Page 19 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
“Welcome home, Natalie!” she calls out. “LOL!”
“What even happened, Mom?”
She squints down at me through the hole. “I kept telling your father to fix the old floorboards in here, but this isnothow I imagined forcing the issue.” Her voice is matter-of-fact. “I was in the attic getting our old wedding cake topper,” she says. “To top Beau and Kasey’s wedding cake.”
“That’s generally what a cake topper does, Mom.”
“And when I came down the ladder, that last step was a doozy.”
Oh, it was a doozy, all right.
“Anyway, I’m just glad you two showed up,” she says. “Did you see I’ve got broccoli cheddar soup on the stove? There’s a ham in the slow cooker too. And a loaf of sourdough in the oven.” She straightens, peering up at Brady. “You still like broccoli cheddar, don’t you?”
Did Bradyeverlike broccoli cheddar? Then again, if anyone would know this random soup fact, it would be my mother.
Behind me, someone gasps, and I spin around. My brother’s standing there, blue eyes bulging. The front door’s still wide open, which explains how he slipped inside without anyone hearing. He takes in the rubble on the floor. “What happened here?”
“Is that you, Beau?” Our mother pokes her head through the hole. Then she quickly disappears again.
“Mom almost fell through the ceiling,” I tell my brother.
“That sounds about right.” Beau drags a hand through his hair. “Never a dull moment around here.”
“Brady’s up there now.” I nod at the stairs. “He rescued her.” Even as I say this, my pulse picks up. Probably because Beau startled me, and because I’m worried for my mother. But definitelynotbecause the thought of Brady being Mom’s knight in shining armor works me up.
Probably definitely.
“She’s okay, though,” I add.
“Hey, man,” Brady calls out from the top of the stairs.
Beau splays his hands as he trots down. “You were in the right place at the right time, huh?”
“He sure was,” my mother says, coming down after him. She’s swiping at her sweats with one hand and swatting her hair with the other. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if he hadn’t been here to save me.”
And there goes my pulse again, throbbing hard enough for me to practically taste it. Not to mention the heat in my throat. My whole upper body is reacting to Brady Graham hauling my mom to safety.
“You’re my hero,” she gushes.
He ducks his head. “No big deal.”
“Itisa big deal,” she insists. “I can’t wait to tell Mr. Slater what he missed.” She waves a hand in front of her face like she’s scolding herself. “I meanDale. I keep forgetting you’re all grown up now.”
Beau strides over to meet Brady, clapping him on the back. “This might be the strangest favor any best man has ever done.” He shifts his focus to me. “And speaking of strange favors, your idea to switch dresses with Amber really saved the day. Thanks, Nat.” He puts a hand on his heart. “You’re really killing it with this maid of honor gig.”
“I’m happy to help.” I break into a grin at his unexpected praise. Between my brother’s travel schedule and my nursing internships—not to mention my healthy fear of flying—we’ve barely seen each other since he moved to LA. Once I’m living there too, though, all that will change. I can’t wait to get closer to Beau and Kasey. Both literally and figuratively.
“Just be prepared.” My shoulders creep up. “Even with the alterations, the dress might show more cleavage than I usually—”
“Ahem.” Brady clears his throat, eyes trained on Beau. “You get everything straightened out at The Beachfront?”
“Well,everything’sa big word.” Beau’s mouth goes crooked. “Since the suites for the bachelor and bachelorette parties flooded, we have to move the celebration to the main pub. That means the bridesmaids and groomsmen will be together, and the event will be open to the public instead of private.” He shrugs. “But they offered to comp our drinks for the inconvenience. I just hope the rest of the place doesn’t fall apart before the reception.”
“How about the lake cruise tomorrow?” I ask. “Did you and Kasey get the party barge all set?”
“Yep.” Beau grins. “We’re good to go for the lake cruiseandthe beach day. My future bride is very excited.”
“Wonderful.” My mother beams at the three of us. “I’m so happy to have you all home,” she says. “For now, at least.” Beau and I glance at each other. If she starts sniffling about both her babies leaving again, I’ll get a pit in my stomach. Instead she turns to Brady. “Can you stay to eat with us? We have plenty of food.”
