“But Daddy…”
He points to George, the bar’s server who’s also a former rock guitar player with a long gray ponytail, standing behind the bar. “George will take all the drink orders,” he promises. “I’m just here to greet guests. Your mama will be my sober companion for the evening.”
On cue, Macey’s mother appears by his side. “Only sweet tea for both of us,” she says to Macey. “Now, go have some fun, for goodness sake!”
I take Macey by the hand, and she reluctantly follows me to our table. The chairs are placed across from one another.
Well, that won’t do. I drag my chair until it’s adjacent to hers, and then I tip her chin with my thumb.
“Are you still okay with our plan?” I ask her.
She swallows. “Fake honeymoon for one night?”
I nod. “But more importantly, one night where you put all your worries and all of this real-life stuff”—I sweep my arm around the room, finishing my gesture pointed in the direction of her parents—“aside and just have some fun. Enjoy yourself. Put yourself first for once.”
Macey exhales deeply, and I watch the tension disappear from her expression. “Yes. Starting now, Mr. Darcy”—her eyes flash brightly as she licks her lips—“let’s only focus on us.”
I lift the glass of Loganiskey and raise it in her direction. “Sounds like a perfect plan.”
10
Macey
* * *
“You want any more of the guacamole?” Logan holds the bowl out to me.
I shake my head. “I’m so full.”
I’m not going to lie—despite my misgivings about the Wild Darcy Derby and all that it entailed, the meal is delicious. But the company is what really makes the evening so spectacular.
Logan’s charcoal suit fits his muscled body to perfection. His dark hair is styled, but even his obvious attempts to comb it can’t slow down the wildness. Logan’s hair is kind of like him—imperfectly sexy and looking like it can never be fully tamed. Which is exactly what turns me on about him and what makes us so compatible.
But something is bugging me.
I shift my gaze so I can look at him. “What about the fake ceremony threw you off?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…I caught you off-guard when I said ‘I do.’ I saw it in your eyes.”
Logan glances away. “I guess it was the way you said the words. You sounded…” He trails off.
But I touch his chin and make him look at me. “I sounded what?”
“Calm.” He raises his eyebrows. “Fake or not, I was sure you’d panic at that point in the ceremony. But you didn’t. Did you?”
I tilt my head. “Neither did you.”
His cheeks redden. “Point taken.”
“Here are some more chips.” My sister, Riley, interrupts the moment by plunking a straw basket of tortilla chips down on our table.
Daddy’s got all three of my younger siblings working as part of the waitstaff tonight. Since Riley, Ben, and Freedom are teenagers, I don’t allow them to serve drinks, so tonight they’re bringing the food back and forth from the catering area.
“Hey!” I call after my sister’s disappearing back. “We don’t want any more chips, Riles!”
She flips her blond hair over her shoulder at me and keeps walking toward her best friend. Maren puts her arm around her, and the two of them break into a fit of giggles.
