“That’s great Ty, just great,” she snapped as she waited for her cup to fill. “I thought you were supposed to be the gentle brother.”
“I am gentle,” Ty shot back with a grin, “unless a firmer attitude is called for, which in your case is understandable.”
Susan snorted and turned her back on him, adding sugar and low fat milk to her coffee.
“Where is Kelsey?” she asked suspiciously. “Home sitting on an ice-pack?”
“Not at all,” he replied. “She was sleeping when I left, but I imagine by now she’s thinking about what kind of wedding she wants.”
“Wedding? You’re kidding right?” she asked, setting her cup on the counter with a bang.
“We’re getting married, Susan. I asked her last night and she said yes. Now she only has to figure out where she wants to get married. We would have been on our way to Vegas last night if I could have booked a flight. Besides that, she has her heart set on you standing up with her and I’d hate to disappoint her. You’re her best friend, but I love her,” Ty continued solemnly. “As much as you annoy the hell out of me at times, I would never try to come between you two. Please give me the same courtesy,” Ty said quietly.
“I can’t believe this,” Sue whispered, fleeing from the room.
“Now what?” Ty sighed, running his hand through his hair.
“Don’t worry about Red,” Marcus said, slapping Ty on the back. “She’s stubborn, but she’ll come around. Once she realizes this is what Kelsey wants, she’ll support it.”
“I hope so, but just so you know, if she tries to talk Kelsey out of marrying me, I’ll take a stick to her butt,” Ty warned.
“You won’t have to,” Marcus laughed. “I’ll do it myself. Now, let’s go make some phone calls and see what we can do to make this happen.”
In the end, it only took one phone call to Sam to set the plan in motion. When Sam called back twenty minutes later Sam and Johanna, Mike and Brandy and Jeff and Elena were all flying out with them for the wedding and a few days of fun. Even Erica wanted to be included and she decided to ask a Sugar Babies client she had recently interviewed to accompany her.
Ty was delighted. The added guests would give a real wedding atmosphere to the trip and he knew it would make things easier on Kelsey. Having no family, it would give her nice memories and photos of the day. Jeff and Elena were already in from Atlanta visiting with Sam and Jo, so they would all fly out tonight. The wedding could take place tomorrow or the next day, whatever Kelsey wanted, and they could spend some time enjoying the sights of Vegas before they flew back.
Ty made arrangements for coverage at his practice for the duration and headed home to share the news with Kelsey.
Marcus tossed down the whiskey while he glared at the ring on his desk and went upstairs to find out if Susan was going to be a problem. He sure as hell hoped not. Ty and Kelsey were obviously made for each other and as much as he enjoyed spanking Susan’s lovely ass, he couldn’t do it for her opinion. In all reality he knew she cared deeply for Kelsey, but he wasn’t going to let her stand in the way of his brother’s happiness. He decided a firm no nonsense attitude was the best approach as he walked into their bedroom.
Susan was standing at the window with her back to him, her arms crossed over her chest.
As soon as he closed the door she spun on him angrily.
“I can’t believe you’re going to support this,” she spat, her eyes flashing.
“And why wouldn’t I?” he answered smoothly, as he began picking up his scattered clothes from the floor.
“Kelsey is too young,” she insisted, pacing from one window to the next. “She doesn’t even know him that well, or what she’s getting into. You have to stop this,” she demanded.
“Red,” he sighed sadly. “Not everyone has to be hit in the head with a brick to recognize love when they see it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind, just get packing. We have a flight to catch in a few hours,” he continued as he dropped the clothes in the hamper.
“But I…”
“Red, I swear by all that’s Holy, I’m not going to tell you again. If you give me one bit of trouble about this, you will be flying to Vegas on your knees because your ass will be too sore to sit on. Do I make myself clear?” he asked quietly, with a look in his eyes she’d come to know quite well.
“Yes, but if this doesn’t turn out well, I’m holding you personally responsible,” she hissed. It was the stamping of her foot that made him shake his head and laugh.
Susan made several attempts to call Kelsey throughout the day, and each one was foiled by the appearance of Marcus. Shamelessly he shadowed her movements, finally plucking her cell from her hands and dropping it into his pocket when she tried to take it into the bathroom with her.
“Give that back,” she demanded, flustered as he advanced on her and pinned her to the dresser.
“No, I won’t have you scaring poor Kelsey with dire predictions for her future because you don’t happen to agree with their decision,” he informed her sternly. “This is between Ty and Kelsey, and you will stay out of it. Just because you’re afraid of commitment doesn’t mean you should foist those fears off on her.”
