Page 30 of Three Grumpy Groomsmen

“Thanks. Let us take your picture now.” The older man gestures to me. “Hop on in here with your friends, sweetheart.”

“Yes, perfect, thanks, man!” Harrison shoves his sunglasses up onto his head and throws his arm around me.

On my other side, Ford slips into place and his hand immediately rests on the small of my back. They’re both leaning in and I feel very crowded by muscular men. It’s a…pleasant experience.

“One, two, three…okay, one more.” The man finally lowers the camera.

Harrison removes his arm to take his phone back. He gives the man a handshake and waves to his wife as we head back to the car. Liam is silent in the passenger seat.

Harrison passes his phone to me from the backseat. “Want me to post this and ruin Brad’s day? You look like you don’t have a care in the fucking world.”

It’s the picture of us.

I’m wearing loose linen pants and a sleeveless tank in ivory. I look tanned and relaxed. My hair is cascading over my shoulders and both Harrison and Ford are leaning into me, protectively. When I zoom in, I see my nipples are hard.

“Sure,” I say, striving for casual as I hand Harrison his phone back. “If you want.”

Liam shakes his head, frowning a little.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing.” He looks down at his phone. “Let’s go. We need to get to Texas by tonight.”

“Are you our navigation princess?” Harrison asks.

Liam ignores him.

Which doesn’t do anything but make Harrison more determined to get some kind of response. “I’ll give you fifty bucks for the rest of your coffee, William.”

“Seventy-five.”

“Done.”

Liam hands his coffee back to Harrison.

“There’s only like two sips in here!”

“You didn’t ask how much I had left.”

“I’ll pay both of you two hundred dollars to drive in silence for the next two hours,” Ford says. “And Ivy picks the playlist.”

I glance at him in the rearview mirror and mouth, “Thank you,” with a smile.

He smiles back and I feel my stomach swoop.

Eight hours, three memes from Mom, and two more bribes by Ford later and we’re Somewhere In Texas.

I spot a honky-tonk on the side of the road with a giant sign that declares, “BBQ, live bands, and bail bonds.”

This obviously needs to happen. I pull into the parking lot, which is filled with trucks.

“I just found our dinner plans, boys.” I grin happily at them one by one.

Liam looks horrified.

Ford looks uncertain.

And Harrison looks thrilled.

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