Page 115 of More Than Words

“I think we all have our moments when we can be a dick. Don’t you think?” Her whirlwind romance with Sam before their months long separation while she had her head up her ass was proof enough.

“We’re not talking about me.”

“How’s it going with Sam being your boss?” Chase asked with a smirk.

“Does he treat you like his naughty employee at home?” Elle asked. Both Chase and Kelly groaned, and I laughed at their reactions.

“Sam is like another little brother,” Kelly gagged and wrinkled her nose in a cringe.

Chase chimed in, wincing as she looked back at her sister-in-law. “And I don’t need to know about my brother playing naughty architect with you.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Kelly laughed. “You forget I’m in the room and talk about spanking Evan way too much. No one needs to know that.”

“Maybe you just need to get a better sex life,” Chase shot back, laughing as her almost sister-in-law flipped her off.

“On that note,” Kelly said flippantly. “I’m going to take the opportunity to go drink alone in my hotel room since my mother thinks I need to be sober for this lovefest. Hard pass.”

“Don’t you want to get dressed first?” Elle asked, as Kelly tightened the tie around her silky robe.

“Nope, if someone wants to take a peep in the hallway, I don’t really care. It’d be more action than I’ve gotten in months.”

“Our moms are on their way up, so you’d better hurry if you don’t want to get caught,” Chase commented as she scrolled through the texts on her phone.

“Peace out, happily settled bitches. I’m off to find my companion for the evening, Mr. Bourbon.”

“Is she okay?” I asked as she shuffled out the door, cotton balls shoved between her toes while her nails dried.

“I think she’s just having a hard time lately. Evan said she was dating a guy last year and something happened. But she’s been closed-lipped about it. I’m afraid being around all these couples on Valentine’s Day is a little too much for her right now.”

“Who knows,” Kristine mused. “Maybe she’ll hook up with one of your cousins.”

“Ew,” Chase wrinkled her nose, but I knew she came from a huge family. “I’d rather not think of that. Besides, there are some other people invited from Boston I think she’d like better.”

“Who?” I asked, curious as to which one of the guests who traveled here from Boston might interest Kelly. As far as I knew, she lived in Chicago.

“We’ll see if anything happens,” she shrugged, returning her attention to her phone as the nail technician set up her things in front of me. I was mildly excited about getting a pedicure since I could barely see my feet these days and was relieved Kelly had taken the heat off speculation about Adrian and me.

ADRIAN

Minneapolis

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I checked the screen for messages again. Isobel hadn’t texted me, but I had the weird feeling that something was off with her. I was sure it was just my overprotective streak that’d flared the closer we got to the end of this pregnancy. No matter what it was, I wanted to make sure I was accessible if she needed me.

“Put the phone back in your pocket, Casanova,” Chase’s brother-in-law, Miguel, commanded as he shoved a shot glass into my hand.

“I’m good.” I refused the glass, pressing it back in his direction. “Not planning to drink much today.”

“Alright, overprotective baby daddy, if you say so.”

“I don’t see your husband drinking either,” I pointed out, gesturing toward where Drew and Ethan were playing poker at the table in Evan’s suite.

“That’s because he gets horny when he’s drunk and he’s waiting until later,” he said casually, tipping the shot back and swallowing. “And he’s promised to bend me over the balcony railing later, so he’s not allowed to get sloppy drunk. That privilege is left for moi.”

Unsure of how to respond to that extreme over share, I just nodded. “Why don’t we go see what the groom is up to?”

“He’s going over his vows for the ten millionth time. Maybe you should go help him, since you’re his editor and all.”

Evan tended to get in his head. Especially with his writing. That’s why I typically approached him with the Dickhead persona I’d carefully crafted over the years. If I coddled him and acted nicely, he’d continue to retreat into his shell. If I acted like a jackass, he’d push back and try to prove me wrong.

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