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Authors: LISA CHILDS
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toward a bottle chilling in a bucket of ice.
Colleen jabbed an elbow into her younger brother's ribs. Reacting just as the twins would have, he shoved her over until she nearly wound up on Nick's lap. But the best man moved away in response, inadvertently pushing Brenna onto the floor. The redhead, landing smack on her butt, erupted with laughter.
Abby joined in. Then Colleen started sputtering. Finally Abby felt Clayton's body move as laughter rumbled deep in his chest. Buzz and T.J. dissolved into fits of giggles. Lara, taught not to laugh at others, tried to hold out. But Abby tickled her ribs, and the little girl joined in.
The groom shook his head, then chuckled, too. "What a day..."
"It's not over yet," Brenna warned him as he reached for her hand and helped her onto the seat next to him. "Are you sure you want to do this, the limo, the reception?"
"We're not calling it a reception anymore," Josh reminded her. "It's an open house for the town."
"We don't live here," Nick pointed out. "We don't need to go."
"Not yet, but we're opening our office in Cloverville," Josh said. "We need to meet our potential patients."
When Abby opened her second office—in Chicago— she'd held just such an open house, inviting all her potential clients. Her first office, in Detroit, had been in a corner of a dumpy motel room. Where should she open her third? During the sleepover, Colleen had tried to convince her that Cloverville needed her business. But Abby didn't need Cloverville. How could she stay here and wait for Molly?
"So can we open the champagne now?" Rory asked his brother.
The grin faded from Clayton's handsome face. "No. And even if we did, you wouldn't get any."
"Come on," Rory argued.
"Rory." Clayton said his brother's name in a way that sounded like a warning—the same way he usually said Abby's name.
Recognizing the lone, she suppressed a smile. Clayton still thought of her as the screwed-up teenager she hadn't been in such a long time. But then how could he see her as anyone else? He didn't know who she was now, only who she'd been.
What about him? Why did she want to know who he'd become? Besides an insurance agent and a big brother, who was he as a man?
"You're lucky you didn't marry into this family," Rory told the groom. "We never have any fun!"
The headache that had started to throb around at Clayton's temples back at the church intensified. He closed his eyes against the pain. But that was a mistake. With his eyes closed, he couldn't see. He could only feel. Abby's body pressed tight against his side. His thigh tensed as her hip rocked against it. The limo turned again and she nearly slid onto his lap. The rest of his body tensed, as well, and he groaned.
"It's not that bad," Abby murmured, her breath warm against his ear as she whispered beneath the other conversations taking place in the limo.
"What?"
"You handled everything really well back at the church," she complimented him.
"You only say that because I didn't wring your neck," he whispered back, unable to fight the grin that was forming. He should be furious with her. Somehow he just knew that if Abby had skipped the wedding as well as the rehearsal, he would have walked Molly down the aisle to her groom and she would have said. "I do." But would she have been happy?
Abby laughed again, softly, her breast jiggling against his arm. He bit back another groan.
"You still blame me," she said, shaking her head. Her hair brushed against his jaw, the scent of lilies enveloping him.
"Tell me you didn't try to talk Molly out of getting married," he challenged her.
"If I did, would you believe me?" she asked.
Who was challenging whom? "Abby..."
Abby's lips curved upward. She leaned closer and murmured, "Don't hurt yourself trying to trust me."
"Abby..."
"I did." The car turned and she shifted even closer.
"What?" With her lips pretty well touching his skin, skimming across his jaw next to his ear, his nerves jumbled, and he'd forgotten
Colleen jabbed an elbow into her younger brother's ribs. Reacting just as the twins would have, he shoved her over until she nearly wound up on Nick's lap. But the best man moved away in response, inadvertently pushing Brenna onto the floor. The redhead, landing smack on her butt, erupted with laughter.
Abby joined in. Then Colleen started sputtering. Finally Abby felt Clayton's body move as laughter rumbled deep in his chest. Buzz and T.J. dissolved into fits of giggles. Lara, taught not to laugh at others, tried to hold out. But Abby tickled her ribs, and the little girl joined in.
The groom shook his head, then chuckled, too. "What a day..."
"It's not over yet," Brenna warned him as he reached for her hand and helped her onto the seat next to him. "Are you sure you want to do this, the limo, the reception?"
"We're not calling it a reception anymore," Josh reminded her. "It's an open house for the town."
"We don't live here," Nick pointed out. "We don't need to go."
"Not yet, but we're opening our office in Cloverville," Josh said. "We need to meet our potential patients."
When Abby opened her second office—in Chicago— she'd held just such an open house, inviting all her potential clients. Her first office, in Detroit, had been in a corner of a dumpy motel room. Where should she open her third? During the sleepover, Colleen had tried to convince her that Cloverville needed her business. But Abby didn't need Cloverville. How could she stay here and wait for Molly?
"So can we open the champagne now?" Rory asked his brother.
The grin faded from Clayton's handsome face. "No. And even if we did, you wouldn't get any."
"Come on," Rory argued.
"Rory." Clayton said his brother's name in a way that sounded like a warning—the same way he usually said Abby's name.
Recognizing the lone, she suppressed a smile. Clayton still thought of her as the screwed-up teenager she hadn't been in such a long time. But then how could he see her as anyone else? He didn't know who she was now, only who she'd been.
What about him? Why did she want to know who he'd become? Besides an insurance agent and a big brother, who was he as a man?
"You're lucky you didn't marry into this family," Rory told the groom. "We never have any fun!"
The headache that had started to throb around at Clayton's temples back at the church intensified. He closed his eyes against the pain. But that was a mistake. With his eyes closed, he couldn't see. He could only feel. Abby's body pressed tight against his side. His thigh tensed as her hip rocked against it. The limo turned again and she nearly slid onto his lap. The rest of his body tensed, as well, and he groaned.
"It's not that bad," Abby murmured, her breath warm against his ear as she whispered beneath the other conversations taking place in the limo.
"What?"
"You handled everything really well back at the church," she complimented him.
"You only say that because I didn't wring your neck," he whispered back, unable to fight the grin that was forming. He should be furious with her. Somehow he just knew that if Abby had skipped the wedding as well as the rehearsal, he would have walked Molly down the aisle to her groom and she would have said. "I do." But would she have been happy?
Abby laughed again, softly, her breast jiggling against his arm. He bit back another groan.
"You still blame me," she said, shaking her head. Her hair brushed against his jaw, the scent of lilies enveloping him.
"Tell me you didn't try to talk Molly out of getting married," he challenged her.
"If I did, would you believe me?" she asked.
Who was challenging whom? "Abby..."
Abby's lips curved upward. She leaned closer and murmured, "Don't hurt yourself trying to trust me."
"Abby..."
"I did." The car turned and she shifted even closer.
"What?" With her lips pretty well touching his skin, skimming across his jaw next to his ear, his nerves jumbled, and he'd forgotten
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