Page 149 of Can't Get Over You
“Stop,” Boone snapped.
“Come on,” Decker said. “Just a swipe. The frosting’s the best part.”
It took another hour to finally get to their destination, which happened to be their dad’s house. Cars and trucks were parked everywhere. “Is anyone going to tell me why Dad’s throwing a party? And why am I the only one in the dark?”
As they got out of the car, Boone shoved a tux at him. “Get dressed and meet us out back.”
Jude slipped into the bathroom off the kitchen and quickly changed clothes. Only when he caught up with his brothers again on the terrace did he finally get the answer to his questions. A hundred white folding chairs faced a flower-strewn arbor. “Who’s getting married?” His first thought, when he saw how pretty Ava looked with a white flower in her hair, was to seek out his dad.
Sure, he’d wondered about it over the years. There was some kind of weird energy between the two of them, but neither had ever once shown an interest in dating or getting married.
He found his dad shaking out a tablecloth, the white fabric floating in the air before settling over a long folding table. “It’s not Dad and Ava, is it?”
“Gettingmarried?” Boone burst out laughing. “Do you pay attention to anything? Ava’s dating some cop.”
“She is? I didn’t know that.” Then who? He searched the crowd for a wedding gown.
The late afternoon sun streaked through giant clouds, casting dramatic shadows across the lawn. A white van was parked near the row of tables, and caterers were hauling out food. Guests gathered near the make shift bar and talked in clusters around the pool, which was covered with a dance floor.
Why would a wedding be a surprise for Jude? Were his brothers just fucking with him?
But the entire world blurred as one woman came into crystal-clear focus. Finlay O’Neill wore a pale pink dress with a tight top and full, frothy skirt. A crown of white flowers laced with pink satin ribbon was perched on her head. She stood under an arch of peonies in every shade of pink—from bright fuchsia to cherry blossom to blush.
Her smile burned through his confusion, and everything clicked into place. “It's me. I’m getting married today.”
“Yeah, man.” Boone pulled him into a hug. “Happy for you.”
“Congratulations.” Wyatt took his turn. “Real happy for you.”
And then, Decker. “You got a good one.”
All three of his brothers got a hold of him, and in the clutch, Boone said, “Proud of you, brother.”
Jude couldn’t take his gaze off his bride.
My bride.
I’m getting married.
For the first two months after they’d gotten engaged, he’d asked about setting a date just about every day. After enough rejection, he’d accepted that it just wasn’t on her radar. She was focused on helping Cody adjust, teaching her students, building her soap business, and designing their future home. So he’d backed off and asked her to tell him when she was ready.
She’s ready now.
As he soaked up the beauty of his family and this life he’d stumbled into, all because the woman of his dreams had run outof a church and climbed onto the back of his bike, he heard a little voice shout, “Dad!”
His son came running over and slammed into him. “Were you surprised? Did I keep a good secret?”
Jude picked him up. “You kept a great secret. I don’t know how you did it.”
“I wanted to tell you so many times, but Mom kept reminding me how fun it’d be to see your face.”
“Did you see it?” Jude asked, smiling.
“Dude, everyone saw it,” Decker said. “The moment you laid eyes on your bride, you got this creepy look.”
“It wasn’t creepy,” Wyatt said. “Don’t say that.”
“Oh, yeah? What would you call this?” Decker made an exaggerated expression of a lovestruck fool, and Cody laughed his head off.
