Page 95 of If You Need Me

“He was kind of a legend.” Paris twirls her hair around her finger.

“In what sense?” I give her the side-eye. “What is this?” I flick the back of her hand that’s all tangled in her hair.

She drops it and shrugs. “He was the high school quarterback. Dorie’s older sister went out with him a few times, and there were ru—” She waves that away. “He was just larger than life, and apparently he still is.” She shoves me forward. “You should go say hi. He’s going to be your brother-in-law.”

I leave the safety of Ash and Paris and head for the dock. But the second Sam steps out of the plane—looking like a 007 agent of death with his groomed beard, aviator glasses, black suit, and black dress shoes—he’s mobbed by our former classmates.

Isaac sidesteps him with a roll of his eyes. He’s dressed for the occasion in khaki shorts, a polo, and Birks. Aside from the shoes, he looks like he stepped off the golf course. Wills’s momsflank Isaac. He pulls me in for a hearty back-slap man-hug. “Great to see you, man.”

“You too. Thanks for flying in. We appreciate the support,” I say.

“As if we’d miss our baby sister’s engagement party. It’s a big deal.” He glances over his shoulder and lowers his voice. “Plus, high school wasn’t the easiest for her, so we’d planned to show up today anyway in case she needed us to bury anyone.”

“No funerals to plan,” I assure him.

“Funerals are for people who die. We’d just make them disappear.”

I chuckle, but it kind of dies in my throat. Seriously, I can’t tell if he’s joking.

“Isaac, my man! It’s great to see you!” Manning comes in for a hearty back pat.

“It’s been some years.” Isaac returns the man-hug.

“Let’s grab a beer and catch up.” Manning guides Isaac toward the food and drink tent.

Sam makes his way through the throng of excited partygoers, his arm slung over Wills’s shoulder. She’s tucked into his side, and despite the fact that she doesn’t look like her moms or brothers, it’s clear that they are the very definition of family.

“We need pictures now that we have everyone here!” Georgie says, clapping. “Both families. Everyone together!”

We assemble, my family on one side and Wills’s on the other, and our friends snap photo after photo. Wills hugs my arm and smiles for the camera. I’m in my glory, but I worry about where she is.

Once we’re done with the shoot, Sam insists on getting pictures with Roman.

I bend and kiss Wills’s temple. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. Good. Having all my people here is nice. And my brothers showing up was a great surprise, even if Sam always steals the show.” She’s smiling.

“I forgot he played football.”

“Mostly he tried to knock people out.” Her nails dig into my arm. “Oh shit. They came.”

“Who came?”

“Who do you think?”

I scan the crowd and find Sean and Brooklyn on the edge of the party, looking a lot like they don’t fit.

As if the girls can sense the arrival of Wills’s nemesis, they appear, Shilps leading the pack. “Is everything okay?”

“She’s here,” Wills says.

Shilpa’s lip curls in what almost seems like a snarl. She rolls her shoulders back. “The fucking nerve.”

Hammer grabs Shilpa’s arm. “They’re coming this way.”

“We got you, girl,” Rix says.

I love these women.

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