Love and Neckties - Lacey Black Page 0,27

here I am, getting ready to have lunch with a big neon flag on my finger, so I slip it off and slide it into my pocket when he’s not looking.

“You ready for today?” he asks, as we enter the restaurant and find our table. Freedom isn’t there yet, but everyone else is. They’re all sitting around and laughing, telling stories about last night.

Boy, do I have a story…

“Yes,” I reply politely, even though I’m not really sure what I’m ready for. The pre-wedding festivities? The wedding? The reception? Seeing Freedom, who has apparently joined me in wedded bliss? Hell, I have no idea what I’m ready for, but I can’t exactly say that now. It’s not about me. It’s about Harper and Latham.

“Where’d you disappear to last night?” Marissa asks as we join the table. Rhenn sits down beside her, while I take the empty chair across from her. Far away from my nosy sister Harper and her knowing smirks.

“I…” I clear my throat and take a sip of water. “I wasn’t feeling well.”

I also ignore the snort from the far end of the table. Marissa glances down at Harper but doesn’t ask why she responded that way.

Before anyone can ask me further questions, Freedom blows into the restaurant like a whimsical goddess. She’s wearing a long purple flowy skirt and black tank top. Her feet are adorned with strappy black sandals and her neck with layers of necklaces that dangle between her pert breasts. My mind instantly flashes back to waking up this morning, to the sheet that fell to her waist and giving me a nice little peepshow of said breasts. The small, hard nipples that were begging to be licked…

I clear my throat.

Not the image I need in my head as I sit with my family for brunch.

“Good morning,” she singsongs as she approaches, all smiles and chipper disposition, like Snow White and her little woodland creatures.

I choose to ignore her, letting everyone else offer morning greetings. She takes a seat directly beside me, because, well, why wouldn’t she? It is the only seat left available, but also because she’s gunning to draw out this torture as much as possible. If there’s one thing I truly know about Freedom Rayne, it’s she’ll do anything to get under my skin. Including refuse a divorce.

“Hello, lover,” she whispers as she sits down and drops her napkin on her lap.

I inwardly groan, but my dick actually starts to harden with her greeting.

“Christ, Freedom, stop it,” I mumble, taking another long sip of my water.

“You know, Sammy, I totally get not telling everyone right now. It’s Harper and Latham’s day, right?”

“My name is Samuel, and we’re getting it fixed as soon as we get home,” I argue, hating I’m so riled up in front of my family.

Freedom just smiles at me over her water glass. It’s a smile I know too well, one that says she doesn’t believe me. One that screams We’ll see about that.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, my stomach rolling and my head pounding. I’m pretty sure I should just head back upstairs and take a long nap. Maybe if I sleep long enough, I’ll awaken from this nightmare to find I didn’t actually get married in Las Vegas, that I didn’t actually marry my sister’s best friend.

Before I can get up and make excuses to leave breakfast, a commotion is heard at the door. We all turn at once, only to find my kooky aunt and uncle standing there, big grins on their faces.

“Orval? Emma?” Mom asks as she stands up.

“You didn’t think we were going to let our niece get married without us, did you?” Emma says, as she makes a beeline toward our table, moving faster than most people half her age. Orval is my mom’s half-brother from grandpa’s first marriage. We didn’t even know they existed until earlier this year, nor did I know Grandpa was married before Grandma Phoebe. “Look at this beautiful bride! Harper, you’re glowing! You’re not already knocked up, are you? You know, you can quickly become addicted to the sex. It’s too hard to resist, especially when you have man candy like that one,” she adds, nodding toward Latham as if he weren’t sitting right there.

Harper just giggles and gives Emma a hug. “This day is complete now that you’re here,” she says before turning to Uncle Orval and giving him a hug too.

Jensen jumps up and grabs two empty chairs from neighboring tables and brings them