The Engagement Arrangement (Boots and Bouquets #2) - Jaci Burton Page 0,25
after Mitchell. “If you did. What month?”
“I don’t know. September.”
“Good month. September of next year it is. Now we have a wedding date.”
“Great. Fine.”
“You’d better ask your friend to be in your wedding, too.”
“Crap. I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll just tell her I don’t have all the details set yet like the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen. Then when I tell her you and I have broken up, no harm done.”
“I’m crushed about this impending breakup, Brenna.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure you are. Okay, I think that’s it.”
“No, there’s one more thing.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out his mother’s claddagh. “You should wear this.”
She looked down at his hand. “What’s that?”
“It was my mum’s.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “I can’t wear that, Finn.”
“We can’t be engaged without you wearing a ring. My ring. It would be an insult.”
She swallowed. “It’s not a real engagement.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’d be offended.”
He watched as she inhaled a shaky breath, then held out her hand. “Fine.”
He slipped the ring on her finger. She gave him a surprised, almost warm look. He couldn’t even define it other than it punched him right in the stomach.
“Finn.”
“Yeah.”
“You know this is just four days. At the end of those days, this ring is going back to you.”
“Yup. Got it. But for four days we’re engaged, and you wear that ring. Got it?”
She nodded and looked down at her hand. He could tell she liked wearing it, kept staring at it on her hand. For now, that worked for him.
The rest they’d figure out later.
CHAPTER
• • • • • •
eight
BRENNA HAD TO recover the ability to breathe. And to think.
It was just a ring. Not symbolic in any way.
Except their engagement was fake. And this ring was anything but. It was Finn’s mother’s ring. What was he thinking?
She should give it back, remind him that this was a farce.
“Food should be coming soon,” Erin said as she walked in with Jason. “Hey, I like that dress on you, Bren.”
Brenna whipped around, stupidly hiding her left hand behind her back, as if her sister were going to somehow zero in right there. “Oh, thanks. You look pretty, too, Erin.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re looking pretty tonight, too, Finn,” Jason said with a crooked grin.
“I like that cowboy hat you’re wearing, Jason,” Finn shot back.
Erin rolled her eyes. “You guys are jerks.”
Finn laughed. “What? We can’t throw compliments like the ladies? I mean, I really do like Jason’s hat.”
“See?” Jason looked over at Erin. “I told you I should wear this hat.”
Brenna shot a look at Erin. “They’re being ridiculous.”
“I know.”
“Who’s being ridiculous?” Honor asked as she walked in.
“The guys.”
“And I missed it? Sad.”
The catering truck drove up, so conversations about cowboy hats and dresses came to a halt as they directed the caterers where to unload the food, and Brenna, though not officially on duty, couldn’t help but supervise the uncorking of the wine. It was, after all, her wine. At least now she could think about something else besides wearing Finn’s ring. And how hot he looked in his dark jeans and button-down shirt.
Which was ridiculous, because how could a man look so incredibly sexy in jeans and a button-down shirt?
Finn could, though. Those jeans hugged his perfect ass. She could ogle his butt all night.
Get it together, woman. That ass is not yours so quit lusting over it.
Then the cars started to arrive and her stomach knotted. She couldn’t help but stare at the lineup and wish she were somewhere else right now.
She was going to deal with this. Everything was going to be fine.
When she felt Finn’s arm slide around her waist, she nearly leaped.
“Take a breath,” he whispered, then kissed the top of her head. “We’ll get through this together.”
For some reason, his voice calmed her and she smiled, leaned against him and prepared to play the part.
Esther climbed out of the passenger side of the car, her arms open wide.
“Brenna! It’s my wedding weekend!”
She wasn’t faking her smile as she threw her arms around her friend. “I’m so excited for you.”
Esther looped her arm with Brenna’s. “I know you and your fam are going to make this a killer four days. And I’m sorry for the last-minute events we threw at you.”
“Are you kidding? We’ve got it handled, don’t we, Honor?”
“Of course we do. Hello, Brock.”
Esther’s fiancé, Brock, stepped up next to her. “Honor. Hey, Brenna.”
Brenna hugged Brock. “It’s so good to see you. How are the nerves?”