Page 38 of The Forever Game

“Uh-oh,” I whisper.

“Yep.” She nods, putting on a brave smile that turns into a trembling chin situation.

I pull her into my arms before she can start crying. “How bad is it?”

Her hands come around my waist, fisting my shirt at the back. “They had an electrical fire this morning.”

“What?” I ping back to gape down at her.

“They’re having to shut the place down while they renovate, and there’s no way the repairs will be finished in time for our wedding.” Her forehead crinkles, and a few tears splash out of her eyes. “It’s happening again.” She snivels. “The universe doesn’t want us getting married, Bax. We should just?—”

“Don’t you dare say quit.” I smile down at her. “I am making you my wife if it’s the last thing I do.” I kiss the tip of her nose. “I’ve loved you since I was a kid. I dreamed about marrying you in high school. This is happening, TT.”

Her laugh is watery, her smile barely there. “I just don’t know if I can do this again, you know? Deal with more problems around this wedding. Maybe we should just get married at a courthouse.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I know you want this wedding.Iwant this wedding, and we’re going to make it happen. The church is still good to go; now we just have to find a new venue for the reception.”

“And a caterer, and waitstaff, and?—”

“Hey, slow down,” I murmur softly. “One thing at a time.”

She shakes her head, more tears spilling from her eyes. “My plate already feels so full leading up to this. The idea of having to spend hours sorting it all out…”

Kai gets up from the couch with a worried frown, nestling against her side. “It’s okay, Mom. We’ll find another venue. Let Dad and me figure it out.”

“Sweet boy,” she whispers, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and kissing his head.

The way he’s been sprouting up over the past couple months, he’s going to be taller than her in a year or two. He’s grown so much since I first met him… and he’s still the kindest kid I know.

Plus, he just called me Dad, and it doesn’t matter how many times he says it, my heart fills to overflowing whenever he does. It’s either Bax or Dad. I never know when the D-word will pop out, although it’s happened a lot more since Nova was born… and I love it every time.

I’m feeling just a touch choked up as I wrap my arms around both of them. “Kai’s right. We’re going to have this wedding. It’s going to be amazing. We’ll figure something out.”

“How? The wedding is less than a month away. This is a small town. Everything will be booked.” Tammy’s voice pitches.

“We’re going to make something work. There’s bound to be somewhere that’s available. Let Kai and me take this on. I don’t want you to worry about a thing.”

Tammy closes her eyes, resting her forehead against my chest.

I share a sad smile with Kai, but I can see the determination in his eyes. We’re not going to let his mama down.

Which is why, once everyone’s asleep, I creep back out of bed and decide to make a late-night phone call.

CHAPTER14

ASHER

It’s nearly eleven o’clock when my phone starts ringing. Lani and I are night owls, so it’s no big deal, but my face bunches with concern when I notice it’s Baxter. He always gets up so early and is usually lights out by like nine. I only know this because I’ve made the mistake of calling him at “ungodly” hours before. According to him, anything later than eight thirty is just plain rude.

I snicker, remembering that conversation as I swipe my thumb across my screen.

“Sup, man? You all good?”

“Not really.” He sighs.

I glance at Lani, whose eyebrows rise in question. She moves from her reading chair and curls up beside me on the couch, leaning close so she can listen in. I wrap my arm around her knees and start trailing patterns across her smooth shins.

“There’s been a fire at our reception venue.” His voice is low and defeated.

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