“Oh, I’m up to it, alright. Don’t think I’m going to let you off on a technicality,” she snarked, then wove her fingers into his harness for the second time today.
“And…we may have to leave some of this on,” she whispered in his ear before running her fingers nimbly across his crotch while nipping his lobe.
And…yup.
Once again, he had a problem with his close-fitting wetsuit.
EPILOGUE
Thanksgiving hadn’t come quickly enough.
Bobbie had been wearing Buck’s ring since July, and she was ready to add that shiny gold band to make things official.
September had certainly been a bright spot. Not only had her brothers gone to trial quickly, but they’d been sentenced to twenty years. Perfect.
Bobbie had also put on one hell of a spread for Ellen and Guy Sothard’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. It had been epic.
Glancing into the room adjacent to where the ceremony was being held today, Bobbie watched people bustling about without being part of it, which was a funny thing.
Normally, she was in charge of these parties; making sure things went smoothly. Today, she was a lady of leisure;Roberto’s Cateringhaving been sidelined for the festivities. She’d recommended a place she respected to cater her wedding—with one special addition from her staff—and she knew the crew wouldn’t disappoint.
Bobbie supposed that was a good thing. It would be hard to get married while worrying over food. And with her best friend Mel as her maid of honor, neither of them would be able tosuccessfully help wrangle victuals and wait-staff, if things went sideways.
She’d gotten really lucky with her choice of chefs to add to todays’ roster. After Monsieur Provard had been picked up and charged with felony possession and distribution, for which he was also going away for a very long time, his staff at the mansion had been out of work. She’d been able to contact Allain, the chef who had been so good to her, and she’d offered him a job. He’d accepted with alacrity, and had already received his work permit which allowed him to be employed in the states.
She caught his eye, now, as he gave a practiced inspection of the tables, and sighed happily. He was going to make her life so much easier from here on out.
Bobbie smoothed down her fall-inspired, mocha colored dress, appreciating the way the silk wrapped to her body almost like a second skin. The ladies attending her, Melo, Tabitha, Everlee, Rowan, and Sheila, were all in pumpkin and spice colors to compliment the fall theme, and they all looked…delicious as they floated down the aisle.
Four little pups, Reyghan, Cooper, Duck, and Izzy had been duded out as tiny cornucopias, covered with fall flowers and fake fruit which, as they’d walked down the aisle on either side of Shiela, they tried to bite and pull off.
Most everything survived. Sort of.
And now it was her turn.
Standing proudly beside her was Buck’s dad, Guy Sothard, ready to walk her down the aisle.
Was she sad it wasn’t her own father? Not even a little bit. Shedidmiss the woman who’d been her mother once, but that’s as far as familial feelings went. Her brothers were both in jail, and they wouldn’t have been invited, anyway.
She was completely done with the pair.
As soon as she’d fixed up the old family homestead once it had been legally hers again, she’d put it on the market and sold it off. She hadn’t needed the memories, mostly bad, that were wrapped up there, and getting out from under it had been a huge relief.
She and Buck had bought a cute, three-bedroom home, halfway between her work and his, because both or their businesses had taken off in the past few months. Bobbie’s, because the holidays were always crazy, but Diver Downeast had, in October, received a huge boon from the Canadian Border Patrol.
They’d been so appreciative of Buck, Spencer, and Tabitha’s help, that they’d awarded them a comfortable retainer so that Diver Downeast would be on call for any deep-sea needs that arose in the future.
And they had. Arisen already, that is.
The trio of owners had helped bust another drug smuggling operations, already more than earning their money.
Because of that notoriety, Diver Downeast had been in the local news numerous times over the past month, and work was now coming out of the woodwork so fast that they were thinking of hiring on more people.
Bobbie knew part of Buck’s hopes for the future of Diver Downeast would come out at the reception after the ceremony when the Sothard family was all together, and that would be fun. Bobbie didn’t begrudge, one bit, that some of the attention would be off her. As a matter of fact, it would be a relief. She’d never had so many eyes sent her way, in her life.
Bobbie actually couldn’t wait to get back to being the womanbehindpublic events, instead of being the event itself.
The first strains of the wedding march sounded, and Guy Sothard, as handsome as any of his boys who were standing up with Buck, hooked her hand onto his arm.
