Page 76 of Bad For Me (Rock Canyon, Idaho 5)

“Okay, I’ll get the music ready.” She started to disengage from his embrace, but he held fast.

“Not just yet.”

Callie was smiling when he kissed her again, but she quickly opened her mouth, getting caught up in the stroke of his tongue, his lips, his rock-hard body pressed against her in a tux that made him look like James Bond.

Would anyone miss them if she pulled him back behind the barn?

“Hey, son.”

Callie and Everett broke the kiss at Fred’s greeting and turned.

“I’m glad to see the two of you on such good terms.”

“Maybe now you can stop calling me idjit?” Everett kept his arm around Callie’s waist, and she leaned into him.

“The wedding turned out beautifully.” Callie reached out to squeeze Fred’s hand.

“Here come the bride and groom,” someone yelled, and Callie cursed at the interruption.

“I guess that means I have to get back to my best-man duties.” Everett gave her one last kiss on the cheek. “I’ll come find you when the dancing starts. I don’t care if you’re in charge of the music; you are taking a break.”

Everett sauntered off, but Callie held on to Fred’s hand, wanting to be sure he wasn’t upset about them.

“I care about him, Fred.”

“I know, sweetheart.” He squeezed her hand in return, with a smile. “I’d be proud to have my son with a woman like you.”

Callie’s eyes stung, and she sniffled, trying to hold back tears at his sweet words. “I see where Everett gets his kind heart.”

“Oh, I can’t take all the credit. My wife was a saint.”

“I’m pretty sure Everett has a bit of the devil in him, if his sense of humor is any indication.”

“Ah, well, that he definitely got from me.”

Callie laughed and released his hand before setting the dinner music to play. Tracy Byrd’s voice rang out over the speakers as Justin and Valerie came back inside, with the rest of the bridal party behind them. When everyone took their seats for dinner, Callie sought out Everett again, and he blew her a kiss from across the room.

Things seemed to be going so wonderfully, and for the first time in seven years, she was happy.

“SO HOW’S IT going with Callie?” Justin asked once they’d finished dinner and were getting ready for the toast.

As he’d been doing all night, Everett glanced Callie’s way and found her leaning across the DJ booth, smiling at one of the Thompson brothers. Everett wasn’t jealous, though. Callie had been looking his way just as often, and her soft, tender gazes told him he had nothing to worry about.

He had been floored when he’d seen her in that little black dress, her hair glossy and longer than he’d expected. But when he’d kissed her, she’d still tasted like his Callie Jay, like sunshine and whisky. And he couldn’t get enough.

“She’s amazing, man,” Everett said.

Justin slapped his back. “That’s great. I’m happy for you. I like to see you in a good place. You ready for your best-man speech?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Everett grimaced but grabbed his glass of sparkling apple cider before heading out in front of the bridal table.

Tapping his fork against the side of the glass, he waited until the room quieted down. Staring out at the sea of faces, Everett tried to pick out a few friendly ones. Eric Henderson and Gabe Moriarty were standing over by the drink station, watching him. Because it was a dry wedding, half barrels of ice with sodas and water had been set out with the sparkling apple cider for the toasts, but he’d heard a couple of the guys grumble about no booze.

To tell the truth, he wouldn’t have minded a little liquid courage himself.

“In case you don

’t know who I am, my name is Everett, and I’m Justin’s older brother. What can I say about my brother?” Everett gave Justin an evil grin, and his brother made a pounding motion with one hand into the other. “Well, what can’t I say? As a kid, he was a pain in the ass, always getting in the way.”

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