He laughs and pulls away, stopping for a short kiss on the lips this time. But I fist my hands in his shirt and hold him there, and one small kiss leads to another. And before we know it, he’s lifting me and setting me down on the countertop, and I’m tugging his shirt up over his head. His hands slide up my bare thighs, his fingertips edging beneath the cuff of the cutoff shorts he asked me to put on this morning, and I’m not sure whether I’m more annoyed or relieved when the alarm begins blaring on his phone.
CHAPTER 42
daisy
After that,we manage to break out of our little love bubble long enough to get dressed and head to Loren and Blake’s, though I suspect we’re only going because we’re worried about what might happen if we stay home alone any longer.
Blake greets us at the door, chuckling when we arrive with another pan of bread pudding. “Sorry, it’s all I’ve got for now,” I tell him.
“I’m just honored by your presence and pleasantly surprised the two of you managed to come up for air long enough to make anything at all,” he says with a smug smile.
Landry lifts a shoulder. “We have to eat sometime.”
Blake snorts and pats him on the back, and the two of them trade knowing looks as we walk inside. Loren studies me carefully once we make our way into the kitchen, and I offer her a reassuring smile before I ask after the twins.
“They’re napping,” she replies. “I figured I’d let their highnesses sleep until the others arrive.” As if on command, a baby cries out through the monitor on the counter, and Loren scampers off to retrieve her.
I turn to face Landry once we’re left to ourselves, and he flashes me a wolfish smile before closing in the space and pressing his lips to mine.
“Maybe we should have set a timer,” I whisper, giggling when he moves his mouth down to my neck for the umpteenth time today. Then I open my eyes to find that the rest of the dinner party has arrived.
“Landry, um, we’re not alone anymore,” I say quickly. He lifts his head before he turns to lean against the cabinet beside me, a smug look crossing his face, and I feel my cheeks heating up when I see Ethan and Caidence snickering in the background.
“Sorry.” He shrugs, making his apology less authentic.
“Are you, though?” Tenley asks, seemingly amused.
“You could have done that before you got here,” Loren adds dryly as she adjusts Penny in her arms.
Landry shrugs again and drapes his arm around my back. “Maybe we did. And maybe I just wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine, Lo-Lo.”
She scoffs, but Blake chuckles lightly. “Go ahead, Lando. I don’t mind if you and Daisy make out in our kitchen, so long as you remember that your sister and I have already violated every surface of this house.”
Landry rolls his eyes, and I stifle a laugh. But then I notice JD scowling at Landry and raising a hand as he speaks.
“I’m sorry. Maybe it’s none of my business?—”
“It’s not,” Landry cuts him off.
But JD shakes his head and continues, despite Tenley nudging him in the side. “Aren’t you married, dude? What about your wife?”
My stomach drops to the floor, and Landry’s hand tightens into the back of my dress.
“Relax, bro,” Ethan pipes up, slipping by to grab a cookie from a platter. “You’re looking at her.”
Tenley glances apologetically before shifting into a warning glower for Ethan. “Sorry. For some reason, this one thinks he’s grown enough to chime in on adult conversations.” Ethan rolls his eyes.
“You’re not …married,” Loren declares after a while. “You can’t be.”
Landry clears his throat before he speaks. “Actually, Ethan’s right.” He pauses and loosens his grip on me. “Daisy and I are legally married. We have been for a while.”
Loren blinks at him. “A while?”
“Since August.”
She continues staring at him as she adjusts the baby in her arms, obviously having a hard time with the news. “You got married five months ago, and you never told us? Then, you attempted to sabotage my wedding while using the excuse that you were only trying to protect me from a man that didn’t believe in commitment?”
“I wasn’t trying to sabotage your wedding,” Landry replies, his voice thick. “And I’m sorry again about what I said in that toast. But none of that has anything to do with Daisy and me.”
