“And you’d do anything for him.” He side-eyes me. “The two of you together are terrifying.”
“Aw, what a romantic thing to say on my wedding day.” I lean into him, bumping him with my shoulder.
Someone knocks on the door, then pushes it open. Hope peers inside. “It’s dress time, Charlotte.”
Trinity follows Hope inside and snaps a few pictures. A sweet one of Carter handing me his drawing, a few light-hearted shots, and a few traditional bride pictures.
Lilly joins us, and Carter leans in to give me a hug. “You have sisters now who will be a hell of a lot more supportive on your wedding day than our mother ever would’ve been,” he whispers.
I hug him back as his words repeat in my head. My mother would’ve found some way to ruin my wedding or make it all about her. “You’re right.”
The truth may hurt but that doesn’t make it any less true.
TELLER
“Charlotte’s on board with the ink.” Carter grins as he joins Blake and me in the backyard. “She was not thrilled about the ax-throwing.”
“Why’d you tell her, then?” Blake asks.
“I told you she’d love the drawing,” I say. “You were up there an awfully long time. Is she feeling okay?”
This whole can’t see the bride before the wedding rule is bullshit.
Carter slides his gaze to Blake, then back to me. “We had a brother-sister heart-to-heart.”
I throw a teasing glance Blake’s way. “Why isn’t my sister having one of those with me?”
Blake chuckles and sets his ax on a wide tree stump. He glances at Carter, then me. “She’s a little busy.”
“Everything okay?” I ask Carter when we’re alone.
“Yeah. She can tell you what we talked about, later.” His face perks up. “She looks really pretty.”
“Of course she does.” My gaze strays to the back of the house, to our bedroom window. From this angle and distance, I can’t see more than a few shapes moving around. One of them has to be my soon-to-be-wife.
“Hey.” Carter taps my arm, drawing my attention away from the window. “Thanks for…well, everything you do for her.”
I cock my head, and almost ask what the hell they talked about, but he looks so serious, I decide not to tease him. “Hey, before everyone starts arriving, come into the house with me. I have something for you.”
He eyes me with his usual skeptical head tilt but follows. “Should I be concerned?”
I catch sight of Wrath and point to the house. The girls chased me out of the upstairs so Charlotte could get ready. They graciously allowed me the use of my living room, for now. I enter through the kitchen and find Rock and Grace in the kitchen. “Is Hope upstairs with Charlotte?” I ask.
“Yup. Gettin’ close.”
Grace throws me a floppy hand wave and I scoop her into my arms. “You being good?”
“Yef,” she says, carefully sounding out the word.
I pop a kiss on her forehead and set her down.
The door opens behind me. “We doing this?” Wrath asks. “Running out of time.”
“Doing what?” Carter asks, backing away from us.
“Nothing bad,” I assure him. “Stay here.”
I nod at Rock as I walk past him into the hall closet where I open the safe and pull out the package for Carter.