Page 71 of The Lyrics of Love

“Come join the party,” she said.

“An impromptu party has me curious,” Jackson said, a devilish smile making his lips twitch in amusement.

“Hey, I saw them this morning. Just a few minutes before the mysterious text was sent,” Gage offered. “And I know nothing.”

“Everyone come grab a drink,” Rylie said. “Nash is on his way with the pizzas.”

“Will Pops be coming with him?” Carter asked.

“Nope. He and Jerry have become thick as thieves and are hanging out tonight in Jerry’s workshop.”

Nash appeared with a stack of boxes. “Make way. Pizza’s here.”

Rylie distributed plates and pointed to a stack of napkins sitting beside a group of forks. “Everyone grab what you need. We’ll need to squeeze into the den.”

Nash set down the pizzas. “I’ll grab the two kitchen stools. You and I can sit on those.”

Five minutes later, everyone had pizza and a seat—and wore a look of curiosity.

“First, we want to get a few things straight,” Nash began. “What day do you two leave for your Paris honeymoon?”

“A week from this coming Tuesday,” Jackson answered, a quizzical look on his face.

“Willow, when are you headed to New York?”

“Not this coming Monday but the next.”

Nash glanced at her. “Okay, that’s good. Hopefully, Dylan won’t have any police emergencies and Carter can stop cooking long enough to come. Gage, you might have to cancel on a few clients. Tenley, you need to write faster this weekend so you can leave next Saturday free.”

Rylie finished things. “Because we’re getting married and want all of you to attend the ceremony.”

The women squealed in delight, springing to their feet and surrounding Rylie. The men also rose, smiles on their faces, offering Nash their hands in congratulations.

“This is fantastic news!” Ainsley cried above the din of voices. “My cousin is getting married!”

“Go back to your pizza,” Rylie urged. “We’ll tell you what we can as we eat.”

They mentioned they preferred a quick ceremony at the courthouse. Jackson offered to meet them there when they applied for their license to help smooth the way, and they eagerly accepted his offer of help. Ainsley insisted she would bake the wedding cake, so Rylie showed her the design she had come up with. They tossed around flavors and icings and settled on both.

Carter said, “I’m assuming I’m on appetizer duty again.”

“If you wouldn’t mind,” Rylie said.

“I don’t. Do you have a list of what you might have in mind?”

“Frankly, I wouldn’t mind copying what you served for Ainsley and Jackson. Those were all fantastic.”

“How many people are we talking?” Carter asked, whipping out his phone to jot down a few notes.

“Here’s the list I prepared. I need to check with Nash now to see if he wants his band and business associates to come.”

“To the party, yes,” Nash answered. “To the ceremony, no. We only want family at that—and you are our family.”

As they devoured the pizzas, Rylie mentioned she would be trying on a dress in Portland tomorrow after they purchased their license.

“Rings!” Ainsley said. “You must go get your rings where we did. Jackson, you can call Burt and let him know Rylie and Nash will be in tomorrow.”

“Will do. When do you think you could stop by his jewelry shop?” Jackson asked.

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