by Brent, Cora
“So your dad’s a triplet,” I remembered. “I haven’t met his brothers yet. Are they all identical?”
“No, they’re fraternal,” answered Thomas.
“And our dad’s by far the best looking,” added Kellan. “Which is how he managed to sire a stud like me.”
I laughed. Thomas joined me.
Kellan was insulted. “I see nothing funny about the truth.”
I laughed again. Today would be fun. I’d been looking forward to it all week. I was slightly nervous about meeting the sizeable cast of people who were included in Kellan’s family but this was his cousin’s wedding and everyone would have far more important things to focus on than me. I was glad that I would know people aside from Kellan and Thomas. Paige and Derek would be there. And Kellan’s father no doubt remembered me, although I wished he remembered me from different circumstances.
“Are we getting close to Emblem?” I asked as I stared out the window of Kellan’s car. The never ending brown stucco subdivisions had tapered off and the scenery became more barren.
“About five more miles,” Kellan estimated.
I moved my head in his direction in time to catch him checking me out. He quickly turned back to face the road but not before I’d noticed his eyes scaling down my legs.
My body reacted, a lick of fire tugging deep in my belly and causing me to squirm in my seat. He resembled an insanely hot young CEO today in a navy blue suit with his hair slicked back. The suit and tie look had never been a weakness of mine but today it was. Or, more likely, it was Kellan that was my weakness. He looked every bit as sexy to me when he came home from work in his Esposito’s shirt and smelling like Italian food.
And today I felt a little smug knowing that I had his full attention. Earlier, when I’d sauntered out of the bathroom in my dress and heels, his jaw fell right the hell open before he could check himself. The dress was a plum colored lace cocktail number I’d plucked from the racks of Closet Exchange. Cynda was a genius with a sewing machine and she’d added a swath of matching lace to the hem so that it wouldn’t be too short. The waist molded my curves and the chest area fit a little snug but there wasn’t time for a full alteration and I couldn’t very well let the air out of my boobs so it would have to do.
But I looked good. I looked damn good.
Thanks to a curling iron borrowed from Paige, my hair fell in perfect beachy waves. I’d splurged on new makeup and nail polish after learning of a sale at a nearby chain drugstore. All was flawlessly applied and as I left the mirror I was confident that Kellan would have trouble looking away.
Let him look, I thought. Throw it in his face. Let him understand what he’s missing.
Like I wouldn’t give it to him anytime he wanted.
That was beside the point.
I should put my sexual angst on pause for the evening. This was a family event. I was already stressing about whether the rest of the Gentrys were going to like me.
When we reached the town limits of Emblem the boys immediately started pointing out landmarks. There was the prison. (Duh. Impossible to miss. It looked like someone had mistakenly plopped an ugly cement city in the center of town.) Here was Main Street, which possessed a certain kind of small town charm. There was the high school where generations of Gentrys had passed through and where their cousin Cadence now taught. And down a very rural road that didn’t look like a place I would care to visit was the neighborhood their father had grown up in.
The wedding and the reception were being held at a formerly abandoned building that was on its way to becoming a local convention center of sorts, having been rehabbed by a friend of the bride and groom.
Kellan had to circle the area a few times in search of a parking spot since the paved lot was already overflowing. He finally settled on an adjacent stretch of dirt and other cars immediately copied.
“I didn’t realize there’d be so many people,” I commented, gaping at the assembling crowd.
“I’m pretty sure Cadence and Tristan’s wedding is Emblem’s event of the year,” Kellan said and gallantly held out his arm. “Shall we?”
I was happy to hold onto him, and not just because any physical contact with that boy gave me butterflies. The ground was uneven and full of scattered rocks. A few times I teetered on my heels and wished I’d worn flats. Thomas was kind enough to carry the wedding gifts. I’d chipped in with the boys for a fancy set of cutting boards. Kellan hadn’t wanted to accept my money but he lost that argument.
Once we were inside there was little time for introductions. The boys were all tapped by one of their uncles to help move some furniture but thank goodness for Paige, who stayed by my side and quietly pointed out who was who.
“By the way,” she said, sweeping her eyes over me. “You look amazing. I kind of feel like a tiny toad next to you.”
“Are you kidding?” I poked her. “Paige, you’re gorgeous.”
It was the truth. Paige was petite and she’d chosen a pretty black dress patterned with gold and pink flowers. It was slit sexily up the left side. A fringed shawl covered her delicate shoulders and her dramatic makeup was totally on point, especially with her dark brown hair.
“Who’s he?” I asked, pointing to a man who lounged against a far wall with his muscled arms crossed as his smoldering eyes looked everyone over. He was speaking to a heavily tattooed fellow holding an adorable baby boy.
Paige glanced over. “Oh, that’s Uncle Deck. He’s kind of the head of the family.”
Deck Gentry must have been aware that we’d uttered his name. He paused in his conversation and his eyes shifted our way. An amused smile tugged at his lips.
“He’s talking to Curtis,” Paige went on to say. “Cassie’s husband. Cassie is the sister of the bride. Curtis is the older brother of the groom. Did you know that?”
“I’m not sure. My head is crammed so full of Gentry trivia I might never recover.”
Paige laughed. “You get used to it. Come on.”
Guests were beginning to take seats. We found a place and saved room for the boys. A woman stopped by and gave Paige a warm hug. I recognized her from a photograph in her son’s room and instantly became nervous.
Paige pulled at my hand. “And this is Taylor,” she announced with so much pride and fanfare it was like she was presenting the Princess of Wales. “Taylor, this is Stephanie Gentry, the amazing woman who produced Derek, Kellan and Thomas.”
“She had some help,” said a voice.
Kellan’s father appeared and wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist. He gave me a big grin.
“Good to see you again, Taylor.”
“I’m in slightly better shape than I was the last time we met,” I said, remembering how he’d hovered over me all worried and asking if I’d hit my head when I plunged to the floor.
Chase Gentry laughed.
His wife was more thoughtful as she scrutinized me.
Why why WHY did I wear such a sexy dress?
But Stephanie Gentry found nothing alarming about my appearance. Instead she beamed with approval as she extended her hand.
“Hello, Taylor,” she said warmly. “I’m happy we got to meet today. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“You did? From Kellan? What did he say about me?”
I sounded so hopeful it was pathetic. Apparently I’d misplaced all grace and social skills.
Kellan’s parents didn’t appear to mind. In fact his mother seemed charmed by my eagerness.
“Only good things,” she assured me with a wink and then the two of them moved to sit down in the row in front of us.
Moments later the boys returned. Kellan was no longer wearing his suit jacket and he was arguing with Derek.
“Where the hell did you put it?”
“Dude, I swear I didn’t hide your clothes. Why’d you take it off in the first place?”
“I needed to carry a heavy table. I didn’t want it messed up so I gave it to you to hold.”
“Do I look lik
e a fucking coat rack?”
“Not exactly. You look more like-“
“Shhh!” Stephanie Gentry turned around and threw her sons a warning look. The move was effective. They quieted down immediately.
Thomas squeezed past me with a smirk. See what I have to put up with from these clowns? his face said.
Derek dropped his scowl and reunited with Paige. They kissed and she snuggled against him while they held hands and waited for the ceremony to begin.
Kellan grumbled something and dropped into a seat on my other side.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
He jerked a thumb at Derek. “Meathead over there lost my jacket.”
I slipped my arm through the crook of his elbow. “Do you need me to keep you warm until you find it?”
He swiveled his head and stared at me. Thanks to his blue shirt his eyes were more vivid than ever. “Yes please.”
I squeezed his arm.
He took my hand.
And every one of the butterflies already living in my stomach today decided to give birth to new litters. There was a population explosion.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw his mother glance back at us, smile, and nudge her husband before a sudden burst of music indicated the wedding was about to begin.
The ceremony was lovely.
At least I thought it was.
My concentration level was somewhat handicapped by Kellan’s hand holding mine.
But the bride was definitely beautiful and the groom was definitely handsome and they looked delighted with one another as they exchanged vows. Then they kissed with such lengthy, passionate abandon that some of the Gentry men began to grumble.
The reception was being held immediately afterward in an adjacent room. I was told the food was being catered by some friends of Cadence and Tristan. Apparently these friends owned the Emblem Diner. The guest list wasn’t just limited to family. There were a lot of people from Emblem in attendance and I remembered Kellan’s comment about this being the event of the year. I wondered if all small towns were like this where everyone was connected somehow.
Kellan’s cousins were all over the map in age. Some were just kids, others were college aged and a few were adults who were starting to build families of their own.
Sometime after dinner I found myself alone. Kellan had briefly switched tables to speak to a cousin named Jacob, who apparently didn’t show up at family functions very often. He’d asked me to come along but I didn’t want to encroach on his time with a cousin he hardly ever got to see. Thomas was hanging out with his buddy Brecken, who was Tristan’s younger brother and a member of the wedding party. And Paige and Derek were out on the dance floor. The song was fast paced but they danced slowly, holding onto one another and kissing every five seconds.
I was starting to consider approaching some random member of the Gentry family and starting a conversation to save myself from looking like a wallflower when someone took a seat beside me.
The woman was pretty in a motherly way with brown hair piled high on her head in queenly fashion. Her bright green eyes danced.
“I wanted to meet you. I’m Saylor Gentry,” she said before I had a chance to sort out who she was. “Mother of the bride.”
“Oh hi! Thank you so much for inviting me to your daughter’s wedding. We have the same name kind of. Except my name starts with a T. Taylor. Oh, and my last name isn’t Gentry. Obviously. We probably would have met already if it was.” I hiccupped. “I think I had too much of that champagne.”
She was amused. “The champagne is non alcoholic.”
“Then I have no excuse.”
She laughed. “I was glad to see you walk in with my handsome nephew.”
“Yes, I’m here with Kellan,” I said and then blushed. “But we’re not ‘together’ together. We’re friends. And we live together. Just in the same apartment. Not in the same bed. Not ever. I sleep on his couch. Actually, it’s a futon.”
Kellan’s aunt was not put off by my word vomit. “That’s great. Kellan’s a special guy.”
Just at that second he looked up from his conversation with Jacob. Saylor waved to him. He looked puzzled but waved back.
“This is a beautiful wedding,” I said. “Your daughter looks very happy.”
“Thank you,” she said and her face softened as she gazed over at the head table where the bride and groom had no qualms about making out in front of everyone. “It’ll never be anything short of a miracle when two people discover they are perfect for each other.”
That sounded poetic. And very true.
Saylor Gentry had to excuse herself when she was summoned by her husband, the Gentry triplet who owned a tattoo parlor.
The third brother, the one Kellan referred to as Uncle Creed, was sitting by himself and from the look on his face it was a safe assumption that he’d just sat on a tack. But when the woman who Paige had pointed to as Creed’s beautiful wife drifted over and planted a kiss on his head, his face instantly lit up in a smile.
Thomas came by and introduced me to his friend Brecken and Brecken’s boyfriend, David. The guys were cool and Brecken was especially curious about me because he was so close to the Gentry family.
The dance floor was getting more crowded now as people finished their food and looked for something else to do. David and Brecken wanted to dance. Thomas didn’t but when I yanked on his arm and whined he gave in, although he did complain that I was reminding him more and more of Kellan.
Speaking of Kellan, I was in the middle of making a Y with my arms during the playing of the Village People’s YMCA when I caught him staring at me. He was talking to the bride, his cousin Cadence. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was the subject of their conversation.
I would have given a lot to know what he was saying.
Chapter Twenty
Kellan
A hand squeezed my shoulder so suddenly that I jumped.
“Chill out, it’s me.” Cadence took a seat at my side.
I grinned at her. “Hey, cuz.”
She looked around. “Did Jacob escape already?”
“No, I think he just went to the men’s room. He’ll probably wait until after the cake to pull his disappearing act.”
“I’m kicking his ass if he tries.”
Cadence was cool. All of my cousins were the shit but Cadence could always be counted on to be particularly entertaining.
“You look beautiful,” I told her because it was true and because etiquette dictated that was something everyone was supposed to tell the bride on her wedding day.
She shrugged. “I look all right.”
“Congrats on graduating to ball and chain status.”
She held out her left hand. “And I even got a cool ring out of it.”
“Travis is a lucky guy.”
“You know damn well his name’s Tristan.”
“Of course I know that. Just messing with you.”
Cadence was wearing pink flip flops on her feet but she kicked me anyway. Then she jerked her head to the dance floor where Taylor was laughing as she forced my little brother to dance with her. “I’m unclear. Is she your date or Thomas’s date?”
“Technically she’s neither. She’s a friend and she’s also our temporary roommate. Your mom invited her. I hope it’s okay that she’s here.”
“Of course. These aren’t the royal nuptials.” She took another look at Taylor. “She’s hot. I mean, I don’t swing that way, but if I did then, damn.”
“Yeah. She knows it too.”
Cadence snorted. “That’s rich coming from the King of Conceit.”
“What?” I was offended. “I’m guilty of being confident, not conceited.”
She stole another glance at the dance floor. “I have to say she appears to be kind of cozy with both of you. You sure there’s not some kind of sharing arrangement going on? You can tell me, Kel. I certainly won’t tell the parents and I won’t be shocked.”
If Cadence was on a mission
to gross me out, she’d succeeded.
“What are you, drunk? You’d have to be mentally compromised in some way to think for a second that I’d share a girlfriend with my freaking brother.”
She laughed and echoed my earlier words while wagging a finger. “Just messing with you.”
I pointed. “You know what? Your new husband looks lonely all the way over there. You should go hang out with him.”
“Is that a dismissal?”
“No. It’s a suggestion to enjoy your wedding day rather than spending your time busting my balls.”
Cadence wouldn’t be deterred. She dragged me by the arm. “Come on, this is a fast song. Get out on the dance floor with me. It’ll give you a good pretense to go take your girl away from your baby brother.”
Taylor was beautifully flushed from dancing. Cadence decided that the middle of the dance floor was a good place to make introductions. Then she pulled Thomas away, warned him he’d better not step on her feet and literally shoved me toward Taylor.
“She’s funny,” laughed Taylor as Cadence tried to force Thomas into a waltz.
“She’s a riot,” I agreed.
The music changed. It wasn’t a true slow song but it was slow enough to justify reaching for Taylor’s waist to dance closely.
“We’re the same height,” I observed. My heart pounded. She did that to me.
“I warned you I’d be tall,” she said with a smile. “Six foot one in heels.” She arched an eyebrow. “What do you think of that, Party Prince?”
“I like it.” I drew her in close enough to feel her body. “I like seeing eye to eye with you.”
I remembered Thomas’s comment about how the two of us seemed to fit together. He’d nailed it. For the longest time Taylor Briggs had occupied a spot in my head as just a hot memory. After that night two years ago I would have said yeah, there’s a physical connection but other than that we clash in every way. Now it seemed like we were matched in every way.