Page 2 of Mine To Honor (Southern Wedding)

“There was that leggy brunette who you pegged as soon as we got into the restaurant the last time and you bailed after appetizers,” I remind him.

“She was in town for the night,” he snaps in his defense, “she was a nanny.”

I can’t help but laugh now. “She was not a nanny. She showed you a random picture. I asked her how old the kids were and she said, ‘Um, about three to four months old.’ The kid was walking.”

“She was confused.” He tries to plead her case, and I roll my eyes as I pull up next to his Mercedes. “English wasn’t her first language.”

“I’m about to be confused right now and bail on your ass,” I remark, looking at him. He turns his head, and his face fills with a smile. He disconnects and leans over to grab his suit jacket before getting out of his car. His cuffs are rolled up to his elbows. On his left hand is the silver Rolex with the black-braided bracelet I got him for Christmas last year, and he holds his jacket in his other hand. He walks around the back of my car and opens my door.

“And they say chivalry is dead.” I laugh as I lean over and grab my purse before shutting off the car. He holds out his hand for me to grab it, but I smack it away. “I don’t even know where that hand has been.”

“I just got back,” he huffs, putting his hand in his pocket as he watches me get out of the car.

Even with my heels, I still have to tilt my head back. “Hi,” I greet him, going in for a hug.

“Oh, you can hug me, but you can’t take my hand.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder.

“I’m assuming when you had sex you were naked, so technically your clothes are safe.” I step back, and my face goes into a grimace. “Eww, unless you did it in the bathroom.”

“Jesus, Ev.” He calls me by a nickname he gave me one day when he was hungover and found it impossible to say two syllables. “I’m thirty years old, I think I have enough sex self-control that I can wait to get to a bed.”

I fold my arms over my chest. “Six months ago, you were getting head in your car.”

His head drops. “Forgot about that one.”

“I bet you did,” I tease as we turn to walk toward the restaurant.

He holds up his hand. “But foreplay isn’t sex.”

I roll my eyes because, of course, he would be the one who would find a loophole in anything, “I’m surprised you can squeeze me in with all those ladies.”

He puts his arm around my shoulders. “You know, I always make time for you, Eva,” he assures me as we walk into the crowded restaurant. “Now.” He playfully shoves me away. “Get away from me in case I see someone who might come home with me tonight.”

Chapter Two

Levi

We walk up to the hostess stand side by side, and instead of glaring at me, she just laughs. “You think I put on these shoes for you?” She points down to her nude, sky-high heels. Heels that just screamfuck mein them. “I’m not wasting an opportunity,” she retorts, holding her purse in both hands.

“A table for two, please,” she tells the hostess, who looks down at her iPad.

“Can I stand next to you?” I ask. “Wouldn’t want people to think—you know—that we are together and you miss your shot.”

“Shut up.” She rolls her eyes at me and I have to laugh, I’m always laughing when I’m with her. It’s why she’s my best friend. “Also.” She leans in and doesn’t even bother to whisper. “Dinner is on you.”

“When isn’t it?” I huff as the hostess turns and tells us to follow her. I wait for Eva to walk first before following her into the restaurant.

The hostess stops by a booth, putting the menus down. “Your server will be right with you,” she says as Eva slides into the booth. I start to slide in beside her and she pushes me out with her hand.

“Nice try,” she notes, grabbing the menu and looking down at it, while I slide into the booth across from her, tossing my jacket in the corner.

“We come here all the time and you always look at the menu,” I state, putting my hands beside me on the bench.

“They could have updated their menu, and you know me, I like to try different things.”

“Oh, I know.” I take a look around the bar. “You usually hate everything you try and end up eating my food.”

She throws her head back and laughs as she shrugs off the black sweater. “It’s like watchingNational Geographic,” I tell her as the server comes to our table.

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