Page 36 of The Backup Bride Proposal

Mae hated being the cause of the three sisters at war with each other.

“Oh, please stop,” she said, but since their argument had gotten louder, they didn’t hear her. She finally stepped into the fray—physically.

“Stop!”

They did, gaping at her.

“I wasn’t complaining about you teasing me. I was momentarily stunned at the thought of having sisters. As an only child, one who craved siblings my whole life, you can’t even imagine the spark of warmth, of joy I felt at having you think of me as family.”

Suddenly she was surrounded by three pairs of arms, holding her tight.

Her sisters.

They broke the embrace and Brenna poured glasses of wine for everyone. They went outside and gathered around the fire pit. Brenna and Finn had purchased land outside the city, so the lack of lights showcased the clear night and amazing stars.

“Where’s JJ tonight, Erin?” Mae asked.

“We have an awesome babysitter who lives on our street. She’s sixteen, CPR certified and JJ adores her. This way he can stay home and sleep in his bed and I get a night out.”

“Oh, you know Mom and Dad would love to keep him anytime,” Honor said. “So would any of us.”

“And they have. You all have, and Jason and I appreciate that so much. But since Mom and Dad are coming tonight, and family is not always available, we knew we’d need backup. Backups, actually. Between Jason’s job requiringhim to be on call and my involvement in Bellini Weddings on the weekends, we need lots of options.”

Brenna wrinkled her nose. “Babies screw up your entire life. Not that yours isn’t adorable, Erin. And cuddle-worthy. But I’ll be glad to hold off on having my own for a while.”

Erin laughed. “Totally understandable.”

Mae noticed Honor looked a little pale. Plus, she hadn’t touched the wine Brenna had poured. She wanted to ask if Honor felt all right but didn’t want to be intrusive while they were in a group, especially knowing just how intrusive the sisters could be. She made a mental note to follow up later.

••••••

Kane got tospend some time talking to Clay Henry, discussing all things ranching.

“You have horses and cattle?” Kane asked.

Clay nodded. “And you live on a horse ranch in Texas, huh?”

“Not as much as I’d like to. My grandpa runs the ranch, and I try to spend as much time there as I can. In the meantime I have a small house in L.A.”

Clay wrinkled his nose. “You must hate that.”

Kane laughed. “It’s not ideal, but it serves a purpose.”

“Not to be intrusive, but you probably make enough money to buy yourself a spread, even in Los Angeles.”

“I could. I’m just not there enough to enjoy it. I travel a lot on movie shoots, so the house I have now suits me for a place to stop off and do laundry every now and then.”

Clay nodded. “Makes sense. Tough lifestyle, though, not being able to live at the place you love.”

“Yeah.” Kane appreciated that Clay understood, something not many people did. Most people thought that thejet-setting, moving-around life that Kane lived was exotic and exciting. He knew how lucky he was to live this life, but it was often exhausting. And lonely. He missed home.

The grill masters—aka all the men and a few of the women, too—were hard at work over at the outdoor kitchen. The smells drove Kane crazy. He looked around and saw Mae standing off by herself sipping on a glass of wine, so he made his way over to her.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “They’re torturing us with cooking smells.”

His lips curved. “Nothing like the aroma of a steak on the grill.”

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