Surprisingly, there are a lot, and each sister makes it their mission to at least divulge the details of one whenever they’re in my presence.
“Why do you have to do this every time you see Reeve?” Oz asks his sisters. “I’m sure he doesn’t even care.”
“Hey,” I interrupt. “I care very much. That story about you cutting your own hair was adorable. The photos were a nice touch too.”
The truth is, many of Oz’s embarrassing moments happened because he was clearly trying to take the heat off someone else. And I was sure his sisters knew that about him and were secretly trying to show off such a wonderful quality about their brother.
It reminded me of our first night together. And, honestly, all the time we’ve spent together since. If there’s ever a moment where I’m feeling skittish or nervous, Oz is always the first one there to make it all better.
He never waivers in his dedication toward caring for others. Toward caring for me. Even when he didn’t know me.
Catching him off guard, I stretch and press a kiss to his cheek, mid-stride.
“What was that for?” he asks.
“As if the man needs a reason to kiss his boyfriend,” Mrs. Walker scoffs.
Oz and I eye one another, because it’s one thing to claim you’re together. It’s another to hear his mother be so accepting and invested.
Caught in the moment, Oz and I sidle up closer, in silence. His mom was right, I didn’t need a reason to kiss Oz, but I sure as hell need to find a reason to stop.
We walk into a shop that is a lot bigger and seemingly more expensive than the front makes it look. But the clothes look on par with the vibe Dixie and Archer are going for, and that’s all I care about. Nobody wants to look like the odd one out, especially if I’m attending as Oz’s boyfriend.
From what I’ve gathered, it’s an outdoor wedding at a vineyard just outside of Burlington. We’ll be driving up there and staying for the whole weekend.
It feels like a lot more than I signed up for, or maybe I just wasn’t prepared for the depth of my feelings toward Oz’s family. Because I already regret dragging them through this. And I know saying goodbye to them will be almost as hard as saying goodbye to Oz.
“How do you guys do this?” I ask.
“Well, my sisters love to dress me. Which I thought was fairly obvious from all the photos they insist on showing you.”
I chuckle remembering Oz in dresses, or with clips attached to his hair and wearing nail polish. Even though he was a lot smaller than I would’ve anticipated, he was one cute kid. And he took everything those girls threw at him and owned it.
We reach an area with two single, square ottomans and a long, rectangular one. Clearly a place for us to sit, Oz guides me to the bigger one and we both straddle the piece of furniture, our bodies facing one another.
“But I’m thinking this time maybe I can pick something for myself.”
Gasping dramatically, I clap my hand to my chest. “But will they let you?”
Smiling at me, he leans closer, his voice now quieter but very inviting. “And maybe you’ll let me dress you.”
My breath hitches, and Oz’s grin widens. “You want to?”
“Of course.” He licks his lips. “You wearing what I’ve chosen for you, just so I can take it off you later? I can already feel my dick getting hard.”
“Oz,” I scold. My eyes dart around the room, but thankfully they’re all too focused on finding something to torture Oz with or possibly something for Mr. Walker. “What if your family can hear us?”
“What if I want everyone to hear us?” He swallows hard. “I have a confession to make.”
“A never have I ever?” I ask.
He nods. “Never have I ever wanted everyone to know you were mine as much as I did in V and V.”
I want to say “I’m not yours,” but the truth is, right now, in this moment, he’s got the tightest hold on me anyone ever has. “So you kissed me on purpose?”
“I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I was swept up in the moment with my sisters, and when they’re around, you’re mine. That was the agreed upon rule, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I breathe out. Grabbing hold of his face, I bring his mouth to mine. “Never have I ever enjoyed kissing someone as much as I enjoy kissing you.”