“Hey, I’m not entirely to blame, am I, babe?” he asked. Aria’s color rose a shade deeper. Reece threw back his head in laughter. “We’re embarrassing her, Sam.”
“We? I’m doing nothing of the sort.” Her cousin shrugged. “So, let me get this straight. You two met and...” she trailed off with a wink. “...then met again at my wedding?”
Aria nodded. That night Reece made her feel desirable and like a real woman. The anonymity of their union created a freedom of expression and losing all inhibitions; she’d reciprocated his desire willingly. Only, the next morning, she woke terrified by her reckless abandonment. Thankfully, her cousin, Alisha, reminded her Reece was a total stranger Aria would never see again. The surmise, however, proved inconsequential since he pitched up at the wedding.
“I arrived at the ceremony much later and missed the opportunity to meet the family.” Aria often wondered about the outcome of their meeting had her aunties not interfered and whisked Reece away. But she hadn’t stuck around to find out. Now, it seemed fate had other plans in store for her. “I had no idea he was related to Cody and the last person I expected to see there.”
“Me neither but a distracting surprise indeed.” Reece squeezed her hand.
“Guess fate works in mysterious ways.” Her cousin laughed.
“Why did you disappear from the wedding without a word, Aria?” Reece took a swig of his beer.
“Indian dynamics.”
He cocked a brow. “Meaning?”
“Shooting my husband hadn’t gone down well with the aunties, pitching up in public even more so. Marriage is a big commitment in Indian homes, and as I mentioned before. When you go against the norm, it’s called disrespecting your elders.”
“So, that’s the reason for the name-calling.”
“That comes first,” Samantha responded. “Followed closely by reputation disrepute then silly gossip to see who’d come up with the best dramatic version of Aria’s behavior.”
“Tarnish the name, so to speak.” Aria waved down a waitress.
Reece shook his head. “Jeez, talk about politics.”
“You’ve no idea,” Aria said as the waitress approached the table.
“Sam, how did you know Aria would be in Wyoming?” Reece asked after the waitress took Aria’s drink order and left.
“Samantha and Cody helped me get here.” Aria burst out laughing at his comical expression of shock.
His brow shot up. “Wait. You set me up, Sam?” Then he scowled.
“You moped in the worst possible way. Cody and I decided Aria had had enough time to heal hence the ploy to send you here.”
Reece leaned back in his seat with a grunt. “You could’ve said somethin’, you know. What about Uncle Buck?”
“I wanted you two to meet on your terms, Reece. Uncle Buck agreed to help get you two together,” Samantha explained. “He’s kept tabs on you, Aria and reported back to Cody.”
She gasped, “Seriously?”
Her cousin met her solemn gaze. “The old man cares for you like a daughter he never had. During his last call, he mentioned you weren’t interested in anyone, and the guys who tried got the cold shoulder. He’s concerned you’re dead set against another relationship.
“And I proved the ideal scapegoat?” Reece asked. His tone reproachful, but the soft smile at the corners of his mouth showed he wasn’t angry.
Samantha nodded. “In my defense, I had no idea about your and Aria’s first meeting. I assumed you saw her at the wedding. I had to convince your brother, though.”
“Let me guess. Cody wasn’t keen on sending his playboy brother to woo Aria?”
Aria chuckled at Reece’s irritated snort. “I forgive you, coz, and thank you for sending Reece here.”
“My pleasure. Although I think Reece’s sulking had a lot more to do with it than my helping hand.” Her cousin winked then her amused features turned solemn. “Aria, there’s another reason I’m here.”
“What’s up?”
“Jay was released earlier than expected,” her cousin said.
