“Mom! Are you ready yet? I want to put on my dress!” Ava screams from downstairs.
We both laugh. “I love that kid, but we need to get her a hobby,” he says against my collarbone before pulling away.
“We’ll work on that when we get home,” I assure him. “Now, skedaddle. I have to get dressed.”
He looks at me for a beat. “You could go like that, and you’d still be the most beautiful woman there,” he says as he leaves.
“Keep reading those romance books. Those lines work,” I tease.
He pokes his head back around the corner. “That was my own line,” he says with a wink and then leaves. I fan myself for a second before I hop in the shower. Brayden Murphy may just be the death of me with all his hotness; I might just burst into flames.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Bray
Over the years, Carly has made me watch one too many romance films. And there’s usually a scene where the woman walks into a room all dressed up and the man just loses it for her. I’m pretty sure I’m living that experience right now.
If I wasn’t sure I had fallen for Carly before this very moment, there’s zero doubt any longer as she steps down the stairs in a lavender evening gown that dips in a low “v” between her breasts. Her long hair falls around her shoulders in waves, with a little of it pulled off her face and held back with a barrette that has a diamond butterfly pattern on it. A single matching butterfly pendant lies between her breasts on a silver chain. She looks breathtaking. Zero trace of the marker is left. I can tell she’s put on makeup, but it looks natural, which I love. I like Carly just as she is. She doesn’t need to cover up her natural beauty in any way.
A second later, Ava comes flying down the steps behind her mom. Fuck. She’s growing up fast. She looks like a mini replica of Carly. She grins as she reaches me, and I put out my arms.
She jumps into them, and I spin her around while she giggles.
“You ladies look lovely,” I say as I put Ava on my hip so that I can look back at her drop-dead-gorgeous mother.
Carly’s cheeks turn pink. “Mommy is a princess and so am I,” Ava announces.
“That’s right, Peanut. You are my two princesses,” I say as I kiss the top of her head. She leans her face on my shoulder and looks up at me. Fuck, I’d do anything for this kid.
“Miss Cam says I get to wear a flower crown,” she whispers.
“I bet you do. We should head over there so you can get your crown, Princess Ava,” I whisper back, and she giggles and nods.
I set her down and take her hand in mine. She looks up at me with such trust and love that it nearly steals my breath. How did I get so lucky to be a part of her life?
“Come on, Unca Bray. Stop staring,” she says.
I look up and glance at Carly, who is wiping a tear from her eye. I give her a look, silently asking if she’s OK.
She nods and blushes. I hold out my elbow, and she walks over, slipping her arm through mine.
“I do believe I am the luckiest man alive,” I state proudly as Ava opens the door, and we step out into the heat of the afternoon. For reasons that I’ll never understand. Cam has decided that she has to get married at exactly one eleven in the afternoon. Apparently, it’s some angel number thing for new beginnings and also happens to be the address of our apartment building.
It’s exactly noon as we walk down the path to where the ceremony will be. The wedding party, consisting of their immediate family and Drew, is all circled around Cam.
“Fletcher wants to know if he can come out yet to see you?” Vito asks.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Cam says with excitement. The wedding is super informal, but Cam had a few specifics that were non-negotiable. And since Cam and Fletcher negotiated their nuptials at happy hour one night, we all got to hear about every single detail.
The photographer motions for Cam to stand at the end of the trail leading from the back steps of the property. There’s a commotion in the bushes nearby, but everyone is watching the bride and groom. Fletcher’s brothers walk him down the steps while making sure his eyes stay closed. I’m pretty sure that Cam would murder him if he didn’t comply, so I don’t know why they keep telling him to keep his eyes closed.
When he reaches the bottom step, they leave him.
“Uh, Cam, help me out here?” Fletcher asks.
Cam giggles. “You can open your eyes,” she says as she stands there, clearly enjoying the moment. But then Drew jumps out of the bushes and steps in front of her while wearing a blow-up dinosaur costume with a wedding gown on it.
Fletcher opens one eye and starts laughing. “What the fuck?” he says as he doubles over.
