“I know he will.” I glance down as something glints and catches my eye, and I see the rather large engagement ring on her finger. I nod toward it. “Congratulations, by the way.”
She stares at it, too, a goofy grin on her face. “Thanks.”
“Have you made any plans yet?”
She shakes her head. “It’s all brand new.”
“I’m happy to help.” I glance around the dining room, and I decide to take my chance. “Actually, I have this wild dream to create a brand of luxury destination wedding venues, and I just invested in a property in Tampa.”
Her brows rise. “You did? That’s amazing! And I love the offer, but I’m really looking to get married here.”
I glance around the dining room again. “Here, here?” I ask.
She twists her lips. “I mean, ideally, yes. I always wanted to get married here at the mansion. The views of the city, the gorgeous backyard. Perfect for a May wedding, or, oh God, imagine the snow in a winter wedding. But Mav’s in season, so likely April, May, or June. But with Mom gone and who knows what’s going on with Dad…and Ford’s selling it, anyway.” She winces a little as she says the words, and it makes me want to confess my dream to her.
“Can I tell you a secret?” I whisper.
Her eyes light up. “Always.”
“I want to buy it.”
She gasps a little. “The mansion?”
I nod. “I want to buy it and gut the first floor to create the wedding venue of every bride’s dreams. A gorgeous ballroom, maybe even a smaller room for ceremonies. The bedroomscould be converted to bridal suites for the wedding party to gather and get ready before the event.” I sigh. “I just have this clear vision of what I can do with this place, but I can’t afford it. Fifteen mil plus the reno work is too far outside of my budget.”
“Damn,” she murmurs. “Well, maybe we’ll move up the wedding and have it here anyway before Ford closes on it, but only if you promise to help.”
“Excuse me?” her fiancé beside her asks. “What’s this aboutmoving upthe wedding?”
I giggle. It seems like a point they haven’t discussed quite yet.
“Oh, that’s right,” Madden says across the table. “When’s the big day, Ev? Congrats, by the way.”
“You guys, he literally proposed two days ago. We haven’t even gotten engagement portraits done yet. Give a girl a break,” Everleigh huffs.
“As if you don’t have the entire thing planned already,” Dex teases. He glances at Ford. “What about you, Sunshine?”
“Sunshine?” Madden asks.
“Yeah. You know, because he lives in Florida,” Dex explains, and we all laugh again.
Ford glances at me.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Everleigh says. “Don’t youdaresay you’re getting married before me.”
“Um,” Ford says, and he clears his throat. Are we doing this? I think we might be doing this. “We, uh, decided to make it quick.”
“How quick?” Liam asks.
“New Year’s Eve,” Ford murmurs.
The table goes silent.
Like…completely silent. I think I actually hear a pin drop.
Except for one noise.
The sharp intake of breath across the table from Archer.
