Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour - Erin Nicholas Page 0,74
who said it was important that you two don’t get too close. We’re just trying to help.”
Mitch met Paige’s eyes again. She lifted a brow.
He had said that to his family. They had said it to one another. It was true. Or it had been.
Ironically, all the things that had been keeping them apart—her working at the tour company’s office, helping with the weddings, concocting with Cora, and hanging out and getting to know his family better—had made him fall harder for her than if he’d kept her to himself.
“Well, making me associate her with things like weddings and family gatherings rather than just hot, dirty, fling-sex isn’t really helping your cause,” he said honestly.
He’d addressed the words to Juliet, but his eyes were on Paige.
Hers widened, and he watched her lips part.
He heard Juliet sigh. “You know, I actually mentioned that to Kennedy the other night.”
He grinned. Paige looked surprised but not shocked. Or spooked. Exactly.
“Maybe you need to let me take her out tonight, just the two of us, and stop with all the wedding cake and flower talk,” he said. Again, more to get Paige’s reaction.
“No. No, no, no.” Kennedy came stomping toward them. “Dammit, Juliet, that was terrible. Your dress? Why would you ask Paige about your dress? You could have asked her about the cake, or the flowers, or how about the cream we talked about for your sore shoulder? Those are her wheelhouse. Way more believable.”
“Your shoulder is sore?” Paige asked, seeming bemused.
“It was.” Juliet rotated her left arm. “But actually, since yoga, it feels better.”
Kennedy shook her head. “I should have sent Maddie. Maddie can lie. You and Tori suck at it.”
Paige laughed. “I’m happy to get you some cream. And look at the dress.”
Kennedy was studying Mitch now, her eyes narrowed. “But you’re saying you might need to spend more time together so that you realize she’s not so amazing?”
Mitch grinned at Paige. “Well, spending time apart isn’t working. Maybe we should try it.”
And damned if Paige Asher, the hardest woman on earth to woo, didn’t blush.
“Deal. You can come with us to Ellie’s and listen to all the talk about the food and cake and flowers and crap,” Kennedy said, turning to start in the direction of her truck.
“Crap?” Juliet asked, falling into step beside Kennedy. “Is that how you’re going to feel when it’s you and Bennett?”
Kennedy grinned at her. “Bennett and I are going to elope. Just some weekend when we have time. Then we’ll throw a big bash to celebrate after. But I’m not going to talk about flowers and shoes and music for weeks ahead of time. We’ll just get a wild hair one Friday night, fly out to Vegas and do it, and then come back and tell you all when we’re ready.”
Juliet stopped walking, nearly causing Paige to plow into her.
Kennedy went several feet before she realized Juliet was no longer beside her, and she turned back.
“You and Bennett got married, didn’t you?” Juliet demanded. “You already did all of that.”
Kennedy shook her head. “I didn’t say that. I said that’s what we would do.”
Juliet stalked toward her until she was nearly on Kennedy’s toes and put her hands on her hips. “You and Bennett already got married. You didn’t want to wait, but you didn’t want to do it in the middle of all of our wedding planning, and you didn’t want to say anything. So you went to Vegas. And you’re going to tell us about it in a month or so.”
Kennedy opened her mouth. She blinked. Then she sighed.
Juliet gasped. Then she threw her arms around Kennedy. “Oh my God! You brat! I can’t believe you did that!” She pulled back. “And I can’t believe you think I’m a bad liar!”
“I’m a great liar,” Kennedy protested. “You just caught me off guard.”
Juliet laughed and hugged her again, then pulled back. “Wow. That is so… you.”
Kennedy finally grinned. “I know. We were just hanging out one night, and I turned to him and said, ‘I really want to marry you,’ and he said, ‘Oh, I fully intend to marry you,’ and I said, ‘Prove it,’ and we got on a plane.”
“So you kind of proposed to him?” Juliet asked. Then she nodded. “Yeah, that’s very you too.”
Kennedy shrugged. “Two weeks ago. And yes, we’re going to tell everyone and have a big party, but after this circus is over and everything.”