Bridesmaid Undercover

Book 2: Bridesmaid for Hire

by Meghan Quinn

Genres: Contemporary Romance; Romantic Comedy; New Adult Romance

Synopsis

From USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a witty friends to lovers . . . turns . . . enemies to lovers romance.

Everly Plum is delighted to be heading up the Bridesmaid for Hire program at Magical Moments by Maggie. And when Hardy Hopper, one of their billionaire investors, approaches Everly for help with his friends' wedding, she's more than happy to step in. But Hardy has an extra assignment for her: his ex-girlfriend will be the maid of honor opposite his role as best man, and he wants Everly's help getting her back.

There's only one problem: Everly may have a tiny crush on the dashing businessman. But despite the way Hardy makes her stomach flutter, she's determined to prove herself, both as a bridesmaid and as a matchmaker. That is, until she finds her crush turning into real feelings. Not to mention, Hardy can't help but notice how well he clicks with Everly, and before he knows it, he's not looking for his ex's attention anymore.

But even after their simmering attraction finally rises to the surface, they will have to contend with meddling friends, poor timing, and professional boundaries—and the risk that no one might get a second chance after all.

 

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Release date: August 20, 2024

Publisher: Meghan Quinn

Print pages: 527

Reader says this book is...: entertaining story (1) escapist/easy read (1) happily ever after (1) heartwarming (1) realistic characters (1) satisfying ending (1) sex scenes (1) strong chemistry (1) strong heroine (1) swoon-worthy (1) unputdownable (1)

Sample

PROLOGUE
Hardy
My penis feels phenomenal.
Like it’s floating on a puffy, white cloud being blown around by whispers of “you had sex”
last night.
Not just any kind of sex, but mind-altering sex.
Sex that made me see stars.
As if my head was stuck in an erotic wormhole where luminous spheroids were glittering
all around me.
To keep it simple for you…I am not the same man that I was before last night.
A new standard has been set, an impossible standard and there’s only one person to
blame…well, not blame, but celebrate.
Fucking Everly Plum.
Not to be corny, but she took my breath away last night.
Stole it.
Made me believe that I’d actually died of asphyxiation and risen to orgasmic heaven.
And before you say I’m being a bit overdramatic about a night of sex, I swear on my left
nut that I’ve never felt this way before.
Ever.
Also, and this is very, very important…I never saw this dark mistress of the night
coming.
A total wild card.
A loop that was thrown my way and I took it.
Sure, yes, we’re friends.
And, of course, I’ve always thought she was beautiful.
But did I think when looking at her, “Oh hey, there’s coupling in our future”?
Never.
But hell, just look at her peacefully sleeping, her nearly pitch-black hair strewn across
the white of her pillow, creating a stark contrast of innocence and sin. Beard burn mars
the soft, silky skin on her cheeks, neck, and chest. Yeah, I was feral over the feel of her
beneath me. And those lips, which drove me absolutely insane last night, are puffy, pink,
and swollen.
I can see myself all over her.
I can recall the feel of her hands caressing my back, her nails digging into my skin.
I can smell her sweet perfume surrounding us like an erotic cloud of mischief.
And if I hold my breath, I can faintly still hear the way she gasped when I entered her.
Fuck…I can still feel it…
I drag my hands over my face as I roll to my back, very unfamiliar with my surroundings,
but feeling comfortable at the same time. I prop myself up on my elbows and glance
around her studio apartment. It’s tiny compared to the farmhouse I have outside of San
Francisco and my apartment here in town. Pretty sure the primary bedroom in my
farmhouse is bigger than her studio. But whereas my place feels starkly decorated by
someone I paid, Everly’s apartment is full of warmth and character.
Velvet curtains drape the exposed brick wall that offers a rather large window and view
of the bay. Gold-framed black and white pictures hang around her apartment, while an

impressive ficus soaks up the sun from the corner of her apartment. Across from the
bedroom space, she’s created a dining nook right next to the kitchen with a wood table
that is flawed with imperfections but decorated with a smooth, matte black vase. Her
apartment is a combination of old world and modern functionality, something I didn’t get
to appreciate last night as I was pushing her up against the door and mauling her
mouth.
Or when I had her legs wrapped around my face.
Or when I was rocking her bed like a mad man against the wall with my uncontrolled
and wild thrusts.
Christ.
When I got dressed last night, I had no intention of ending up naked and in bed with
Everly, but thanks to a decent consumption of heavy-handed Moscow mules, Jell-O
shots, and a persistent ex-girlfriend, I ended the night tearing Everly’s clothes off with
zero patience.
And as I glance over at her beautiful face again, I realize that I want a repeat. I want a
lot of repeats. I want all of the fucking repeats until—
Bzzzz.
Brows knitted together, I glance to the floor where my pants are bunched up, my phone
sticking out of the back pocket. Why’s he texting me?
The only time Hudson, my older brother, would ever text me this early is if it’s urgent.
Groaning quietly to myself, I snag my phone. With my back toward Everly, I open the
text message.
Hudson: Please, for the love of God, tell me you didn’t sleep with Everly last night.
Fear prickles the back of my neck as I try to figure out how the hell he’d even know what
happened. I didn’t accidentally call him in the middle of…everything…did I? I exit out of
the text message and go to my recent calls in my phone. There’s nothing.
But then…
I notice the texts above the one from this morning.
Hardy: Everly is so hot. Such a good kisser.
Hudson: What? Are you fucking serious right now?
Hudson: Hardy, pick up your phone.
Hudson: What the hell is going on? Are you with her right now?
Hudson: Hardy!
Oh shit.
I have a feeling this won’t be good. I can go about this two ways: I can tell him the truth,
or I can possibly go about this conversation in a roundabout way to see how much
trouble I might be in.
Obviously, I choose the latter.
Hardy: And if I did sleep with her…that would be…?
He texts back immediately.
Hudson: Bad, you moron! That would be very bad.
I twist my lips to the side, trying to understand why sleeping with Everly would be a bad
thing, because from personal experience, it was a good thing.
A very good thing.
Easily the best decision I’ve ever made.

Hardy: Just for reference, could you explain why sleeping with her would be a bad
thing?
Hudson: Because she’s working with your sister! And don’t you remember what
happened a few years ago, when I happened to ask if I could date one of her
employees?
Hardy: Attempting to remember, but the brain is a bit foggy at the moment.
Hudson: She freaked out, said there were millions of women to choose from, don’t dip in
her pond.
Hmm, I have a distant memory of such a thing.
Hardy: So, you think she would be mad?
Hudson: Are you saying you had sex with Everly last night?
Hardy: I’m not confirming anything.
Hudson: Well, I’m at your apartment and you’re not here, so you tell me what the hell
you did last night.
Jesus, this guy.
Hardy: Fine, we slept together.
Hudson: Fucking Christ, Hardy.
Hardy: It was the Moscow mules!
Hudson: Are you at her place now?
Hardy: Yes. She’s sleeping and I’m trying not to wake her up for another round.
Hudson: Don’t even fucking look at her. Get up, grab your clothes, and leave. I’m not
kidding, Hardy, this won’t go over well.
Hardy: I understand why this might not go well, but also…maybe she would be happy
for me?
Hudson: She won’t be.
Hardy: But maybe she will…
Hudson: SHE WON’T! Haisley is very protective of her business; you and I know that. If
you date someone she’s working with, and you ruin that relationship, Haisley is going to
be pissed. The relationship she has with Dad is severed, so don’t taint the relationship
she has with you.
And that right there, that’s all he has to say, because he’s right.
After Haisley married Jude, we found out some things about our father that, well, let’s
just say they didn’t settle well, so as a group, we decided to part ways with him and his
billion-dollar hotel chain business. We started our own cooperative with our dad’s direct
competitors, the Cane brothers, and we have multiple ventures now under the
cooperative, including Haisley’s business, which also involves Everly…
Hudson: Not to mention, Everly is an employee under the cooperative, in a way, and
we’ve been strict about not dating employees.
Once again, the fucker is right.
Hudson: So get out. Now.
Internally I groan because the last thing I want to do is leave this bed.
It’s warm.
Naked Everly is next to me.
And I had plans. Wonderful, amazing, throbbing plans. Yes…throbbing.
I was going to make some coffee, maybe order some breakfast, and then wake Everly
up with my tongue.

What I wouldn’t give for another taste.
But Hudson is right. He’s really right. I crossed a line last night, a line that could hurt my
sister. And Haisley is not someone I ever want to hurt. She’s been through enough in
her life and, if anything, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, which means…I need to
bolt.
I glance over my shoulder just to make sure Everly is not awake and when I see her still
peacefully sleeping, the covers nearly exposing her spectacular chest, I internally weep
inside and then turn away. I slip out of bed, completely naked, and grab my clothes
before I move to her bathroom.
I quietly shut the door and start dressing.
My dick that was once feeling phenomenal is now on a watchlist for murder. The broken
dreams of another round with Everly fills me with such deep sorrow that I feel it all the
way to the tips of my goddamn toes.
I don’t even bother to check out my disappointed expression in the mirror as I quickly
slip on my clothes—I know what it looks like.
Depressed.
Deprived.
Defeated.
I stick my phone in my back pocket, run my hand through my hair, and then on a
depleted sigh, I exit the bathroom, just in time to see Everly sit up from the bed and
stretch her arms over her head, showing off her beautiful beard burn-covered chest.
Fuck.
Me.
When she sees me out of the corner of her eye, she quickly scrambles for the sheets to
cover herself up.
Babe, I sucked on your tits last night, several times, so no need to cover up.
“Oh…hi,” she says cutely as she wets her lips, taking me in with her eyes.
I scratch the back of my head as I mentally tell myself to stay away. “Hey,” I say, my
voice coming out all scratchy.
“Are you, uh…leaving?”
I thumb toward the door and say, “Yeah, was going to take off.”
“Oh, sure, yeah.” She worries at her lower lip.
“Have an early start to the day,” I add.
“Of course. Work, work, work,” she says awkwardly.
“Yup, got to love that work.”
“So much work,” she says.
“All the work,” I mumble.
Any other ways we can say work? Because I’m here for the sweat-inducing
conversation.
She glances at the sheets, silence falling between us before she says, “Yeah.” When
she lifts her eyes to me, vulnerability laces through them. “I, uh, hope I didn’t do
anything wrong.”
Fuck, she’s second-guessing herself, and that’s the last thing I want her to do when she
was the best sex of my goddamn life.
“No, you didn’t,” I say. “It was…last night was…phenomenal. Really fucking great.”
I catch the blush in her cheeks. “Yeah, it was.”

“The best,” I say.
“Easily,” she replies.
“Like, my world is different now.” Her brows lift, and I feel like I’ve said too much. Time
to shift gears. I take a step toward the door. “Well, I should be going.”
Her expression falls. “You don’t, uh…you don’t want any coffee or anything?”
I shake my head as I find my shoes on the floor and slip those on quickly. “Nah, I’ll pick
something up. But thanks.”
“Okay.” She worries that lip again. I want to walk up to her, push her back on the bed,
and make out with her…for hours.
“So, yeah, thanks for last night, but I’ll uh, I’ll see you around, I’m sure.”
“Yeah.” She diverts her eyes to the bundled-up sheets in front of her. “Um, before you
leave, not sure how much alcohol took over last night, but…you said some things…”
Oh, I’m sure I did.
I’m sure I said a lot of things.
Hell, I’m worried what the hell came out of my mouth last night after experiencing what I
can only describe as the purest form of ecstasy.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a yahoo thrown out.
A hurray.
A blessed be to God.
“Yeah, there was lots of alcohol, huh?” I say, trying not to be awkward, but also…hating
myself. “People say weird things when alcohol is involved.”
She slowly nods. “Okay, yeah, I get it.” She softly smiles and then meets my eyes, a
distance forming in them. “You know, I still think you have a chance with Maple. I saw
you guys talking, so, you know, if you want me to still try to make that happen, I can.”
I want to squeeze my eyes shut in irritation because after last night, the last thing I want
is for Everly to think she still needs to help me out with my ex. I want nothing to do with
Maple romantically.
Maple wants nothing to do with me.
We’re friends.
The persistent ex-girlfriend I mentioned? That was Maple. She was the one pushing me
toward Everly last night.
And I freely went with the flow.
But…fuck, after what Hudson said, maybe…maybe agreeing with Everly might be the
easy sidestep to avoid any confusion and awkwardness.
“That, uh, that would be awesome,” I say as a tight ball forms in my throat.
No, it would not be awesome. What would be awesome is if I could climb back in bed
with you, if we could share a coffee while you curl into my chest, if we could not leave
your apartment all day and just get lost in each other.
She demurely pushes her hair behind her ear, avoiding all eye contact with me as her
shoulders turn in. “Okay, well, see you.”
I lift my hand up to her and offer her a wave. “See ya.”
And with that, I exit her apartment, shutting the door behind me. I walk a few feet away,
pause, and then lean against the wall of her apartment building, letting my head fall
back to the hard surface.
Fuck me.
How did this even happen?

I’ll tell you how…I was desperate and jealous to find a relationship. So desperate that I
asked the wrong person to help me—well, maybe they were the right person.
And how does Everly fit into all of that? Well…it’s quite the fucking story and, after last
night, it just became a complicated one.
I glance back at her door; the gears in my head spinning.
This. Is. Not. Right.
Fuck, I have to go back in…

 

CHAPTER ONE
Hardy
“Hardy, man!” I hear Ken say right before his arms wrap around me from behind as he
pulls me into a tight hug.
I turn around and return the hug. “Ken Doll, congrats, dude.”

Ken’s face beams at me as he adjusts his tie. Ken, my best friend from college, has
always felt uncomfortable in a suit—a tie especially—and it’s something we bonded
over since I prefer a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt over a suit and tie just like him. But
when we need to, we know how to clean up. Like for his swanky engagement party.
Having gold-rimmed tumblers with custom ice cubes for whiskey seems a bit much,
something my rich-as-shit father would do to impress the people around him.
“Can you believe she said yes?” Ken asks.
“I can.” I chuckle. “Polly loves you, man.”
“I know, but, fuck, that was nerve-wracking. I wish you could have been there.”
“I’m sorry.” I grip his shoulder. “I wish I was there too, but this bullshit happening with my
father has really tied me up lately.”
Ken winces, knowing exactly what I’m talking about.
Let me lay it out for you.
My dad: Reginald Hopper, CEO and owner of Hopper Industries.
He’s put me and my two siblings, Hudson and Haisley, through a roller coaster of
fatherhood.
Whether it’s a heavy dose of guilt for not performing the way he prefers, or a mountain
of praise for making a cutthroat decision under his umbrella of employment, his feelings
toward his children have been up and down, never satisfied.
And this past summer, everything imploded. Spectacularly.
You see, Haisley left the family business to pursue her own aspirations. Our prideful
father wasn’t happy about it and has been gunning for her to bring her business to
Hopper Industries, to the point that he was willing to walk over whoever he could to
make that happen. Well, Hudson and I weren’t going to tolerate that. If our dad taught
us one thing growing up, purposefully or not, it was that we siblings needed to stick
together. So, we came up with a plan to part ways with Hopper Industries.
Since the company has multiple branches of business, one being Hopper
Almonds—what I’m in charge of—I used my trust fund to buy it out, and my dad had no
problem parting ways. Moron. It’s worth more than he realized, and Hudson and I joined
forces with our dad’s competitor to do right in the world.
But it’s been a long-ass process.
It’s taken a toll on us.
On our personal lives.
And on our relationship with our dad.
Let’s just say he didn’t take the news well.
“Yeah, how’s everything going with your dad?” Ken asks.
I take a sip of my drink and say, “Well, Dad is furious, as you can imagine and has a
vendetta against us. Pretty sure he wants to file a lawsuit against his own children, but
he doesn’t have any justification. So, that’s where we stand.”
“Yikes. And how is the business going?”
I smirk at him. “Amazing.”
“Yeah?” Ken’s expression turns into excitement.
“Yeah, the farms are flourishing. We restructured a bit and increased pay, which has
improved morale, made a better working environment, and has increased production.
We’ve had some of the biggest harvests we’ve ever had and are growing with some

purchases of other almond farms, but maintaining staff loyalty. We invested in a
wedding business and are almost done with the storefront, which is—”
“Wedding business?” Ken says with a raised brow. “How the hell did you go from
almonds to a wedding business? That doesn’t seem like you.”
I chuckle. “I told you about Maggie, right?”
“Who’s Maggie?” Ken asks, elbowing me like an idiot.
“Nothing like that, dude. She’s engaged to Brody, one of our investors, who used to
work for my dad. Maggie was a savior at Haisley’s wedding. Haisley’s maid of honor
couldn’t be there because of her pregnancy and during the welcome reception, Brody
introduced Maggie to us. We quickly found out she’s a wedding planner, and well, long
story short, she filled in as a bridesmaid and helped out with the wedding. In the end,
we wanted to help her expand her business, and we needed an event planner on staff
for the charity and partner events we’re planning, so it all worked out.”
“Huh, interesting. She filled in as a bridesmaid?”
“Yeah. Maggie and her assistant Everly expanded on that idea and started a
‘Bridesmaid for Hire’ service that falls under the umbrella of their business.”
“Bridesmaid for hire?” I hear Polly say as she comes up next to Ken. “What’s that?”
Strapped into a flowy, gold and sparkly dress, Polly, another one of my best friends from
college, looks breathtaking and just as uncomfortable as Ken and me. There is no doubt
in my mind that her mom picked out the dress and forced her to wear it since Polly is
more of a casual girl. Either way, she looks stunning.
We hug, and when I step away, I say, “Congrats, Polly. I’m really happy for the both of
you.”
She rubs my arm. “Thanks, Hardy. We’re pretty excited. Only took a decade, but hey,
sometimes the best things are worth waiting for.”
“Didn’t help that you broke up with me two years ago,” Ken says in a teasing tone.
“Maybe because you weren’t proposing, you moron,” I say, which causes Polly to laugh.
“And this is why you should always listen to your best friend.” Polly presses a kiss to
Ken’s lips and for a moment, a strong moment, a bout of jealousy strikes me.
Fresh from witnessing my madly in love sister marry, to hearing about the romantic
proposal between two of my best friends, and struggling with feelings of loneliness
when I finish work and get home to my apartment every night…my mind has been
swirling with thoughts recently.
Romantic thoughts.
Like maybe it’s about damn time I start thinking about the future of my personal life and
not just my career.
The business is running well—I’m almost redundant if I’m honest—my bank account
looks extremely healthy, and yet I have no one to share it with. Haisley and Hudson are
both the epitome of success, and I’ve been feeling that familiar sense of unsettled again
as of late. As if I don’t have a grand purpose.
Back in college, I enjoyed being in a relationship. But that relationship ran its course,
and once Hudson and I started taking over certain aspects of Dad’s business—long
before we parted ways with him—I just never found time to even consider dating
someone else.

Now that I feel solid in my schedule and my job—despite the possible looming
lawsuit—I feel the need to perhaps find a relationship of my own, especially now, being
surrounded by couples.
Haisley and Jude.
Maggie and Brody.
Ken and Polly.
Fuck, if Hudson finds someone, I’m screwed.
“You okay over there, big man?” Ken asks. “You’re staring.”
“Oh, sorry,” I say, shaking my head. “Just, caught up in the love.”
Polly links her arm through Ken’s. “Wishing you had someone standing next to you?”
she asks playfully. “Possibly a date?”
“Maybe,” I say as I sip my drink.
Polly chuckles. “You’ve always loved being in a relationship.”
“I have,” I say as I look around the room, my thoughts falling to the one person who I
shared a relationship with in college. It was sweet, stable. She has to be here—she’s
Polly’s best friend.
“She’s not here,” Polly says, seeing right through me.
“What? Who? I wasn’t looking for anyone,” I say, feigning ignorance.
“Liar,” Ken says on a boisterous laugh.
“Don’t even think about it,” Polly says, pointing her finger at me. “She is off limits.”
I raise a brow. “Why…is she with someone?”
Polly shakes her head. “No, but she is my maid of honor, and she’s already worried
about taking on the role—she doesn’t need to worry about you sniffing around with
those hearts in your eyes. Which, by the way, did you ask him?” Polly nudges Ken.
“Oh, right.” Ken meets my gaze. “Want to be my best man?”
“Oh, my God, that’s how you’re going to ask him?” Polly jabs Ken in the arm.
He chuckles and shrugs. “I’m not about to propose to him like you did to Maple. This is
how guys do it.” He looks at me again. “So, will you?”
I laugh and nod. “Would be honored, man.” And I am honored, despite feeling like a
third wheel in the love. We share a quick bro hug and then I glance at Polly and say,
“So, where is Maple, if she’s your maid of honor?”
Polly’s eyes narrow. “I told you. Do not even go near her.”
“She was my girlfriend for three years, Polly. I can at least say hi to her.”
“Is that all you’re going to do?” Polly asks, folding her arms now.
“I might ask how she’s doing, as that would be the polite thing to do. Maybe see if she
wants to grab some coffee and catch up.”
“No,” Polly replies. “No coffee.”
“You’re acting like I was the one who broke up with her,” I reply.
“I know how it went down,” Polly says. “I was there. And you and I both know why she
broke up with you.”
I sigh and tilt my head to the side. “We were both going our separate ways. It would
have been too hard.”
“Yes, but this was after you told her that you’d follow her.”
I push my hand through my hair. I’d just felt so untethered back then. I needed to start
my career, to prove to my dad that I was capable. Family focused. Business focused.
Leaving my family to follow Maple to a job in Denver just didn’t make sense. And

strangely, my life has felt a little like that lately. Untethered. “It was complicated, Polly.
You know that.”
Ken puts his arm around his fiancée. “It was, babe.”
She sighs. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just…she’s moving back here, finally after ten years
away. She’s nervous, she’s not accustomed to the city life anymore, and she’s starting a
new job. I don’t want anything to scare her off and, unfortunately, I think you coming
back in her life would do that.”
Now, it’s my turn to be surprised. “She’s moving back to San Francisco?”
Polly slowly nods. “She is, and she’s very wary. She lived in a hut in the wetlands of
Peru for several years while studying animal patterns. Returning to San Francisco
means she’ll be living in a big city with trolleys, and cars, and tourists. She’s nervous
and scared and, now that I asked her to be my maid of honor, she’s overwhelmed. The
last thing she wants is an ex coming back into her life.”
“She said that to you?”
“Yes,” Polly replies while crossing her arms.
Holy shit though. Maple’s going to be back in San Francisco. I was thinking about just
reconnecting—I didn’t know she was going to be back here for good. That changes
everything.
“But, maybe…maybe I’m supposed to come back into her life,” I say, hope lifting in my
chest.
“Oh, Jesus,” Ken mutters.
“Shut up, man. I’m serious.” I let out deep sigh. “Listen, I’m…I’m ready to start dating. To
find someone to settle down with. I’ve realized that after watching Haisley and you guys.
I’m missing something in my life, and I think that something is…well…a someone.
Maple and I were great together. Don’t you think we should give it another shot? I mean,
you guys got back together after breaking up, so why can’t I have that with Maple?”
“He has a point,” Ken says.
Polly looks between the two of us and then points her finger at me. “No.”
“Come on, Polly,” I drag out.
“I said no, and what the bride says, goes. Understood?”
“Yes,” I grumble even though in the back of my mind I don’t agree with that one bit, but
that’s a bridge I can cross later.
“Now…back to what you first said. What is this ‘bridesmaid for hire’ thing you were
talking about?” She looks over my shoulder and adds, “And hurry up because my mom
is eyeing me, and I know she wants me to go say hi and thank you to her friends, not
actually enjoy myself with my friends.”
I chuckle. “Bridesmaid for Hire is a business we invested in. Maggie Mitchell owns
Magical Moments by Maggie, and she’s an event planner. One of the branches of her
business is offering bridesmaid services. For instance, Haisley’s best friend found out
before her wedding that she couldn’t fly because she was pregnant, and Maggie filled in
for her. They also help with planning, bachelorette parties, wedding day tasks, anything
a bridesmaid might have to do, they’re there for it.”
Polly taps her chin. “So, I might be looking for someone to mentor Maple, possibly take
over the responsibilities, or even guide her so she’s not so overwhelmed. Since you two
are the only ones in the wedding party, holding the responsibilities on your own can be
difficult. So, would they do that?”

“They would,” I say.
“Well, isn’t that perfect?” She walks up to me and pats me on the chest. “I’ll need an
introduction because the wedding party consists of you and Maple, so this would be
perfect to have help and take some of the stress off Maple’s shoulders. So, if you could
orchestrate that intro, that would be great. Thank you, Hardy.” And then she takes off.
I glance behind me and then back at Ken whose eyes are fixed on her backside. “Why
does it feel like she’s always controlled us?” I ask.
Ken sighs and smiles up at me. “I don’t know, but she’s had me by the balls since day
one.”
“Ken,” she calls out. “Come here.”
“And she beckons…” Ken says.
“And you follow.”
“Always,” he replies and then shakes my hand. “Stick around, man, I want to catch up
some more, but let me make the rounds first.”
“Not a problem,” I say and then he jogs up to Polly where he places his hand on her
lower back and kisses her cheek.
She smiles brightly up at him, and everyone around them nearly melts from the
suffocating love in the room.
Fuck me, I want that.
I want to put my hand on a lower back, as odd as that sounds.
I want to look down at my girl and see her eyes sparkle, knowing I’m her man.
I don’t want to be alone at a freaking engagement party, sipping on whiskey that’s
cooled by a fancy piece of ice.
I want someone I can whisper to about the radishes in the vegetable crudités, which no
one is going to eat because who really bites into a radish willingly?
No one.
I’ve finally shed the bitter weight of my father’s demanding pressure from my shoulders.
I feel comfortable with where I am professionally, and I’m ready to take that success and
dedicate myself to someone.
And not just anyone, but possibly the girl I was once in love with.
Maple Baker.
The only question is, how can I go about this without pissing off the bride?
And better yet, how can I possibly get close to Maple if her guard is already up?
There has to be a way. I just need to think of it. ...