Alibi (Brantley Walker Off the Books #5) - Nicole Edwards Page 0,81
Cheyenne would be hanging out so Remy and Thad could play, too.
And last but not least, Maddox was with Zane and V, playing with Theo and Dustin, but only because Sawyer and Kennedy had taken Zane’s two oldest, Reid and Asher, to their place. Sawyer insisted they managed better when Matthew and Brody had other kids to keep them company.
Travis knew it was all a ruse to give him and Gage some time alone. It wasn’t easy for any of the parents to get a break with so many kids, but they all pitched in when it was necessary to help out. And tonight Travis appreciated it more than usual.
He tossed his keys into the bowl near the door, then followed the scent of garlic coming from the kitchen.
His stomach rumbled in response, a not-so-subtle reminder that he’d had a granola bar for lunch and that had long since burned off.
“What’re you makin’?” he asked when he pushed the door open to find Gage standing at the center island.
“Lasagna.”
“And garlic bread?” he asked hopefully.
Gage pointed to a baking pan layered with Texas toast coated in butter and garlic.
“Figured we’d have dinner, then maybe watch a movie.”
Travis was more than willing to do whatever Gage wanted to do tonight. “As long as we’re naked while we do it.”
Unable to help himself, he cupped Gage’s face and leaned in for a kiss. It wasn’t urgent, not even sexual, really. Just a gentle press of lips to lips, a comfort he knew he would never be able to live without.
When he pulled back, he smiled. “I have somethin’ for you.”
Gage’s eyebrows lowered. “I’m not sure how energetic I’ll be until after we eat.”
Travis let the words sink in, then he barked a laugh. “I wasn’t talkin’ about sex.”
“Well, that’s a first.”
“Look who’s talkin’.”
Gage rolled his eyes.
Travis pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, drawing Gage’s attention to it.
“What’s that?”
“A confirmation.”
“Of?”
Travis passed it over. “Read for yourself.”
When Gage took the paper and began to unfold it, Travis lowered to one knee before him.
“March twentieth. Three o’clock,” Gage read.
Travis reached up, pulled Gage’s hand down so he could look in his eyes. “Marry me, Gage. Marry me on March twentieth at three o’clock.”
Gage smiled as he grabbed Travis’s wrist and pulled him up. “I’ll marry you any day, anywhere, any time.”
Travis kissed him again, this time a bit more urgently. “Good.”
“Where’s this gonna take place?”
“At my parents’ house.”
Right by the tree Kylie had requested they plant.
Chapter Twenty-Four
One week later
Thursday, March 11, 2021
They’d been at the coast for nearly a week. Five days to be exact. They’d made the trek on Sunday and would be leaving on Saturday, which as far as Trey was concerned was both not long enough and too long at the same time.
Oh, it had nothing to do with the relaxation. That had been incredible. Five days of nothing to do but sit down by the water, catch a nap in the warm breeze, or walk along the beach. That had been pretty much all he’d done, having promised himself he would unplug from the real world, just like his brother requested.
It had been just what the doctor ordered.
And the company wasn’t half bad either.
Trey reclined in one of the many lounge chairs they’d scattered over the sand, beer in hand. Baz, JJ, Charlie, Reese, Brantley, Holly, and Luca were sitting around the campfire, laughing at the stories they’d coaxed out of him.
It was Brantley’s fault. If his brother didn’t react so dramatically, Trey wouldn’t find so much amusement in telling them.
“Then there was this one guy,” he continued, locking eyes with Brantley.
“Do not go there,” Brantley growled.
“I don’t even remember the dude’s name,” he lied. No way could Trey forget Danny Musket, but it was more enjoyable this way. “Somethin’ like mustard, or muscle.”
“Musket,” Brantley grumbled.
“Yes!” Trey lifted his beer in a mock toast.
“Danny Musket!” JJ shouted. “Oh, my God! I forgot about him. Y’all were all up in each other’s business.”
“We were not,” Brantley denied.
“Oh, they were,” Trey confirmed. “One night, I was on duty—”
“Fuckin’ mall security,” Brantley hissed. “Not a cop.”
“Anyway. I stopped in at E-Z’s for a cup of coffee—”
“Pork rinds and Dr. Pepper,” Brantley corrected, exactly as he always did.
Trey grinned. He loved how easily Brantley denied but always made the proper adjustments to the tale.
“—when what did I stumble upon?” Trey laughed. “There I was, mindin’ my own business, strollin’ through the