by Lacey Black
My Kinda Wedding
A Summer Sisters Novella
Book 7
Copyright © 2018 Lacey Black
Cover design by Sara Eirew
Website: www.saraeirew.com
Cover Photo: Adobe Stock Photos
Website: www.stock.adobe.com
Editing by Kara Hildebrand
Proofreading by Joanne Thompson
Format by Brenda Wright, Formatting Done Wright
This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior written permission of the author.
All rights reserved.
Index
Also by Lacey Black
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Another Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Also by Lacey Black
Rivers Edge series
Trust Me, Rivers Edge book 1 (Maddox and Avery) – FREE at all retailers
~ #1 Bestseller in Contemporary Romance & #3 in overall free e-books
~ #2 Bestseller in overall free e-books on another retailer
Fight Me, Rivers Edge book 2 (Jake and Erin)
Expect Me, Rivers Edge book 3 (Travis and Josselyn)
Promise Me: A Novella, Rivers Edge book 3.5 (Jase and Holly)
Protect Me, Rivers Edge book 4 (Nate and Lia)
Boss Me, Rivers Edge book 5 (Will and Carmen)
Trust Us: A Rivers Edge Christmas Novella (Maddox and Avery)
~ This novella was originally part of the Christmas Miracles Anthology
BOX SET – contains all 5 novels, 2 novellas, and a BONUS short story
Bound Together series
Submerged, Bound Together book 1 (Blake and Carly)
~ An International Bestseller
Profited, Bound Together book 2 (Reid and Dani)
~A Bestseller, reaching Top 100 on 2 e-retailers
Entwined, Bound Together book 3 (Luke and Sidney)
Summer Sisters series
My Kinda Kisses, Summer Sisters book 1 (Jaime and Ryan)
~A Bestseller, reaching Top 100 on 2 e-retailers
My Kinda Night, Summer Sisters book 2 (Payton and Dean)
My Kinda Song, Summer Sisters book 3 (Abby and Levi)
My Kinda Mess, Summer Sisters book 4 (Lexi and Linkin)
My Kinda Player, Summer Sisters book 5 (AJ and Sawyer)
My Kinda Forever, Summer Sisters book 6 (Meghan and Nick)
Standalone
Music Notes, a sexy contemporary romance standalone
A Place To Call Home, a novella
*Coming Soon from Lacey Black
Book 1 in the Rockland Falls series, a new contemporary series
Exes and Ho Ho Ho’s, a second chance Christmas Novella
Dedication
To everyone who wanted more.
To Happily Ever Afters…
Chapter One
Jaime
It’s a Summer sister tradition that on the first Saturday of each month, the six of us get together. We take turns picking the location or activity, anything from margaritas and a movie to wine and painting classes at the small gallery uptown. One thing, though, is as certain as the sun rising over the Chesapeake Bay every morning: there will be alcohol involved.
Always.
My husband is late.
Which is why I’m drinking champagne, following my sister Meghan’s wedding rehearsal.
This isn’t our usual sisters’ night. This one is a family-filled event as we prepare to send our final sister off to Marriedland. After enduring more heartache than I could possibly fathom, Meghan is finally going to have her happily ever after.
More than four years ago, her fiancé was killed in a car accident. It was horrible, not only for her, but for all of us as well. You see, we all loved Josh and were accustomed to having him as part of the family. He fit in so seamlessly, so effortlessly, that we felt his loss immediately, and really, still do today.
But then Nick came along. Sweet, kind, and sexy Nick. He’s a badass with a capital B. A dentist by day (and Meggy’s boss), and a kids’ karate teacher at night. See what I mean? Total badass. And he dotes on my sister. But the best part is that even though he fell in love with her and they’re making a life together, he’s always accepted her past with Josh and understands that he would always take up just a little bit of real estate in her heart.
That’s why I love him.
He’s one of the good ones, and the best for my kind-hearted sister, Meghan.
Let’s run through the family tree, shall we? It’s not like I don’t have anything else to do – you know, with chasing a toddler around my sister’s rehearsal dinner – while my husband finishes up a project that should have been done weeks ago.
I’m not mad.
Anyway…
First, there’s Payton. She’s the oldest Summer sister. Owner of Blossoms and Blooms in downtown Jupiter Bay, Payton is married to Dean McIntire, a local accountant. (Of course it was her accountant. Sordid scandal, that was.) Dean brought a daughter, Brielle, from a previous relationship into Payton’s organized little world. His ex didn’t want to be a mom, and since my big sister wanted to be a mom more than anything, she stepped up, adopting my cute little niece and officially making her part of our family. Brielle is nine now, which is hard to believe, and their son Noah is just over a year. Noah comes after years of infertility and struggles with PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, but there’s no doubt he completes their family in the perfect way.
I’m next in line as second oldest. I’m married to Ryan Elson. (You know, the man who is currently MIA from my sister’s wedding rehearsal and dinner?) Anyway, we have the most beautiful, perfect little two-year-old. Well, almost two. Amelia may look like her dad, with dark brown hair and eyes, but her attitude is all me. She’s a bit sassy, even at such a young age, but still has that sweet and kind side. And she loves her daddy. Even though I’m going to kill him the moment he walks through the door, I still love that man more than life itself.
I work at Addie’s Place, a local not-for-profit that helps kids who are less fortunate with after-school care and homework. Basically, we’re a safe place for parents to send their kids, and they’ll receive a nutritious snack and all of the important socialization that is vital to a young child’s wellbeing and development. I love my job, and can even take Amelia with me, when necessary.
Ryan is a contractor who spends his days building new homes and garages, or remodeling existing ones. He’s amazingly talented and has a waitlist a mile long. He works hard, but at the end of the day, drops everything to come home to his family. I’m fortunate like that because he lives and breathes his family as much as we do him.
Up next is AJ, or Alison Jane. AJ is a math teacher at the junior high, and is married to a former pro baseball player, Sexy Randall, as his hashtag proclaims. His actual name is Sawyer, but we like to remind him of his Twitter nickname whenever we can. Sawyer played for the Rangers for ten years before sustaining a career-en
ding injury while on the field. He moved back to his home state of Virginia and met my sister at a bar one night, before he had started his new job as the PE teacher and baseball coach at the junior high. Yep, coworkers. Another sordid story there.
AJ and Sawyer welcomed my newest nephew Nolan a few months ago. He is the perfect blend of his parents with his dad’s blue eyes and my sister’s striking features. These two definitely know how to make beautiful babies.
Meghan is fourth in line. I already mentioned what led us to tonight, but I think it’s important to reiterate that this relationship has been amazing to watch. What started out as friends and coworkers blossomed into a lifelong love. It wasn’t an easy road for them, but together, they powered through. He helped her heal, for that I’m certain, in a way that no one else could. I’ve been looking forward to tomorrow’s nuptials for the last ten months.
Rounding out the Summer clan are the twins Abigail and Alexis. They are as different as night and day, both in personality and appearance. Abby was born just minutes before Lexi, and while they’re incredibly close, they couldn’t be more dissimilar.
Abby married her best friend, Levi Morgan, a little over a year ago. They live in a great little subdivision with the big fenced-in backyard and the wraparound porch. It’s perfect for any future little Morgans they plan to add to their family. Right now, they’re happy with a German Sheppard named Riggs. Abby spends her days behind her computer screen, editing books for the romance division of a New York publishing company, while Levi works for the local hospital as an EMT, as well as a volunteer firefighter.
Lexi finishes off the six Summer sisters as the most vocal and most fertile of us all. She works uptown as a hairdresser during the day, but works harder at home taking care of her three kids at night. Lexi and her husband Linkin have twenty-month old twin boys, Hudson and Hemi, and an eleven-month old daughter, Stella, who just so happens to be the same age as my daughter. They were actually born just hours apart, and even though I went into labor first, Stella is a few hours older. Linkin is the lead mechanic at a local repair shop that specializes in classic cars, and together, they are a duo made in baby-making heaven.
We live in Jupiter Bay, Virginia with eight thousand other nosy neighbors who know everyone and everything. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, our coastal town grows dramatically with the summer travel season. Small seaside shops, quaint bed and breakfasts, lots of access to the beach, and local bars and eateries make it a great place to get away for an extended weekend or for some fun in the sun on a holiday.
Our father, Brian Summer, has been the glue that holds our family together for years. We were young girls when our mother, Trisha, lost her fight with ovarian cancer, and ever since then, he’s been one of the constants in our lives, trying to make sure six girls all flourished and were cared for. That’s also where our grandparents, Orval and Emma, come in.
My dad realized right away that he would need help, raising six daughters and working full time to support us, so he moved our mom’s parents in. What I don’t think he was prepared for was their constant PDA and grope-fests that resulted in always making sure you knocked before entering any room or knowing more details about the birds and the bees than our health teacher.
Dad has been dating a wonderful woman (also widowed), Cindy Jones. She recently moved in with Dad, which was a big step for all of us. Not because we don’t love her – because we do. Dad has been single for so long that it just took a bit of getting used to seeing him with Cindy. Watching them interact, though, is that subtle and beautiful reminder that life does go on.
Tonight and tomorrow’s festivities are a testament to that.
“So where’s Ryan?” AJ asks as she comes to stand beside me, her son cradled in her arms.
“Your house,” I grumble, taking a drink of my champagne and glancing around the room until I find my daughter. She’s running around and playing with her many little cousins, my dad hot on their heels to keep them all out of trouble.
“I sense a bit of hostility in your voice. Someone isn’t getting road-head tonight,” she teases, making me smile.
“Doubtful. Lord knows how long he’s going to be working out there. Last I knew he hadn’t even painted it yet,” I tell my sister, looking toward the door and wishing my husband would walk through it.
Tomorrow, our sister will be married on the beach outside of AJ and Sawyer’s home. There’s a tent set up in their yard for the post-nuptial celebration, where everyone will enjoy a delicious dinner and dancing. Several dozen chairs will be put out tomorrow morning for the ceremony, in which the happy couple will stand beneath a gorgeous handmade trellis and proclaim their never-ending love for one another.
Except the trellis isn’t finished.
Actually, he hadn’t even started it until after the rehearsal.
An emergency roofing job ended up taking up all of his time the past two days, which resulted in the one job he had for the wedding not being completed. Now, he’s scrambling to get it done – and swears it will be. I know it will be finished and probably more beautiful than anything I could imagine – because that’s the type of man he is – but this argument just falls right in line with the one we’ve had for two weeks.
Don’t wait until the last minute to build the trellis.
Exhaling deeply, I turn my thoughts away from my husband and reach for my nephew. Nolan comes easily from his mom’s arms to mine and grabs a handful of my long hair. “No, no,” I say gently to the little guy in my arms, gingerly pulling the hair from his grip.
“He has a hair fetish,” AJ grumbles, taking a drink from her glass.
“Just like his dad,” I quip with a knowing smile.
AJ snorts, her eyes seeking out the man in question. She smiles softly the moment she finds him talking with Linkin and Dean across the room. “He comes by it honestly,” she says absently.
“Is this little man sleeping any better at night?”
“Not really,” she says and yawns, as if on cue. “He still has his nights and days mixed up. Even when we try to keep him awake during the day, he still thinks nighttime is party time.”
“That has to be rough,” I say, running my finger over my nephew’s delicately soft cheeks. He smiles up at me, but I can tell he’s getting sleepy.
“It is. Sawyer has been amazing, though. He gets up with me, even though I tell him to get some sleep. We can’t both be zombies at school.”
“He’s a good guy,” I assure her, knowing that Sawyer won’t be able to just go back to sleep when his wife is up dealing with their wide-awake baby at three a.m.
“He’s the best,” she coos, glancing his way once more. I look over and watch him crook his finger, indicating he wants her to come to him. She smiles with an ornery glint in her eye, takes their son from my arms, and says, “Excuse me.”
I watch as she saunters toward her husband, shaking her hips just a bit more in her stunning purple dress. When she reaches his side, he gazes down at her with so much love and adoration that it makes my heart full. I seriously love the way all of my sisters have found their happily ever after with their soul mates.
Sawyer takes the baby from her arms and gently cradles him against his shoulder. Then, he wraps his arm around his wife’s shoulder and pulls her in nice and close.
Yep, he’s definitely one of the good ones.
I seek out my daughter again and watch as my niece, Brielle, spins her around on the wooden floor. I can hear Amelia’s laughter floating all the way across the room, and my smile is instantaneous. I can’t imagine my life without her.
Or Ryan.
Funny, that five years ago, I was moving back home, licking my wounds from my failed engagement. I thought Gavin was my forever, but learned very quickly that I was wrong. Sure, I was devastated when he broke off the engagement, mere days before our big day, but in the grand scheme of things, it was for the best. Without that heartbreaking moment, I wouldn’t have met the love of my life.
I would
n’t have Ryan.
Who just so happens to be walking in the door…
Chapter Two
Ryan
Adjusting the tie around my neck, I walk through the door of the fancy restaurant, my eyes instantly sweeping the room.
For her.
Jaime.
I spy our daughter, Amelia, first, and smile the moment I see her big toothy grin, as she plays with her cousins. Brielle is there, the oldest of the Summer cousins, and has taken a liking to both Amelia and Stella. I’m glad she has a big family here that she can spend so much time with. My own family is still in New York, but will come down for a visit once or twice a year. We’ve even made the trip north to see them every Thanksgiving since our daughter was born.
When I see my angel is fine, playing with her cousins, my eyes continue their trek. The room is full of family, but it doesn’t take me long to spy my wife. She’s standing over by herself, a drink in her hand and those intoxicating green eyes on me. A smile plays on her lips, even though I know she’s probably pissed as hell at me.
She told me to work on the trellis many times, but I opted to spend my evenings and weekends with my family. I had set aside yesterday and today to finish up the ornate, handmade trellis that her sister Meghan and fiancé Nick will stand under tomorrow to say ‘I do.’ Then, work happened. A roofing emergency that required a young family to vacate their home and stay in a hotel, while I had to rip off the entire thing, clear down to the studs in several spots, to repair years worth of dry rot and decay. It was a bitch of a job, keeping me away late last night until after Amelia had fallen sleep, and most of the day today.
Which is why I had to bust ass tonight to make the damn trellis for tomorrow’s wedding.
And which is also why I won’t complain one bit when my beautiful wife starts her “I told you so’s.”
She follows my movement as I make my way through the crowd toward her. A few people offer me greetings, but I don’t stop to chat. I’m a man on a mission: to kiss my wife.