She looked up at me and nodded. “Yes, but how will we convince them that it’s not just a stunt?”
“By having an actual ceremony. We’ll turn the backyard of this house into the best venue this town has ever seen.”
This was absolutely going to bite me, but I was doing this for her and Elias. Whatever heartache I suffered would be worth it… for her.
Chapter Twelve
CORA
I’d gonefrom single to engaged in less time than it took to put on my mascara. In a way, I was still reeling from it.
But what could I do?
Sure, I could have said no, but the thought of Colter raising my sister’s baby made me sick. I would rather walk on the sun barefoot, drinking lighter fluid, than let that man touch Elias.
Now, two hours later, Anna and Ari were stepping off a jet on the tarmac behind the house. As soon as she saw me, she waved excitedly and began walking toward me and Jason.
Thomas stood a few feet away, constantly scanning the area.
The moment Anna reached me, she hugged me and squeezed. “I’m so happy.”
“You know this is just—” I started to whisper.
“I know,” she whispered back, “but I’m still excited for you.”
Ari extended a hand to Jason. “Good to see you, man. How’s your arm?”
Jason rolled his shoulder. “It’s a lot better. How about you?”
His hand came to his side. “Ribs are good.”
Anna released me and moved to hug her brother. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.” He returned the hug. “You look… great, Anna.”
When she leaned back, I could see the subtle glow of early pregnancy. She caught me looking and smiled, her hand coming to her belly. “Thanks.” She wrapped her arms around Ari’s bicep as she leaned into him. “He’s taking very good care of me.”
“Thanks for coming,” I said. Although there was a part of me wondering if I’d regret it later. I had a feeling this wedding was about to flip from proving to the judge and CPS that the wedding was real to wondering if our line was being permanently smudged.
Her gaze moved from Jason to me. “I wouldn’t miss it.” She grinned and dropped her arms from around Ari. Her smile widened. “I’ll happily help you with your wedding as soon as I get to meet my nephew. I have kisses to give and toes to bite.”
Jason chuckled as he put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on, sis, we’ll introduce you.”
As we made our way across the short distance from the landing strip to the house, Anna immediately launched into questions. “Is he sleeping? How big is he? Does he look like Maya?”
“He’s napping,” I said, matching her pace. “And yes, he looks just like her.”
Ari shook his head with a grin as we approached the warm light spilling from the windows. “She’s been like this the entire flight.”
The moment we stepped through the front door, Anna was pulling off her jacket. “Okay… lemme see him.”
I’ll admit, I loved it. I loved the genuine excitement she showed. I think Maya would have too. A huge family to surround him, love him, and protect him. Part of me wondered how things would be once Jason and I weren’t married any longer, but I stopped those thoughts in their tracks.
We hooked arms and quietly made our way up the stairs. When we reached Elias’s room, Anna paused in the doorway and quietly said, “This is gorgeous.”
“Jason did it.”
Her mouth dropped open. “No way.” She took a breath. “We’ll talk about that later, when I can be louder.”
