Page 111 of The Bridges I've Burned

I sort of half shrugged. “If by plan, you mean did I call up Lani and say, ‘Hey, can we do some sort of low-key bachelorette party at your place?’then yes.”

“Lani is Taylor’s wife?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “And seriously the most gorgeous woman on the planet.”

His eyes glittered as they swept over me. “Doubtful, considering she’s standing right here.”

“Charmer,” I mused, even though I was totally swooning on the inside. “Anyway, she’s Lani Hart.”

His eyes widened. “As in Hart Hotels? That Hart?”

“Yep,” I confirmed. “Although I think she had some sort of falling-out with her dad. I don’t know all the details. Anyway, she and Taylor own the hotel right on the harbor.”

He slowly nodded. “I saw it when I was showing Hendrix around town. Used to be The Cozy Motel when I was younger. That place was a dump.”

“Well, it isn’t now,” I assured him, remembering the time I’d stayed there after Marin moved in with Macon. “It’s pretty swanky.”

“So, you asked Lani to set it up for you, but you really have no idea what it is?”

“I’m pretty sure there is food involved.”

“Well, that’s reassuring. Gotta keep up that stamina.” He gave me a wink.

I tried to ignore him, biting my bottom lip to keep from grinning. “And I’m hoping there will be at least a little bit of alcohol, but given that we switched to this low-key bachelorette party because we didn’t want to bum Marin out, I’m not counting on it.”

“You could have the bartender make you a mocktail,” he suggested. “They’ve become pretty popular. I’ve had a few at parties if you want suggestions.”

“I honestly think that would just upset her more because she’d feel like we were going out of our way for her.”

“As opposed to changing the whole theme of the?—”

I held out my hand. “Don’t even bother. I gave up trying to reason with her the moment I found out she was pregnant. The woman is growing a human inside of her and not just any human—our niece. She’s moody and a bit impractical at times, but she gets a free pass.”

He set his coffee down and moved toward me, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. “You’re a good friend,” he told me.

“You’re not a half-bad brother,” I quipped, making him laugh.

I tiptoed up to kiss him. His fingers sank into my hair, tightening into a fist as his hunger for me grew.

A phone started to vibrate next to us, and he groaned.

“If that is Marin sending us on another wild goose chase, tell her we’re busy.”

“I don’t know.” I arched a brow, pulling away from him. “Our last one didn’t turn out so bad.”

“I know, which is why we’re very busy.”

My good mood died the instant I saw my phone screen.

“Elena, you okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just my mom,” I said, still staring at that screen. “She never calls me.”

“Ever?”

Outside of Daniel, we really hadn’t talked about my family. Not that there was much to say.

My mood darkened as I shook my head, answering the call. “Hello, Mother.”

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