Page 96 of Brides and Brothers
Chapter 37
Camille
While Aiden added a fewlogs to the fireplace, Camille handed out blankets for the women to wrap themselves in. Everyone had on wet jeans and needed to change their clothes, but no one was moving off the couches. They shivered and sniffed like children.
“And then Daisha screamed,” Sage explained. “I thought I was going to wet my pants!” Her hands stretched the blanket across Flynn, but he just tucked it back around Sage and inched closer to her.
Macey snuggled into Daegan. “I didn’t even have time for my life to flash before my eyes. We weren’t even going fast enough for us to fly off the road like that.”
“Do you think we can get back before noon tomorrow? My friend offered to give me a ride home for Thanksgiving, and that’s the time he leaves.”
Barely hearing Emma’s voice, Camille lifted her eyebrows at the sight of Easton holding Emma’s hand. Apparently, their incognito kiss had developed into something more.
“You saidhe, as in a guy,” Easton whispered back to Emma.
Emma nodded. “He’s a good friend from back home.”
Easton’s face was lined with jealousy, and he did a poor job of hiding it. “Who’s better-looking—me or him?”
“You are.” Emma elbowed him. “So do you think we can be back home in time?”
“Um, I was hoping you’d want to spend Thanksgiving with me,” Easton said.
Camille tried to look busy by picking up chunks of snow that had fallen off numerous pairs of jeans onto the floor. There was nothing worse than walking around in wet socks.
“That’s sweet, E., but I’m looking forward to seeing my family. You understand, right?”
Camille would’ve spent more time hanging on to Emma’s nickname for Easton, but Easton’s next words were ten times more shocking. “Oh man, I wish I would have known that. I was so worried you’d never forgive me for messing up our last date—you did throw a potato at my head—and I sort of called your parents and kidnapped you for the weekend.”
“You what?” Emma stood up, shouting her words in a volume that was completely out of character.
All eyes were now on Emma and Easton. Camille didn’t try to hide her stare now either.
Easton looked around for help. The guys all dropped their eyes and started fidgeting. When no one said anything, Easton coughed and then awkwardly repeated, “We called your parents and kidnapped you all for the weekend.”
Macey and Raina gasped in unison. Daisha’s eyebrows narrowed. Sage swore and Amy groaned.
“I have a test I need to take Saturday!” Amy whined.
“Macey and I came up with this awesome impromptu baby shower idea for our older sister. She really needed it,” Raina said angrily.
“I was going to have lunch with my cousin Friday afternoon, Flynn! Remember? The cousin I haven’t seen for two years!” Sage barked.
“Uh, I might have forgotten about that,” Flynn admitted.
“I didn’t have plans,” Daisha said, “but I think it was pretty insensitive you assumed we would be free. Did you think we would be spending the rest of the week here with only one extra set of clothes? Some of these women don’t even go to the gym without their makeup on.”
“Relax.” Camille held up her hands like a hostage negotiator. “The guys can un-kidnap you. You’re stuck here tonight because of inclement weather, but in the morning they can take you home.”
“That’s a nice thought, sweetie,” Aiden said, “but Benson hit the fence on the way here, and the van is in the ditch. It might not be pretty. A weekend together isn’t going to kill anyone, makeup or not.”
Camille looked at his calm demeanor, and a suspicion started growing inside of her. “Did you know about this?”
Aiden smiled. “It was my brilliant idea.”
Camille’s mouth dropped open. “You’re gone for all this time, and all I asked for was a little time alone with you, and you invited ten... no, eleven extra people? Half of them against their will?”
Aiden stepped closer to her. “What better way to have alone time than marrying off all my brothers to your best friends? It’s a win-win situation. You’ve said it yourself a dozen times.”
