I rubbed the back of my neck, mentally reviewing my list. “I don’t think so. The paperwork is all squared away. My department knows who’s handling what while I’m gone. I want to look into buying Brody a snowboard, but I need to talk to Maisie about that first. So yeah. I think I’m ready. The only thing I haven’t done…”
I trailed off, honestly only realizing it as I spoke.
Sterling arched an eyebrow at me. “Well? Don’t leave us in suspense.”
I grimaced. “Don’t judge me for this, but I haven’t met Maisie’s dad or her brothers. We’re flying them to Scotland. I’m marrying the man’s daughter and I’ve never looked him in eye or shaken the man’s hand.”
Jameson let out a low whistle. “That’s a pretty risky strategy, bro.”
“Take it from me, it’s downright fucking suicidal.” Sterling grinned. “I can’t wait to see how that plays out. Did you not learn anything from the mistakes I made with Laney’s dad?”
“Shut up.” They weren’t wrong though, and now that I’d realized what a complete asshole this would make me, there was no way I was letting the situation stand. “I’m going to fix it.”
Before either of them could reply, my phone was in my hand and I was looking at flights. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my brothers exchange a look, but when Jameson opened his mouth, I shook my head.
“Don’t say anything,” I warned him.
“Wasn’t going to,” he lied, the twitching at the corner of his mouth giving him away.
Sterling just looked back at me, lowering his chin in a decisive nod. “My jet’s not going anywhere until Scotland.”
“Neither is mine,” I said. “Let me talk to Maisie. I might just fly commercial, though. I need to talk to her before I make any decisions. Taking other people’s feelings into consideration is new for me. I need to get it right.”
An hour later, I was at her school. The halls smelled faintly of floor wax and whatever they’d served in the cafeteria for lunch. I caught sight of Brody through his classroom window as I passed through the elementary school wing.
He spotted me immediately, waving so enthusiastically that I paused for a beat and grinned, but when his teacher frowned at me and started for the door, I quickly kept walking before I got us both in trouble. The high school section of the school was on the other side of the property, and by the time I got there, Maisie was in a free period.
I found her in her classroom, a stack of papers in front of her and a red pen in her hand. She looked up and saw me, surprise registering on her beautiful, heart-shaped face. Her smile was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.
“Hey, you,” she said quietly, standing up as I shut her door behind me. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
As her eyes found mine, it suddenly felt like I could breathe right for the first time all day. “Do I need an excuse to visit my soon-to-be wife? Maybe I just missed you.”
Her smile widened. “What am I going to do with all that charm when we’re married, huh?”
I closed the distance between us without hesitating, immediately hooking an arm around her hips and pulling her into me. Her head tipped back as mine descended. Our mouths met in a soft, unhurried kiss and she melted into me like she’d been waiting for it all day.
For a second, all I could think about was this. Her. In my arms. Maisie fucking Morgan, my fiancée. Against all odds, the only crush I’d had in college, the only serious crush I’d ever had, had come back to me. I was on the cusp of making her mine.
When we finally pulled apart, her cheeks were flushed and her pupils were a little larger than they had been before. She cleared her throat, blinking a few times until her gaze cleared. “Sadie’s taking me shopping for a dress this afternoon. Do you think you could take Brody to hockey practice for me?”
“Sure,” I said, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “Is there a rink in Michigan where your family lives?”
Her expression shifted instantly, going from soft and maybe even a little excited to horrified in less than a second. “What? Why?”
I laughed and caught her hands. “There’s something I need to do before the wedding.”
“In Michigan?”
“Yeah, well, that’s where your dad and your brothers are, and I need to have a conversation with them. Preferably before we’re all stuck in a castle in Scotland together.”
Her lips parted and her mouth opened before it closed again. Her eyes widened like I’d suggested we jump naked off the Golden Gate Bridge. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Maybe not, but I want to. It’s important for me to look them in eye at least once before we fly them halfway across the world for our wedding.”
Maisie groaned, burying her face in my chest. “My mom has already told them what’s going on. You really don’t have to worry?—”
“I do,” I said firmly, brushing my thumb across her knuckles. Then I released her hands to slide my arms around her again. “I want them to know I respect them enough to come in person. To meet them on their turf before we’re all together on Sterling’s.”
