Page 54 of One and Only

The brother who knew the truth, I thought, as he walked toward me with his hand outstretched.

Cameron reminded me a lot of Parker—the tall, muscled frame, the shaggy golden-brown hair and stern features.

“Congratulations,” he said, gripping my hand as tightly as possible without breaking any bones.

He might not be the defensive lineman I went up against on the field, but the nature of manual labor his whole life meant that Cameron Wilder was still an absolute beast.

“Thank you for helping out,” I told him.

He merely arched his eyebrows and followed Greer as she led us toward the house. When one of her younger cousins raced by us, she snagged his shirtsleeve, yanking him to a halt in front of our group.

She whispered something in his ear—the kid couldn’t have been more than eighteen, but his eyes widened almost comically as he nodded, then ran away.

“What was that?” Cameron asked.

Greer straightened, smoothing her hands over the front of her dress. “Insurance.”

“Good Lord,” I muttered under my breath.

Cameron slicked his tongue over his teeth, staring his sister down with a look that I could only describe as horrified incredulity. There was a minor comfort that I was not the only one a little wary of whatever it is Greer was about to do.

She didn’t seem quite as bothered, gliding up the steps like a queen about to step into court, only pausing once at the front door to take a deep breath.

“Am I about to commit fraud to protect your asses?” Cameron whispered.

She glanced over her shoulder, one dark eyebrow raised. “It’s not fraud, Cameron. You’re signing your name that you witnessed our ceremony. Nothing untrue about that.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Remember when you convinced Poppy that if she dyed her hair pink that it would keep growing in that way?”

She sniffed. “I was sixteen and she was driving me nuts. What’s your point?”

“I caught Poppy just as she was about to permanently dye her hairby herselfand never told Mom.”

“Cameron,” she sighed. “I know,I know, okay. What else am I supposed to do right now?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, watching the sibling interplay with unabashed curiosity. I couldn’t really tell what Cameron’s angle was either, but for all I knew, this was a well-established pattern of him looking out for his younger sister.

Along with the addition of Greer in my life, bold and fearless and resolute, I was gaining what seemed like an endless list of in-laws, with a lifetime of history that I’d probably never understand.

The pastor glanced through the window, catching my eye with a friendly smile and a tap of his watch.

“We have to go in,” I said to them. “He’s watching.”

Greer nodded, her eyes catching on mine. “Ready?”

She didn’t aim the question at her brother, who was still shaking his head.

She asked me.

Because at the end of the day, this was about me and Greer. The whys and hows and justifications were ours. No one else could own them for us. And we weren’t really asking them to.

With a polite nod toward Cameron, I moved behind Greer to hold the door open and settled my other hand low on her back. Her dress was smooth and soft, silky under my palm. And underneath that, her skin was warm and firm.

The pastor greeted us with a kind smile. “Here we are. Let’s get this signed, and I’ll make sure it gets taken care of.”

Greer took the pen he extended toward her over the length of the island. He tapped a finger where her signature was needed, and I watched her rib cage expand on a deep breath before she scrawled the pen along the line—a dramatic swooping signature that somehow matched her well.

“Ah, there now.” His eyes twinkled as he handed another pen to me. “Your turn, Beckett.”

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