Page 6 of Keep

“Yes you are,” I said. “And there’s no one I’d rather have by my side when I marry my dream girl.”

His grin widened. “Cami’s a winner, that’s for sure. From the moment I met her I knew she was worth going the distance for.”

“You won’t hear an argument from me,” I said, feeling a thrill of excitement that at this time tomorrow Camille Gentry would be my wife. It was hard to believe she hadn’t always been in my life, that only a few years ago I met this brilliant, gorgeous woman who was everything I could ever hope for.

Hale was staring at me. “You’re happy,” he observed. “No one deserves that more.”

“You know,” I told my brother, “I bet one of these days you’ll find your perfect match.”

I expected him to laugh off the comment but he didn’t. A strange look passed over his face and he squinted off into the distance.

“Maybe I already have,” he said.

“What?” I was a little stunned. As far as I knew Hale didn’t have much affection for monogamy. “What aren’t you telling me? Should I make a last minute addition to the guest list?”

Hale just shook his head and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll tell you all about it in due time,” he said. “For tonight, you go get your beauty sleep. Becoming a husband is bound to be hard work, not that I’d know.”

There was something in his tone, a tired kind of resignation that made me wonder.

“Is everything okay?” I pressed.

My brother, prone to impatience, was already walking away. “Never better,” he called, turning around and walking backward. “See you tomorrow.”

“Three o’clock,” I reminded him because my brother didn’t always make scheduling a priority. “Don’t be late, Hale. I need you by my side.”

Hale saluted to acknowledge he’d heard me.

I started to turn away and then heard my name.

“Hey Dalton,” Hale called from twenty feet away. “You can count on the fact that I’ll always be at your side, whether you know I’m there or not.” Then he continued on his way without waiting for a reply.

I watched him turn the corner and then headed for my truck. Hale was three years older and much of the time we hadn’t been the closest of brothers, our personalities always too different to really connect. But these last few years we’d tried a little harder and even if I didn’t know what went on inside his head I had no doubts about his loyalty. I meant it when I told him there was no one else I’d rather have next to me when I slipped a ring on Cami’s finger.

As I slid into my truck I made a last minute plan. Cami, who usually embodied the zenith of practicality, had decided to get all kinds of superstitious when it came to the wedding.

She didn’t want me to see her dress.

She insisted that we shouldn’t share our vows with each other ahead of time.

And she didn’t want to spend our last unmarried night in our condo.

But she never said that I was forbidden from driving to her father’s house and demanding a goodnight kiss. So that’s what I did.

The lights were still on at Cord Gentry’s home. After all, it wasn’t late, only half past nine. Everyone inside the house would still be awake, likely checking off to-do lists for last minute wedding preparations. If I’d walked up to the door and knocked, Cami’s parents would have invited me right in. But I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to share a private moment with my bride-to-be, to hold her in my arms and whisper the words that had been running through my mind all day.

Can’t wait to marry you.

There hadn’t been a rehearsal dinner. Cami and I agreed it would be redundant. What the hell did we need to rehearse for? It seemed I’d been ready to utter the words “I do,” since I met her.

The gate to the backyard was locked so I had to climb over it. It should have been an easy leap. Except when I landed I accidentally kicked over something that fell to the tiled patio with a splintering crack. I also managed to trip a motion sensor floodlight, freezing me in its glare as if I was being spotlighted on a stage. Inside the house the Gentrys’ friendly but ancient dog erupted in a barking frenzy. The blinds were raised at a nearby window, the window that I knew belonged to Cami’s old bedroom.

I was still standing in the spotlight by the gate when the window opened and a blonde head appeared.

Cassidy, Cami’s twin sister, gaped at me. “Dalton, is that you?”

“Hi,” I said and took a step, bumping into something else along the way. There was another loud crash and now I could see why. I’d made mincemeat of a stack of glazed ceramic pots.

By this time Cami had appeared at the window beside her sister. She was wearing a white tank top and no makeup, her chestnut hair spilling over her shoulders, a beautifully puzzled expression on her face.

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