“Oh, that’s right,” Jamie said. “I always forget you were the other woman.”
“No, I wasn’t,” Grace said, laughing. She wasn’t the other woman. She was a villain but not like that. “I told him to fix his shit and come talk to me when he was done. But the point is, we knew there was something from the start and we didn’t play games.”
“Second date,” I said, holding up two fingers. “She came home and told me it was very serious.”
Nodding, Grace said, “Within a month, we were talking about the future. We dated for a while before getting engaged but we knew we were headed there.”
Audrey grinned at me. “I don’t think you’re moving too fast.” She nudged a chocolate butterscotch cookie toward me. “Haveyou guys set a date or were you too busy riding the high of your engagement to go there yet?”
I cringed so hard at the mention ofridinganything that I shuddered. “We didn’t get that far,” I said, shoving aside Ryan’s comments about tying the knot before training camp. If we did end up eloping, I wanted that one to be just for us.
“I’m sure Shay would reserve a date for you at the farm,” Jamie said.
“We should all get married at the farm,” Grace said with a clap of her hands.
“Ohhhhh no,” Jamie said, laughing. “You know I’m not getting married.”
“You say that,” Grace started, wagging a carrot stick at Jamie, “but I don’t buy it.”
“It doesn’t matter if you buy it,” Jamie replied sweetly. “I’m giving it away for free. Take it. Shove it in your back pocket or anywhere else that suits your fancy.”
“I think it’s possible you’ll find yourself exploring more at some point,” Grace said. “You’ve broadened your interests before. Who’s to say you won’t do it again? Who’s to say you won’t find yourself in a triad or some other pairing, and you’ll want to test out a bit of permanence?”
“Me,” Jamie replied. “I’m to say. And, in fact, I’m saying it right now, there’s not a single reason in the world that I’d choose to legally tie myself to a relationship.”
Grace shrugged. “Okay. I can be wrong.”
“Since when?” I teased. Smiling, she rolled her eyes and made a show of going back to her sandwich.
Jamie shot a glance to Audrey. “Don’t trust that act. She’s coming for you next.”
“I’m not coming for anyone,” Grace drawled. “I just want my favorite people to have all the love they deserve. You both have such big, kind hearts”—she glanced between Jamie and Audrey—“and I want you to have someone to love you as much in return.”
“With the love from my big, kind heart,” Audrey said, her delicate brows arched high, “count me out. I’ve been through it once. Barely survived. Not going back for seconds.”
I shared a meaningful glance with Grace. For such a hard-ass, she was unbelievably sentimental. “But we could recycle the bridesmaid dresses.”
“Okay, now you have my interest,” Audrey said.
“You’d get married just so we could put these dresses to use one more time?” Jamie asked, laughing.
“Not an actual marriage,” she said. “Someone who needs health insurance or citizenship or something.” She thought about it for a second. “I’d make a great fake wife for someone who needed a hetero-looking relationship.”
I was suddenly very interested in peeling my tangerine. No fake wives to see here.
“Lavender marriages are a necessity for some,” Jamie said.
“The two of you,” Grace muttered.
I shoved some fruit in my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“Would Ryan want a wedding at the farm?” Jamie asked. “Is that something he’d be into?”
“We know we want a big party and good food,” I said. “And a tequila luge. Everything else is to be determined.”
“I can’t keep my drawers on when there’s tequila involved,” Jamie said.
“Honey, you don’t keep your drawers on when there’s water involved,” Audrey said.
