Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour - Erin Nicholas Page 0,59
eyes narrowed. “Yeah. Don’t remind me.”
He didn’t need details. He hated the idea that she’d been so close to marrying someone else. And that the whole situation had soured her on relationships and the idea of getting married again.
Yes, she was young. Yes, her mother was pushing her to settle down. Yes, she had plenty of time and should be free to have her relationships on her own terms, whatever those were.
He still wanted her to want to get married.
And that was going to be a problem.
She’d been here for about twenty-four hours with the clear understanding that this was temporary and casual, and he was already thinking about how he wished she’d want to get married.
Fuck.
“Anyway, I think I could help the girls with some stuff. But I want to go on a swamp boat tour before I know for sure that my idea could work.”
He straightened on the chair, surprised. “The boat tour is to figure something out for the girls’ weddings?”
“Yeah.”
“Paige?”
“What?”
“You hate the idea of weddings and getting married and all of that.”
She focused on the paper in front of her and colored in a loop on one of her doodles. “Not for other people.”
“Paige?”
She sighed. “What?”
He waited for her to look over at him. “Have you become the wedding planner for my family?”
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Paige’s cheeks got a little pink, and she pressed her lips together, shaking her head.
Mitch felt his grin stretch wider. “I think you have.”
“I…” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t mean to.”
He laughed.
“And I’m not officially. I haven’t told them any of my ideas. They didn’t ask me to help. I haven’t done anything.”
“Yet.”
“I just was thinking about it after we all talked. I couldn’t help it.” Her voice dropped to almost a mutter on the last four words.
“And you came up with a bunch of ideas to help them out.”
“They’re just so busy. Helping each other out and helping the family out, and keeping everything going. That’s really admirable. And I can’t really help with Juliet’s law practice or Bennett’s foundation stuff or operating on a cow or anything. But—” She blew out a breath that seemed resigned. “I do know a lot about weddings. Even if I don’t want to.”
Mitch was torn between laughing and wanting to bend her over right here on his porch.
But, while his road was quiet, his neighbors were Fletcher, Zeke, and Zander, who had also inherited family homes. Well, Zeke had built his own a little way down. But they shared this road that jutted out at the end of Autre and butted up against the wide-open land that ran from their back porches to the bayou.
The family and several of the locals affectionately called it Bachelor Row.
It meant he always had three of his best friends nearby.
It also meant he had three of the most obnoxious members of his family nearby.
Driving right past his front porch.
“Okay, come on.”
Mitch leaned over, scooping Paige up out of the hammock as he stood.
She gave a little gasp, then a giggle as her arm went around his neck. “Come on where?”
“The bayou. But first, I need a shower.”
She ran her hand up the side of his neck to his face. She wiped his cheek. “You are dirty.”
“I am.”
“I like you dirty.”
“I know.” He gave her a naughty grin as he headed into the house with her.
“Am I helping with this shower?”
“You are. I really did intend to snuggle with you on the couch and be sweet and romantic tonight, but you blew it.”
“I did, huh?”
He started up the steps. She was totally comfortable in his arms and with the idea of being in his shower, and he loved that.
Yes, loved.
He knew that was dangerous, but it was true.
“You did.”
“By helping out with the weddings?”
“Yep.”
“Because you know that’s kind of not my thing?”
“Yep.”
“And because it only took your family a few hours to get to me.”
He kicked open the door to the bathroom and swung her feet to the floor. He immediately stripped his shirt off. “Yep.”
“And because I’m still here even after being with them and talking about weddings all day?”
“Yep.”
Paige’s eyes ran over his naked torso. There was immediate hunger there that made Mitch’s body heat and tighten. The way she wanted him was as much an aphrodisiac as seeing her naked. This woman could have any man. Hell, she could have literally been married to five or ten guys just in her own hometown. But she wanted him. Maybe she didn’t want to get married, but she’d come