Page 103 of Poppy Kisses
I suppressed a groan. “Yeah, What’s up?”
Laughter rang up from the group of my future brothers-in-law.
Hassie twisted her lips. “Is there somewhere a little more private?”
Ah, hell. What was this about? “I want to stay out here, but we can move closer to the house. The porch?”
That way, I wasn’t going off alone with my ex on my wedding day.
“Yeah, I guess that’ll do.” She walked ahead of me, her steps determined.
I lifted my gaze to the window that would be Poppy’s office. I couldn’t see movement, but the ceremony was supposed to be starting soon. Was she at the stairs? I’d love to see her descend, in whatever dress she had chosen, with those twinkling eyes.
Hassie didn’t go up the porch stairs but angled to the right by some bushes I didn’t get trimmed. Wrong time of year and Poppy hadn’t cared if they looked a little shaggy.
Hassie folded her arms and leaned in. “Are you sure about this?”
“About what?”
She shook her head in thatduh?way that had rankled when we’d been married.
“Thewedding? Why wouldn’t I be?”
She gave me a pointed look and then turned to the line of chairs. Aspen was chatting with Auggie. She’d already seen the rings. My future father-in-law, Weston, ushered his wife to the chairs. Poppy had invited Eliot’s family, and knowing about the trust requirement for a marriage, they’d gathered with us to make it more believable.
Mom took a seat next to Magnolia and grinned. She hadn’t looked so relaxed at my first wedding. That whole time, she’d kept her mouth in a tight line and had smiled congenially. Today, she acted like she was happy.
“This looks serious,” Hassie hissed, fluttering her hands to take in everything around us.
“Because it is.” I gave my head a shake. Why would she care so much? We were done. “We’re both adults. We know what we’re doing.”
“Our son doesn’t. Look how excited he is.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You can tell him this isn’t real, but it is. It’s a real wedding. There are real guests. You and Auggie and Poppy playing a happy family isn’t real, and our son can’t tell the difference.”
Anger heated the back of my neck. If I’d been wearing a tie, I’d have to remove it. “I can worry about us just fine, like I’ve been doing for five years before you suddenly decided to show up and act like you’re a good mom.”
Her gasp probably drew attention, but I couldn’t look. “How dare you drag my parenting into this conversation? I’m not the one who hit up a practical stranger to get married so he could work. I’m not the one who’s getting married, so someone he barely knows can get a house. I’m not the one who’s going to stand up there in front of everyone and say very real vows in order to fake a marriage so she can get this house.”
A squeak resonated from behind me. Linda stared at us from the top of the stairs, her mouth gaping open.
My world went cold, ice crystallizing in my veins.Shit.
The door opened, and Poppy’s sisters spilled out. They stilled when they saw me, Hassie, and Linda. I saw a stack of curls and a white dress moving behind the women on the porch.
“Geez, stop right in the way, why don’t cha?” Poppy spotted us as she muscled her way through. She took in the tension, and her eyes widened.
My shock was wiped away. Goddamn, she was gorgeous. Curls framed her radiant face, and her white dress hinted at all the lush curves underneath.
Linda stared at her and her expression went stony. “Is it true?”
Hassie put her hands on her hips, a smug look on her face.
“Is it?” Linda snapped, and we all jumped. She was such a low-key person I hadn’t thought it was possible for her to make a whip-snap sound. “Are you two doing this only to fool me?”
Her voice carried over the lawn. The guests had gone quiet. Auggie was frozen in place at the end of the row of chairs.
