Page 150 of Never Kiss and Tell

“How has your mother adjusted to the idea of you marrying Charlie and moving to New Orleans?”

I swallow, before I sigh dramatically. I’ve been working on being a better daughter to my mother. In turn, she’s put her all into accepting Charlie as part of the fucked-up group of people we call our family. Marcus, not so much, though Momdidconvince him to fire Drew after I brought out the pictures and texts he sent me.

“She’s good. She’s . . .” I can’t put it into words. “I think she really likes Charlie.”

Kenya smiles, closing her notepad and sitting it on the arm of the chair beside her.

“So, you completed the homework,” Kenya smiles as she jots something down on her clipboard.

“I don’t know,” I muse. “I guess I did.”

“You wrote a book, something you had been thinking about for years. You found your voice to stand up to your mother for what made you happy. You found a place that you can callhome. And you scored a hot man? I’d say you surpassed my expectations. The only question is, what are you going to do first?”

I smile to myself, toying with the ring on my finger.

“I think I have a wedding to plan.”

Three months later…

Charlie

“God, you look so fucking sexy,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around Bailey from behind. She smiles, spinning around in my arms to face me.

“You’re making me blush,” she complains, though she’s laughing breathlessly.

“You weren’t blushing this morning.”

Before we came to Myrtle’s Books — the bookstore hosting a meet and greet for Bailey’s book, The Deal — I woke her with my tongue, then my cock, then chocolate chip pancakes that were not burnt, might I add.

“We can sneak to the bathroom for a quickie,” she whispers, her eyes flashing dangerously.

I pull her tighter to me before we’re interrupted.

“Charles,” Monica Parker, or my futuremother-in-law, calls, her lilted voice ringing in my ears. I clench my eyes shut and force myself to release Bailey, who chuckles under her breath like a brat. “Can you retrieve another box of books from the back? Bailey is almost out up front.”

Surprisingly, Monica doesn’t hate me as much as she thought. She’s even lightened up a hair since she’s been here. She’s run around all day, helping Bailey any way she can with the book signing, getting her lunch, and otherwise doting on her oldest daughter.

“Yes ma’am,” I agree, planting a quick kiss to Bailey’s lips before nodding at her mother and making my way through the crowd of people in the small store.

Myrtle’s is located in the Quarter, close to Bourbon Street, and it doesn’t appear the small store was prepared for Bailey’s book to hit the shelves. There’s barely enough room to breathe and I couldn’t be fucking prouder.

Once she moved down here, it was a race to get the book finished and published, only I actually fucking enjoyed it. We stayed up late most nights, working until it was perfect — well, to me, at least. To Bailey, it will probably never be perfect, but like the woman that wrote it, there’s not a damn thing I would change.

The back of the store is quiet, almost eerily so when I step in to grab another box of books. The owner of Myrtle’s, luckily, was prepared enough to clear a decent-sized spot out for us to store the books. With two hours to go, we only have two boxes left. I don’t think it will last us.

It’s not until I round the corner to grab the last two boxes that I almost run face-first into Andi, who is just as startled asI am.

“Sorry,” she murmurs, attempting to walk past me, but there are tears in her eyes.

I grab her by the shoulder and turn her back to me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she mumbles, wiping her eyes with a tissue. “It’s dusty back here.”

I seal her with a look that has her sighing at me. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I don’t care.” Andi’s been strangely absent lately. I don’t even think Bailey’s seen her much since she got back. “It’s better to tell me now than to let me find out.”

---