Page 28 of Father of the Bride

“Yall really never talked about this?”

Her gaze drifted to the floor below. It was all the answer Mark needed.

If she thought he was gonna butt into her marriage to subsidize her, she was in for a rude awakening. He’d always be her safety net, but the day-to-day was about to pass to her husband. He’d never overstep the way Alayna’s father did.

“I have business to tend to,” he told her. “And don’t give me that look. If I get it all done now, I won’t be thinking about it on Saturday.”

She gathered her sandals and stuck her tongue out at him as she departed, making him smile.

Then he pulled out his phone to make a very important phone call.

Chapter 11

A black car will be downstairs in ten minutes. Get in, don’t tell anybody

Sunny frowned at her phone, rereading the message for the tenth time. No emojis, no clues. Just…Kez.

A slow smiled spread across her lips.

She had no idea what he was up to, but she wasn’t worried. It was Kez. He wouldn’t have her out anywhere she didn’t feel safe. And the man knew how to keep things interesting. Always had. Even back then.

The nap she’d been planning since this morning was going to have to wait.

Sunny smoothed her blue sundress in the mirror and reached for her earrings. A little lip gloss and mascara and she was ready to go.

Ten minutes later, she slid into the sleek black seat of a sleek black town car, the kind she’d only been in a handful of times in her life. The leather seats cradled her body, and the soft scent of sandalwood and something else—something that smelled likehim—wrapped around her. She tried to play it cool, but inside, she was vibrating with anticipation.

“Ms. Dixon?”

She looked at the driver, a tall man in a dark suit.

“Yes?”

“I’m JT. I’ll be escorting you this afternoon.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Escorting me where?”

He smiled. “You’ll see.”

“Wait.” She shook her head to get her bearings. “Is Mr.—or, Dr. Bennett not coming?”

“No ma’am. Just you.”

She nodded, disappointed, but also still intrigued. As JT drove, she watched the beach city pass by the tinted windows, its populace bustling at a leisurely pace. She leaned back, her heart thrumming in quiet anticipation. Truthfully, she’d been hoping Kez would slide into the seat next to hers, large and dominant. Maybe his hands would roam. His lips. His tongue. Maybe she’d have told himno, stop, we can’t, while secretly indulging every move he made.

She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed that.

With him.

Being here, trapped in his orbit, was bringing it all back to her.

She was such a virgin back then. That boy workedhardto get a little touch of boob here or a rub of thigh there. She was constantly pushing him away and pulling him back in. And he stuck around. He was the only one who did, which is probably why she felt comfortable enough to give in to him.

When the car finally slowed to a stop, she sat forward, staring out the window.

She’d already been here just a couple of hours ago.

“What is he up to?” she muttered under her breath.

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