Page 79 of The Dating Pact

That was when they cornered me. Sabrina, Kim, and my parents.

I held my hands out to head them off. “Yes, Jude and I are here together. Together together.”

Sabrina shot her finger up. “That was my idea.”

“To get them together?” Dad asked.

“No, for him to come with her.”

“Well, you two have been friends for a long time,” Mom noted, and they all nodded.

Dad shrugged. “I like him.”

“Me too,” Mom agreed.

Sabrina clapped. “I love him. Do you love him?”

I rolled my eyes.

Sabrina spoke out of the corner of her mouth, purposely not lowering her voice. “She totally loves him.”

I popped my hands on my hips. “I told Kimberly I’m not talking about this with you all until I talk to him. We have a lot to consider, okay? It’s not like this is some random guy from a dating app?—”

“Thank god,” Mom said with a wave of her hand.

“And we have a lot of history to sort through?—”

“History together is good. A solid foundation,” Dad told me with a smile.

“He’s got the kids to think about and?—”

“And don’t you love them?” Sabrina asked, head tilted.

With a sigh, I flopped back into a chair. “You’re exhausting. This family is exhausting.”

Sufficiently proud of themselves, they kept busy by fixing Sabrina’s veil and relating some story about Dad’s sister, Aunt Maeve, and all her ailments. Mom guessed she’d have a fainting spell to steal Sabrina’s spotlight, and we all placed bets on how early it would happen.

Then it was time for the ceremony.

We were guided down a corridor toward the garden area. The golf course’s landscaping was impeccable, with lush green lawns and vibrant flower beds meticulously tended to. An archway covered in vines and white roses marked the ceremony spot, with rows of white chairs fanning out behind it.

The music swelled, a soft strings version of Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty” because of some inside joke that I didn’t want to know about.

Kim walked down the aisle first, and I offered my youngest sister a peck on the cheek before following. Once we were in place, Mom and Dad both walked Sabrina down the aisle as a lovely little break in tradition.

My sister beamed, Everett bit his lip as his chin wobbled, and I coasted my gaze around the area, searching for Jude. I located him in the third row, smiling at me, as if he’d been watching me the whole time. His eyes shone with such tenderness that it rendered me breathless, and it wasn’t until my sister handed me her bouquet that I broke our eye contact, needing to focus on this present moment and not the future vision in front of me.

The ceremony was quick, and as my sister and her husband recessed back up the aisle, I found Jude again. His smile was wide and welcoming, only for me, and I bit my lip to keep from grinning too brightly.

With the photos already taken care of, we were free to enjoy the reception, which was held in the golf course’s ballroom. As soon as I made my way inside to my assigned table, Jude appeared, his hand at the small of my back.

“You okay?” he murmured, leaning in close.

I nodded, tipping my head back, loving that I could loop my arms around his neck if I wanted, so I did. “Yeah. I’m really happy for them.”

He studied me with rapt attention, his eyes drifting back and forth between my own before he seemed satisfied. Then he pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead. “Here.” He held out my purse to me, so I could switch my heels for my sneakers, and I moaned in gratitude.

“Better knock that off, honeybee. We’re in public.”

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