That was when I realized we were surrounded.
My mom broke through the crowd first, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, my baby boy! Let me look at you!” She cupped my face in her hands, scanning me from head to toe. “You look wonderful. And engaged! Why didn’t you tell us?”
My brain short-circuited. Engaged? I stared at my mother in complete bewilderment, my mind still fuzzy from that earth-shattering kiss with Tate. The word bounced around in my head like a pinball, refusing to make sense. Sure, I’d thought about it—more times than I cared to admit over the years—but we hadn’t even gone on a proper date yet.
Then Tate’s fingers threaded through mine, squeezing hard enough to grind bone against bone, sending a jolt of awareness straight up my arm. The familiar calluses on her palm from years of landscaping work pressed against my skin, and suddenly what I needed to “go with” was crystal clear. Message received. Her grip was demanding, desperate even, and I knew better than to contradict whatever story she was spinning. Tate would have a good reason for this insanity. I’d play along until we could get a moment alone to talk, though my pulse still raced from that kiss and the idea of being engaged to my best friend—even if it was just pretend.
“Sorry, Mom. We wanted to tell you in person.”
Dad clapped me on the shoulder. “Son, you couldn’t have picked better. We already consider Tate family.”
Sadie bounced on her toes, practically vibrating with excitement. “I can’t believe you two finally got your heads out of your?—”
“Language,” Mom cut in.
“Well, they did! And it’s about time.” My sister threw her arms around both of us. “I’ve been shipping you two since high school.”
“Shipping?” Dad’s forehead wrinkled.
“Never mind, honey.” Mom wiped her eyes. “When’s the wedding?”
Tate’s hand clamped down even harder. If she kept this up, I’d need an x-ray. I stroked my thumb over the back of her hand, and the pressure eased a little.
“We haven’t set a date yet.” I pulled Tate closer, wrapping my arm around her waist. “Just enjoying being engaged for now.”
“Well, we need to celebrate!” Mom beamed. “Of course, the MacAvoys are having a big welcome home cookout for everybody tonight, but we can have a little celebration back at the house first. I’ve got all your favorites ready. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
Cornbread barked, tail wagging, clearly picking up on all the excitement, even if he had no idea what was happening.
Join the club, buddy.
“Sounds great, Mom. Tate, you’re coming, right?”
Her smile was just a little too bright around the edges. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Two
Tate
My heart thundered against my ribs as Kellan’s family swarmed around us. His arm stayed wrapped around my waist, fingers splayed against my hip like they belonged there. Like we did this every day. Like I hadn’t lost my freaking mind.
I tilted my face up toward his ear to whisper, “We need to talk.”
His lips brushed my temple, the gentle touch sending an electric current straight down my spine. “Later,” he murmured, his warm breath fanning across my skin. I fought the urge to lean into him, to chase that fleeting contact that felt far too natural for my scrambled thoughts to process.
Later? How was he so calm about this? The kiss still burned on my lips, the memory of his mouth moving against mine lighting little fires in my blood. Who knew Kellan Fox could kiss like that? The way he’d caught on, pulled me closer, taken control...
“Let me get a picture of the happy couple!” His mom waved her phone.
I opened my mouth to protest, but Kellan turned me into his chest, his hand sliding up my back. “Smile, sweets.”
Sweets? My knees went weak. Why were my knees weak? This was Kellan. My best friend. My partner in business and crime for… basically ever. Had I ever noticed that husky quality to his voice before? Damn it. This was not helping my ability to think straight.
“Kellan, I really need to?—”
He steered me toward my quad cab truck with Mountain Laurel Landscaping emblazoned on the door. “Tell me how things are really going with the company. Any problems you didn’t want to worry me with while I was overseas?”
I stumbled. Did he really somehow know?
