Page 93 of Not A Whisper

“Looks good, dollie.” Jason shoots me an eager-to-please smile. “To be honest, I didn’t really think about any of that. If you make something up, we’ll be happy to go along with the story.”

Trip takes the seat opposite me, eyeing the crispy fried chicken, homemade mac n’ cheese topped with green onions and bacon bits, and a side of loaded mashed potatoes on his plate.

“I’m going to take a wild guess here,” he draws, grabbing his fork. “And assume that she’s opposed to lying.”

I watch as Jason and Trip eat. When I turn to Grant, I find him watching me. His expression is stony, unreadable, but with a hint of defensiveness. He doesn’t regret what he’s done. That much is clear.

Hopefully I can change that this evening.

When it’s clear that I have no intention of backing down from this conversation, Grant sighs. The sound is full of frustration that I just want to slap out of him.

“We can tell people that it was an elopement—that we didn’t want to share the moment with anyone else.”

Jason hums his approval with a mouthful of food. Trip pauses to give Grant an appreciative nod. To be honest, I’m a little impressed too. There’s no way I would’ve come up with that. How did Grant pull that out of his… Oh.

“You’re worried about how this looks too, aren’t you? Jumped the gun but didn’t consider these smaller details.” I laugh with disbelief. “You told me once that your image was everything. Guess this spin will make you look less like a psychopath.”

Grant’s jaw ticks as he reaches for his glass of water. After taking a deep gulp, he places it down and stares at his plate.

“Yes, well, when it comes to you, I tend to drop the ball.”He daintily picks his fork up and stabs at the mac n’ cheese. Rather than eat it, it hovers near his face as he turns and scowls at me. “I’ll work on that in the future.”

I wait until he’s taken a bite of his food before nodding. “Please do. While you’re at it, can I be included in future schemes?”

My sweet smile is sarcastic, and it earns me a dark glower from Grant. But he must know how badly he’s messed up because rather than dish out a threat or ignore me completely, he gives me a tight nod before continuing to eat.

“That sounds completely reasonable,” Jason offers. His plate is nearly empty; he scrapes up whatever he can but I catch him eyeing mine before he looks up to meet my gaze.

“Since we’re on the topic of scheming and allowing me to be in on them, anything else I should know? Keeping anything else from me?”

Jason pauses as he considers this, but I’m graced with Trip’s typical sour expression. “Nope. That was it.”

He and Jason look at Grant, who flushes. It’s Jason that asks, “No more secret fiancées, Grant?”

“No,” Grant glowers at him but manages to tamp down the annoyance when he looks at me. “From here on out, we talk before we act. I promise.”

Trip goes back to eating, snarfing his food down like an animal.

I place my glass down. “Don’t promise something you can’t deliver on.”

“You’re involved in all things moving forward,” Jason confirms with a bob of his head. A tentative smile spreads across his face. “You know, I was thinking today. You mentioned you and Pianna always dreamed about having a wedding. If that’s what you want to make you feel better about all of this, we could put one on.”

Trip pauses for half a second, his fork halfway to his mouth, before he continues eating. Grant nearly spits his food everywhere as he chokes and sputters. But if Grant’s surprised, I’m utterly floored. My mind goes momentarily blank as my heart skips a beat.

A real wedding? Like with a dress, someone waiting for me at the end of the aisle, and vows? Heat flares into my cheeks as I suck in a shaky breath. An image forms before me of the three guys in suits, waiting for me…

Is it getting hot in here?

Twin dimples appear in Jason’s cheeks. “You like that idea, don't you? Me too. What I would give to see you in a white…”

Suddenly Jason’s fork clatters onto his empty plate.

“Woah,” Jason mutters and leans back in his seat with a frown. His head rolls and he blinks rapidly.

I suck in a sharp breath as my heart pounds rapidly in my chest. A rush of excitement flowing through me makes my head feel a little light. It’s almost time…

Trip scowls over at him. “You ok, man?”

“I feel… fun-knee,” he slurs as his head dips. Trip and Grant are on their feet in a heartbeat.

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