Kendall blushed when Haven lifted his glass aloft. “To my brother’s new wife and closest friend since middle school.”
“We really had wondered how long it was going to take,” Asher, another brother, offered with a grin.
Jude leaned close to give Kendall a kiss. In all seriousness, my heart tightened. Though I liked to tease, I was genuinely happy for my brother. Just like I was happy for Haven, also now contentedly married to Elsa.
“Kendall,” I said, “I’d say welcome to the family, but you were already part of our family. Now it’s just a little more official.”
Kendall glanced over, her cheeks still pink from Jude’s kiss. “I feel lucky.”
“Yeah?” Jude asked.
“Yeah. I love the Silver family.” She looked around the table. “But the question is, am I taking the last name?”
My other brother, Lincoln, grinned. “Are you?”
Kendall contemplated this, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. “I don’t know. I guess I’m neutral about it. What do you think?” she asked, turning to Adele.
“Me?” Adele’s eyes went wide, color rising in her cheeks.
The heat that had been banked inside me ever since I’d first seen her days ago flared hot again. She was simply gorgeous with auburn hair and hazel eyes that sparkled and flashed.
“Yes, you,” Kendall said. “You’re probably the least biased person at the table because Cole dragged you in here and you’re new to town.”
Adele tipped her head to the side, and I tried not to stare at the dusting of freckles on her cheeks. “I’m of the mind that you should do what you want. There’s the whole inconvenience of the paperwork to consider. So if you want to take it, take it. If you don’t, don’t.”
“But what would you do?” I asked, leaning closer to Adele. For some reason, I really wanted to know.
Adele’s eyes flicked up to mine and flashed with something that sent a jolt of electricity through me. “I wouldn’t,” she said. “On the range of independent and stubborn, I’m pretty far on the upper end of the scale. I wouldn’t want to deal with the paperwork, and I am who I am. Plus, I like my last name.”
Asher let out a laugh. “That’s a good reason. If I hated my last name and I got married, I’d change it to my wife’s.”
“You don’t even have a girlfriend,” I pointed out.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “So what? When all is said and done, if I hated my last name, I’d change it.”
“But would you change it if your hypothetical wife wanted you to?” Adele asked.
Asher tipped his head to the side, seriously considering the question. “Maybe.”
Adele smiled broadly. “Good answer.”
A few minutes later, conversation had moved on, and Adele took a swallow of her water.
“So if we got married, hypothetically,” I said, “I’d take your last name if you wanted.”
Pink tinged her cheeks as she lifted her eyes to mine. Her lips twisted to the side, and let me tell you, Ilovedher lips. The bottom one was full and plump. I wanted to drag my thumb across it before she parted her mouth and kissed me.
“Um, okay,” she said. “But we’re not getting married.”
“But if we were…” I pressed.
“We’re not,” she insisted.
I shrugged. “You never know what might happen.”
“What?!” she sputtered, her eyes wide. “You hardly know me.”
“I know, but you never know what could happen.”
