Page 30 of The Backup Bride Proposal

“Hey, what’s everyone doing up here?”

Brenna looked at Erin over her shoulder. “Mae’s upset because Kane’s being a jackass.”

“Oh, do tell. Mom has JJ and I’ve got some free time for gossip.”

Mae filled them in on what exactly transpired.

“Wow,” Erin said. “What. An. Ass.”

“I’m fine, really. But thank you all for supporting me.”

“Hey, you’re part of our family, Mae,” Honor said. “Of course we support you.”

She’d never felt so warm and accepted like this. She didn’t have siblings, didn’t know that this was what it felt like. Thisoverwhelming feeling of protection, of occasional teasing, of love.

“I love you all,” she blurted, then realized they probably didn’t feel as deeply as she did.

“We love you, too, honey,” Honor said, wrapping her arm around Mae’s shoulder.

Erin nodded. “And if someone hurts you, they hurt us.”

“And we don’t stand for that,” Brenna said. “We’ll always have your back.”

Mae took in a breath. “And I’ll always have all of yours.”

It had started out a shitty day, but things were looking up now.

Chapter

nine

Something weird wasgoing on.

Kane had gotten used to wandering the grounds of the Bellini property, and so far everyone had been friendly.

Until today, when he started getting glares from almost everyone he walked past. He said hello and got polite nods, but not the typical gregarious greetings he’d grown accustomed to.

What the hell had happened? Because as far as he knew, group grumpiness wasn’t a thing.

They were setting up in a makeshift house that had been hastily built to be the homestead for Caroline’s family, since the Bellinis had refused to let them use their main house. Not that he could blame them. Using their property was inconvenient enough. Shoving them out of their home and place of business was something else.

Still, Kane wasn’t the one who’d done it, so he had no idea why everyone on the site was mad at him. Unless…

It was Mae. He’d upset her with what he’d inferred, eventhough that hadn’t been at all what he’d meant. He’d only meant to ask if she had other plans for her future, but he’d bungled the question and she’d been insulted. He should have gone after her and apologized right away, but he figured she’d get over it once she realized that hadn’t been his intent.

You’d think after all these years and a few fucked-up relationships that he’d have learned to be clear with his words. Apparently he hadn’t learned a damn thing.

Clearly, he was still a work in progress, which meant he owed Mae a big apology.

She wasn’t due on set today so he couldn’t talk to her there. Which meant he’d have to go find her. He made his way toward the house, hoping he could find her there. He passed a couple of vineyard workers, including Johnny Bellini.

“Why are you here?” Johnny asked.

“I’m looking for Mae.”

All he got was a grumble and Johnny turned away, so he made his way to the main house and rang the bell.

Brenna Bellini answered the door. “What do you want?”

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