THIRTEEN
“Nope. No way.”
Jodi smiled gently. “It won’t be that bad.”
“The answer is still no,” Shaun muttered darkly, slicing her arm across her in the air. Jodi was dropping this bomb on herthe day before the wedding?“I am not walking down the aisle with him. We’ll kill each other. It’s bad enough that you’ve shoved us together in this secluded mountain resort, and I refuse to walk with him or have to dance with him again. No.”
Jodi sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Cassie had the baby last night; Shane can’t leave them to come to the wedding. Kasey has agreed to step in as Best Man in his place. But that means—”
“I said no,” Shaun snapped, standing and striding to the wide window that overlooked the snow-covered Rocky Mountainside beyond. It was gorgeous, and for a moment took her breath away, just like it had that morning when they’d arrived. The final six weeks leading up to the wedding had flown by, and before she’d known it, they’d been on the flight out to Colorado, bridal bags in tow.
“I wasn’t asking, Shaun,” Jodi snapped back, and Shaun turned to stare at her sister, who had placed her hands on her hips, her stance fierce. “Are you really telling me you can’t be a mature adult for a few hours? After the wedding, by all means,go ahead and kill each other. But can you please put aside this ridiculous vendetta you have against Kasey long enough to be my sister and Maid of Honor? This is mywedding, Shaun. Please.”
Shaun’s shoulders sagged and she sighed in defeat. Her sister deserved the wedding of her dreams to the man of her dreams, after everything she had gone through. Shaun could atleast pretend to get along with the cocky and arrogant bastard for a few hours. “Fine… Consider it your wedding gift.”
Jodi beamed a smile and Shaun couldn’t help the reciprocating one that tugged at her mouth. “I’ll take it,” Jodi said animatedly. “Thank you, Shaun. I couldn’t do this without you standing up there with me.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Shaun muttered, though she softened it with a smile and a wink. “I’m getting drunk on your dime, just so you know.”
“Dad’s paying for the open bar,” Jodi laughed. “So you’re technically going to get drunk on his dime.”
“Perfect,” Shaun chuckled, reaching out and hugging her sister tightly. “I still can’t believe we’re in Colorado and you’re getting married tomorrow!”
“I hope everyone can get here,” Jodi fretted as they pulled away, glancing nervously out the window at the steadily falling snow outside. Levi and Serenity had booked a large vacation rental, and the first thing the girls had done when they arrived was to run through the massive house, checking out the gorgeous log cabin home. The massive house was set just a few hundred yards away from an expansive resort hotel, where the ceremony and reception would take place the following day.
The guest list for the wedding was small, close family and friends only. The house was large enough that the entire Kendall family, including Shaun’s Uncle Micah and Aunt Summer, and the Storm clan, which consisted of their Uncle Spencer and Aunt Sadie and their Gram and Papa, along with the entire bridal party, would be staying under one roof. Rooms had been delegated, couples received their own room, but Shaun was bunked with Jodi for the night, keeping with tradition to keep the bride and groom separate the night before the wedding. Shaun had been surprised and thrilled that she would get the room to herself after the newlyweds left for their honeymoonthe following day. Freeman and Kasey were sharing a room for the night despite Kasey being offered the room that Shane and Cassie would have been using, instead relinquishing it to Roxy so she could have her own room instead of bunking with Tessa and Kit or the three teenage girls in the Kendall and Storm family. Their brothers Warren and Tristan had been bunked together, along with two other male cousins. It was a full house.
“This place is so pretty,” Jodi whispered as she walked around the great room, walking over to the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the mountainside. Skiers raced down the snow-covered slopes in the distance to their left. Directly out the double French doors, a large, rough-hewn, covered wooden porch extended out along the entire length of the house. Off to one side, Shaun could see steam from a massive hot tub sunken into the porch rising into the cool winter air. “Even better than the pictures.”
“I can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow,” Shaun sighed, stepping forward. For being full of people, the house was surprisingly quiet, most of the occupants hiding away in their designated rooms after hours of traveling. Jodi and Free had decided on a New Year’s Eve ceremony, and the resort was heralded to have a truly magical fireworks display at midnight. “Are you nervous?”
“No,” Jodi said and smiled. “Just excited. I hope we remembered everything.”
“We went over that checklist a dozen times,” Shaun heard her mother say as she came up behind them. “And the wedding coordinator will be meeting us in a few hours to go over everything. Tonight and tomorrow are going to be perfect, sweetheart.” Shaun watched as their mother hugged Jodi to her side. “I just can’t believe it’s already here. My little girl is getting married.”
“I wish this was the first one,” Jodi whispered wistfully, and Shaun watched as she fiddled with the diamond ring on her left hand.
Serenity squeezed Jodi’s shoulders. “It will feel like it is, I promise. You and Free are right where you are supposed to be, at the right time. I’m just so glad you’re finally happy. I always hoped you and Free would get here.”
“We just took a little detour,” Jodi laughed on a smile, and Shaun smiled back. Jodi then clapped her hands excitedly and asked, “What time are we supposed to be at the spa?”
“In about an hour,” Seren said after glancing at the clock on the wall. “Shaun, why don’t you start rounding up the girls?”
“Sure thing,” Shaun said and gave her mom a mock salute, which earned her an eye roll from the older woman. The wide staircase that led to the second floor was made out of massive tree trunks and polished slabs of wood, and Shaun ran her hand along the smooth handrail as she climbed them. Lifting her chin, she stared up at the cathedral ceiling above her, swiveling her head this way and that to look at everything as she ascended the stairs.
Knocking on an open door of the first room she came to, she peeked her head in and said, “Tessa, Kit? We’re going to be heading to the main lodge in a bit for the spa. Mom sent me up to gather everyone.”
Tessa’s blonde head popped around the corner and she smiled. “Fabulous. We’ll be down in a few!”
Shaun continued down the hall, knocking on the next open door. She could hear all four of her aunts and uncles in the room, Uncle Micah and Uncle Spencer discussing the wildlife in the area while Aunt Summer and Aunt Sadie were busy packing a tote to take to the spa. “We’re almost ready,” Aunt Summer called, and Shaun kept on to the next room.
“Fallon, Cate, Kylee,” she called in when she opened the door after a quick knock. All three teenage girls were laying on their stomachs across the multiple twin mattresses lined along the farthest wall, chatting animatedly. “We’re leaving in about ten minutes.”
The three girls squealed in excitement and gathered their bags, heading out the door and down the wide staircase moments later. Shaun rolled her eyes when she heard her cousin Cate say, “I wonder if we’ll find any hot guys here this week!” and then Fallon’s response of, “There was that cute guy at the lodge when we checked in!”
Continuing down the hall, she stopped at the next door, which was open.
“Roxy, are you ready to head to the lodge for the spa?” she called as she stepped into the room. When no response came, she rounded the corner and frowned when it was empty. Stepping back out of the room, she collided with a naked chest, her hands flying out to press against the smooth expanse of wet skin as strong hands gripped her upper arms to steady her. Her pulse quickened and she knew without raising her eyes who she was pressed against.
