“Not wrong about that,” Luke admitted with a shrug, parking our rolling bag to the side with the rest of everyone’s luggage.
While they teased one another back and forth, I took in the lodge’s interior, shuddering at the thought of what they must’ve forked over per night.
Thick, knotted wood stretched high to frame the two-story entryway, a car-size chandelier hanging above. I’d never been anywhere so grand, and I’d been to the White House a handful of times. Even that didn’t hold a candle to it.
“Look what the cat dragged in!” a voice boomed, a scruffy-faced Jason making his way down the sweeping staircase of stone and wood.
He gave Elena a quick kiss on the cheek before shaking Luke’s hand. I held my breath waiting for rejection, but he surprised me by smiling, a genuine Jason one lighting up his face and finally reaching his eyes. “Hey, Sis.”
I would have cried on the spot if he hadn’t pulled me into a bear hug, tickling my sides as he had when we were younger, giggles replacing any potential tears.
“Where’s the little one?” he asked, setting me down to pat Tally. “We could’ve used a ring bearer. Our flower girl is looking lonely.”
He squished Tally’s jowls as he rubbed noses with her, her tail going wild.
Luke had her groomed for the occasion, her nails painted a shade of sunny yellow that matched the bridesmaids’ dresses. I was initially confused at the dog as a flower girl idea, but it made sense after I’d thought about it. She was Luke’s baby, and everyone treated her as such.
“Where’s Ethan?” Luke asked, scanning the entryway. “His car’s here, but the room is missing the overwhelming sense of cocky asshole only he can bring.”
“Arguing on the phone somewhere,” Luke laughed, rolling his eyes as he stood. “With his piss-poor attitude today, the longer he’s MIA, the better.”
Josie
Jason was right.
The longer Ethan was MIA, the better our night was. He made a brief appearance at the rehearsal dinner, but headed back to his room for the night immediately after, slamming doors and grumbling up a storm as he went.
I didn’t see him again until the ceremony, a sunset affair overlooking the mountains. Luke stood in the front with the rest of the wedding party, a fire-haired woman name Lee accompanying him while I sat in the crowd.
She and I had become fast friends in the parking lot beforehand when I found her cursing out a pinecone she’d stepped on.
Soft music hummed in the background as the officiant went on about the importance of love and marriage, a long-winded speech that felt more like a college lecture. Still standing, Luke was noticeably antsy as the guy dragged on, fidgeting with his hands like Linc would do.
I looked his way, catching his eyes. He smiled as I did, instantly stopping and blushing.
We were trapped in each other’s eyes as the officiant went on.
And on.
And on.
His smile dipped as a body scooted into the open seat beside me, Ethan appearing in his tuxedo, his woodsy cologne strong as ever. As part of the wedding party, he belonged upfront with the others, not to mention he should’ve been there at least an hour earlier with the rest of us.
He crackled beside me, hate emanating in waves, goosebumps rising as his eyes burned into the side of my head.
“Why are you here?”
“Excuse me?” I whispered, sure I misheard him.
All the while, the officiant droned on, now discussing middle-aged love, whatever that was.
“Answer the question.”
“Later,” I murmured back, smiling at Luke, who was watching us closely with his brows bent in concern.
“Now.”
I shifted in my seat, leaning towards the nice woman on my other side. At least what I hoped was a nice woman. “Very long story.”
“We have all day with this motherfucker talking.”
The nice woman stiffened at Ethan’s language, shooting me with a fuck-off look if I’d ever seen one.
“Later, Eth.” With nowhere to turn, I stared ahead, a smile still plastered on my face.
“You really think I’ll let you back in our family that easily?” he scoffed, a sinister laugh biting through. “You left us, Josie. Family doesn’t abandon family. We let you in once. We won’t make that mistake again.”
* * *
Ethan’s verbal lashing continued through the ceremony but switched to a silent barrage at the reception. He sat across from us at our table, glaring openly as we ate.
I didn’t mind, winging them right back, subtly flipping him off every time I got up to dance with Luke.
Unlike Jason, seeing us together and happy wasn’t enough. Ethan always wanted more.
I blocked him out, settling in for the sixth slow dance of the night with Luke under the stars, the grounds of the estate home to a nighttime reception so gorgeous it made my eyes mist.
“You’re beautiful, Josie,” Luke whispered in my ear, leaving a kiss beneath it that sent a shiver through me. “As cute as you were as a cotton candy catastrophe, I like this more.”
He fingered the delicate fabric of my turquoise gown, one of the few items I owned that fit the black-tie demands of the wedding. I’d had dozens as a teen from attending countless fundraisers with my parents, but they’d been donated long ago.
For a mountain man, Luke was surprisingly nimble and had yet to crush one of my toes as we circled the dance floor. All that brute force was harnessed into holding me and leading, and I’d never felt safer than in his arms.
I gripped his lapel, ready to rip the ridiculous bowtie off him the moment we got in the car. He might’ve liked me dressed up, but I liked my man free, gritty and raw as he’d always been, his hair flowing rather than slicked back.
With a kiss on the cheek, I murmured, “As handsome as you are, I prefer my Luke naked.”
A husky laugh vibrated through his chest, hand tightening
