Hailey is Mason’s daughter and Piper’s stepdaughter, but she calls her Mom. So many people here are related one way or another. You’d think I’d fit in with someone.
I glance at Quinn again. He’s dancing with Aaron’s sister, Gracie.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Mason says to his wife. “Let’s dance.”
“We’ll talk more later?” Piper asks.
“Sure.”
For an hour, I sip drinks and sit back and observe the big happy family as they drink, dance, and laugh together. Every once in a while, one of them will come over and try to include me. Sometimes I let them. Sometimes I slip away to use the ladies’ room and stare into the mirror, wondering just who the hell I am.
My biological grandmother, Jan, catches me sitting on a bench in the bathroom. She plops down next to me. “I’ll bet all of this is overwhelming for you. I get why you don’t come to many brunches. From your point of view, we’re this huge, close-knit family. Sisters, husbands, kids, cousins, in-laws. And you’re right. We are.” She scoots closer and puts an arm around me. “But here’s the thing, we’re also a family that likes to grow. We’re a family that welcomes anyone. We don’t care if you’re blood related, bound by marriage, or born into it. We love you just the same. You’re a part of us. We’d never want to take away what you have or the memories of Ben and Julie. We only want to add to it. We want to make your life full of family. And you coming here leads me to believe you might finally be open to that happening.”
I shrug. “Or maybe I had a free weekend, and this fit into my schedule.”
I feel like a bitch as soon as the words come out, but Jan lets them roll off her. She kisses my temple. “I don’t care if you’re twenty-eight or fifty-two. I’m never going to stop including you, and neither will anyone else here. Because one of these days, I believe you might need us as much as we need you.”
“How could you possibly need me? You have so many other grandchildren.”
“I have nine, to be exact—including you. And I’d have nineteen if given the chance. Don’t you know, the heart has an incredible capacity to expand? Love isn’t finite. There isn’t only so much to go around. And you, my dear, are unique. You have so much love and light about you. I just think you don’t know how to tap into it.”
“You and my therapist.”
She laughs. “And you’re funny too. I love that in a grandchild.” She stands. “Now let me see your beautiful smile. I saw you talking to that handsome cowboy earlier—the best man.”
I paste a grin on for her. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
She leaves, and I think about how she didn’t even use the toilet. She must have followed me in specifically to talk. Everyone is being so nice. Maybe they feel sorry for me. They know about my parents. Could be they’re simply taking on a stray.
When I emerge, Andie runs over and pulls me by the elbow. “Devyn’s going to throw the bouquet. You don’t want to miss this.”
I follow her but then realize she wants me to participate. “Oh, no.”
“Come on. You’re one of the few single women here.”
“And I’d like it to stay that way.”
“It’s all in good fun. Go on, get out there.”
Reluctantly, I go out to where the other half dozen women are gathering. I stand in the back. Devyn spins around, the crowd counts, and she jettisons the bouquet behind her—right over Hailey’s head and into my hands. “Here.” I immediately hand it to Shannon, one of Devyn’s bridesmaids.
She gladly takes it and holds it up to the cheers of the crowd. “From their lips to God’s ears,” she says. “I need a man like a cowboy needs a horse.”
I walk to the bar and order another drink. Quinn comes up next to me, shaking his head in amusement. “Couldn’t get rid of it fast enough, could you?”
“These things are toxic.”
“Bouquets?”
“Weddings.” I down my bourbon in one gulp and put the glass back on the bar for a refill.
He nods to the entrance. “Want to get out of here?”
“Shouldn’t we stay until Aaron and Devyn leave?”
“Believe me, they’ll never know we left.”
I look around at their large family and know what he says is true. “Can we take a bottle with us?”
Quinn lunges behind the bar and swipes a full bottle of my favorite bourbon. He’s been paying attention. “Go out that door there. I’ll follow in two minutes.”
I raise a brow. “Don’t want anyone to know?”
“That I’m going home with a Mitchell grandchild? Hell right, I don’t. I might be lynched before I reach the door.”
“I’m not a Mitchell. I’m a Black. My name is Amber Black.”
“Right. Well, Amber Black, we doing this or what?”
I grab the bottle from him and make my way to the exit.
Chapter Three
Quinn
She’s leaning against the barn, bottle of bourbon in one hand, high heels in the other. My dick swells at the sight of her.
“How will we get back to the lodge?” she asks. “Neither of us should be driving.”
I hit the side of the barn with my palm. “Wait here.” I go inside, get on an ATV, and drive out next to her. “Hop on. You can put those things in the box on the back.”
Now, ordinarily, a woman who’s dressed to the nines like she is, with her hair all done pretty, would balk at such an idea. The ATV isn’t exactly a limo. In fact, it’s dusty and splattered with mud. Amber doesn’t give it a second thought and climbs on behind me.
Her arms come around me, and when I take off, she squeezes my chest. She has to hold on; I’m driving faster than I normally would at this time of night. I’m in a hurry for obvious reasons, but then she starts exploring, feeling my pecs and abs as if she’s mapping them out. She unbuttons my shirt, lifts my undershirt, and does the same thing against my bare skin. By the time we’re halfway to the lodge, I’m rock-hard and throbbing against the fly of my pants.
She doesn’t fail to notice my predicament when her hands travel lower. She grips me through my slacks, and I draw in a quick breath. When she unclasps my belt and sticks her hand down my pants, I almost flip us over. Her throaty laughter in my ear drives me even more wild.
It’s hard enough to stay the course in the dark, even without her hand on my cock. But with the help of the moon and my hundreds of trips along this path, I’m practically on autopilot. If I go too fast, I’ll plow us into a tree or a fence; too slow and I’ll come right here on this four-wheeler.
She rolls down the front of my pants, giving her more room to move. She’s pinching my goddamn nipple with one hand and pumping me to high heaven with the other. I haven’t even seen her naked yet, and already this is shaping up to be the best fuck I’ve ever had.
The porch light on the cabin glows in the distance. Beyond it, windows from the lodge are illuminated from lights inside. We’re close. I’m close. She pumps harder. I have to remind myself to keep my eyes open or I’ll kill us. I speed up, and she doesn’t say a word. She’s not scared, just completely driven by the task at hand.