Page 54 of The Trouble with Runaway Brides

She wraps me in her arms with a warm smile. “Oh, it’s so good to see you. I listen to your podcast all the time to and from work. It makes me so proud when I see our graduates making something of themselves.”

Her son is a professional baseball player. How can she be that impressed by me?

She releases me and just stares at me for a beat before Blake clears his throat and she acknowledges that I’m not alone.

“Blake, right? I recognize you from the picture that shows up on my screen when I’m listening.” Mrs. Bailey puts out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you, and this is my boyfriend, Geoff.”

“Oh my god, the Geoff? The one you talk about all the time on the show?”

Blake’s chest puffs out a bit with pride. “The one and only.”

“I hope it’s okay that I brought them with me,” I say.

“Of course it is.”

“Kenzie Gavino, the girl who hated biology.” Easton’s dad, Austin Bailey—or Mr. Bailey, my biology teacher, as I knew him when I was young—comes up and puts his hand out for me to shake. Then he puts his arm around his wife’s shoulders.

“Good thing I didn’t need it,” I joke, and Mr. Bailey shakes his head at me.

“It’s good to have you guys back, though it’s really making me feel old.” He looks at his wife.

“We are the old birds now,” she says.

He shakes his head. “I refuse to admit it.”

As if I have personally offended the universe at some point, the Bailey Triplets all walk out of a nearby classroom, laughing with one another. They sober as soon as they spot me, and my stomach sinks to the ground.

“Hey, Kenzie,” Easton says.

“Come on, guys, I want to get a picture of the four of you,” Mrs. Bailey says.

“Mom,” Easton says with a tone that suggests she can’t be serious.

“Look at the display case, we did a whole collage of all the speakers. I want to add to it.”

I walk over to take a look.

“Oh my,” Geoff says. “I think we should make them stand just like that, Principal Bailey.”

“Holly, please. And that’s a great idea.”

I stare long and hard at Geoff, wishing laser beams would shoot out of my eyes because, in the picture, I’m leaning against Lance and his arm is hanging off my shoulders while Brinley is on Easton’s back.

“It’s like when siblings replicate old family photos when they’re older, from when they’re all in the bath or something,” Geoff says.

“What are you talking about?” Blake asks.

“I just made Easton do one with his sister,” Mrs. Bailey says with a grin. “I love it. Come on, guys.”

“Um…” Brinley’s eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. For the first time, I notice the ring on her left ring finger. It’s a beautiful round diamond that suits her perfectly. She looks really happy even though, at the moment, she’s sharing a look with Easton that orders him to control his mother.

“I don’t think—” Easton starts.

“Easton, it will make your mother happy. Just do it,” Mr. Bailey says.

“Sorry,” he mumbles to Brinley and crouches for her to jump on his back. “Let’s hope I can still hold you.”

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