me beneath his arm instead. I catch sight of our reflection in the mirror and feel the rightness of the picture in every thump of my pulse and rise of my chest.
He has a few inches on me, even with the additional height from my heels, his chest lean with hard-packed muscle and hips narrow. I fit into his side like a missing puzzle piece, the plump curves of my hips and chest evened out with the strong width of his shoulders. My dress is the colour of his tie, the plum colour the married couple loves so much. There’s only one thingmissing from the picture, and I quickly snap my hand out to grab it.
Brody’s eyes are intense, hot on my skin as I lift his hat between us and push up on my toes to set it atop his head. Once it’s back where it belongs, I tap the front, tipping it slightly before dropping back to my heels.
“There we go,” I say, unable to hide a great big smile.
He tugs me tighter to his side, the arm draped over my shoulder a pleasant, reassuring weight. “Ready to get back out there?”
Taking in the sight reflected back at us one last time, I nod. “Feel up to meeting my sister and brother-in-law?”
He straightens, determination flaring to life in those pretty blue eyes. “Anytime, sweetheart.”
“Then lead the way, Cowboy.”
Braxton’s jawnearly hits the table when I walk right up to her with Brody’s arm still hanging securely over my shoulders. I’m all too aware of the curious eyes watching our every move, but I focus on not letting the discomfort that comes with that judgment show on my face. This is a good moment. The best of the best. Nobody can ruin this for me.
To my surprise, the reception hasn’t moved on to dinner or speeches yet. The bride and groom are speaking to an older couple near the main stage while the guests chat amongst themselves. Our table isn’t cluttered by any means, but it’s quite full. Eight chairs, five of which are occupied by people I’ve never met before. The only empty seat is mine, but I make no move toward it.
Maddox boldly looks Brody up and down, donning a mask of indifference. I could cry at the obvious show of protectiveness. His big-brother sense must begin to tingle because he meets my stare and winks. I push every ounce of appreciation into my expression, hoping he understands just how grateful I am for him.
Growing up, my sister and I never had anyone other than Maddox to be protective of us. When it came to my sister, Maddox was protective for his own reasons, most of which stemmed from being in love with her his entire life, but he picked up the responsibilities that came with being my big brother too, warning the boys away and threatening ultimate destruction if they broke my heart.
Dad didn’t really care what we did or who we went out with, so long as we didn’t embarrass him or the family, and Mom . . . she was too busy not trying to drown in the terrible marriage she was stuck in to worry about our dating lives. Having Maddox around filled a hole inside of me that I didn’t realize was so gaping.
My sister couldn’t have married a better man.
“You must be Brody,” he says in a no-bullshit tone.
I wait for Brody to tense up beside me the way Stewart had when he met my brother-in-law for the first time, but he doesn’t. Instead, he extends his free arm toward him, and they shake hands in a rough and tough alpha-male way that usually has me rolling my eyes. The grip with which they shake has me looking at Braxton to find her hiding a smile.
“Pleasure to meet you, Maddox,” Brody replies.
I twist my body further into his hold, inhaling his woodsy scent as it swarms my senses. “The gorgeous woman beside Maddox is my sister, Braxton.”
Braxton beams. “How’s the hand? My husband has quite the grip.”
“Fuck me, I think he might have crushed my bones,” Maddox groans, shaking his hand out in front of him.
