Page 48 of One Steamy Pucking Meet Cute

“Alright, alright,” Jesse says, clapping loudly. “Save it for the wedding.”

We break apart as everyone chuckles, but there’s a spark of something in Caroline’s eyes. Something I feel, too.

Maybe we’re both ready to end the ceasefire? I’ve got no clue if easing the sexual tension would make things less strained between us, but I can’t imagine it would hurt.

“Oh, honey,” Andi says softly. She gently pulls Amelia’s teddy bear away, which is getting a toddler version of French kissed, as Amelia was apparently taking notes.

“See what you pervs did?” Jesse asks, motioning to his daughter. “Now my daughter is trying to make out with her stuffed animals.

“What make out?” Amelia asks. “Like dis?” she chases after Maddox, who feigns terror and runs in slow motion.

Paisley comes in a moment later, arms full of bags. “Just the people I needed to see!” she says. “I talked to the wedding planner. He asked me to bring some color samples over. Just to get an early feel. You know… a not early, early feel? Since two people are dragging their feet and not locking in anything about the wedding, even though it’s screaming towards us?”

Carter pretends to snore as he scoops Amelia up, holding her at arm’s length while she makes kissy sounds and giggles at Maddox. “Wedding stuff is so boring, Amelia. Don’t ever get married. It’s a scam.”

Jesse whacks Carter on the back of the head. “Don’t listen to him, honey. Carter is just sad that nobody will marry him.”

“I could’ve married that one girl. Remember? She actually asked me to marry her.”

“You mean that woman who was like twenty years older than you? The chain smoker who smelled like cats?” I ask.

Paisley has already dragged Caroline over to the kitchen bar and started spreading out booklets full of colors and pictures of sample venues.

“She was eighteen years older than me,” Carter corrects. “She was trying to quit, and she only had three cats. One of them was just spraying because it was making a fuss about a new perfume she was wearing. The other cats weren’t technically hers,” he adds. “They came in through the cat door and just liked to visit for play dates or something.”

I shake my head at him. “Do you even hear yourself?”

“I could ask you the same thing. You know cougars need love, too, right?”

“Yeah?” I ask. “Then why didn’t you marry her.”

“Well, marriage is a scam. She was like twenty years older than me. Do you think I was qualified to care for her cats if she kicked the bucket a few weeks after we tied the knot? At her age, the grim reaper could’ve come knocking any day.”

Maddox snorts with laughter. “That’s so messed up, dude. You were just defending her! What happened to ‘she was only eighteen years older than me’.”

“Hey, man,” Carter says matter-of-factly. He sets Amelia down, who immediately charges Maddox again. “Death waits for nobody. I was happy to make her night, but I’m not about to be the father to three cats. I couldn’t even keep that succulent Mia gave me alive.”

“You killed it? You said it was doing fine!” Mia complains.

“Uh,” he says, as if just now remembering Mia is in the room. “Did I say it died? I meant it ran away…”

“If you’re done over there,” Paisley calls. “We could use the groom-to-be. I need to hold these colors up to your face and make sure none of them clash with your complexion.”

I sigh and drag myself over.

Paisley has about six hundred shades of blue laid out and the same number of whites.

“White and blue?” I ask. “Seems safe enough.”

“White and blue?” she asks, fingertips to her chest in outrage.

“That’s French blue,” Paisley corrects, pointing to the swatch Caroline’s holding. “And that’s ivory.”

“Right, okay. Seems good.” I clap my hands. “Case closed!”

I take one step away from the counter before Paisley grips my sweater and stops me. “Not so fast, big guy.”

Caroline smirks at me while she struggles to keep Walker from eating the little color swatches.

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