I shot her a look to try to warn her off, but I couldn’t help my lips twitching.
Her eyes and mouth grew big. “No fucking way. I knew it!”
“Oh my God!” I threw up my hands. Reed and Penn glanced our way at our commotion. “Does everyone know?”
She nodded her head slowly, as if to punctuate the affirmative yes. “We were just waiting for you to catch up. So,” she whispered, “is the sex phenomenal?”
I could feel myself blushing, and I never blush, even when talking about sex. Ever. “Romy, let me tell you, it is the best fucking sex I’ve ever had. The way that man knows how to play with my body. And,”—I lowered my voice even further, leaning in conspiratorially—“he’s fucking pierced.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from yelling.
I pressed my lips together to keep myself from squealing, nodding in agreement.
“No,” she said in near disbelief. “What does it feel like?”
“Oh, baby, it just rubs in all the right places.” I hummed thinking of that deliciousness.
Romy and I both looked at Mushu’s stall, watching Reed with his daughter.
“I’ll never look at him the same way again,” she said wistfully beside me.
I grinned, crossing my arms to watch the best fucking sight in the world. The horse I loved. The little girl I was falling for. And the man who was my everything. “Same.”
Progress had been made buildingthe barn beside Jude and Romy’s place. The floors were laid, horse stalls were framed out, and the roof was in place, but the walls weren’t up. The sunset would be the backdrop as soon as Romy and Jude said “I do.”
The flower arrangements Sage and Hazel helped assemble decorated the space. Blue, purple, and yellow wildflowers lined the center, creating a makeshift aisleway. A few folding chairs were on either side, where Christian and Kale sat. Christian held a boombox—he was on music duty—and Kale was ready to shoot video on his cell phone. After moving the date up, they couldn’t get a DJ and photographer in time. But this was Romy’s style anyway, and Jude didn’t care as long as she was his for life.
A centerpiece sat on top of a small, round table at one end, where they would exchange their vows. Dad stood there now, rocking on his heels, while he read over the script he’d printed out. He quickly got ordained online to be able to officiate.
“Are you ready, Dad?” I asked.
“There’s one thing I don’t care for, and that’s public speaking,” he grumbled.
“You’ll do great.”
“I just hope you don’t ask me to do this for your wedding. I’ll probably already be a mess.”
I blanched at the mention of my wedding, my stomach doing a somersault. My wedding? I gulped. I’d never thought that far ahead. I’d never been one of those girls who had their colors picked out and a dress circled in a magazine by the time she was fourteen. Horses and rodeo consumed any plans I’d made. But now, with Reed … I suppose I had to start thinking that far ahead.
I wasn’t sure I was ready to get married. Or to become an instant mom. All of this was rushing that reality to the forefront, and it scared the shit out of me. There seemed to be a lot we still needed to discuss. I was so in love with him, and I now knew howhe felt. But would he even want to get married again after being divorced? Did I want to get married?
Never seeing a happy marriage—well, maybe my mom’s if you considered being happy meant getting a Porsche and a limitless credit card—I didn’t really know if it was for me. Would it hurt Reed to know that? I’m sure he was not going to bring a woman into his and Penn’s life without the potential to create stability for his daughter. Marriage meant commitment and permanence, and I just didn’t know if I was there yet. Would that be a deal breaker for him? My heart seemed to crack just thinking about it.
Jude walked out, interrupting my spiraling thoughts. I whistled. Dressed in a suit, Jude looked every bit “The Bull” this evening. “Cuz, you look like you just stepped off aGQphotoshoot.”
“I’ve done one of those, and I’d much rather scoop horseshit,” he complained.
I scoffed. “Of course you would. Are you disappointed Alex couldn’t make it?” His old coach was planning on flying out from Vegas, but with the abrupt change in plans, he wasn’t able to make it.
“It’s all right. I would’ve married Romy anytime she wanted. It could’ve just been me, her, and Charli, and I’d be a happy man. Why were you able to get back early?”
I shrugged, not wanting to dampen his day. “Just had a feeling I needed to get home. And I’m glad I did. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” I wrapped him up in an embrace, giving him a big kiss on the cheek. “Proud of you.”
He wiped his cheek, checking his hand to see if my lipstick came off.
“Rude!” I hit him in the arm before rubbing his cheek. “Just rub it in.”
“Is it off?” he asked.
