She closed the door and I stepped back, rubbing at my neck. A warm hand wrapped around my arm. Turning, I slung my arm around Christy’s back. “I thought you were waiting in the car?”
“You looked like you needed moral support.”
I turned and kissed her. “Let’s go have a good night and forget about everything else.”
She grinned. “Five calls. That’s all you get tonight.”
“Alright,” I conceded. “But I reserve the right to have a sixth if something happens.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, but I’ll give you the bonus call as long as you give me what I want tonight.”
“Deal.”
I pressed a kiss to her lips, then took her to my truck. The drive was way too quick when all I wanted was to take her home. I hoped this night passed quickly.
I walked into the town poker night with Christy by my side. She looked amazing tonight, just like always. As we walked over to the bar where Carter was sitting, I noticed a slight hesitation in her step.
“Everything okay?”
“Why is everyone staring at us?”
“Ah…that would be because everyone in town knows that we’re getting married.”
Her face turned sharply to me. “What do you mean? We haven’t told anyone yet.”
“You didn’t. I announced it on the town page.”
“You did what?” she gasped.
I shrugged. “Sorry, but I had to make an announcement in Mary Anne’s bakery. She was low on business.”
“Don’t you think you should have discussed this with me first,” she hissed, trying to keep a smile on her face.
“I might have, but this ensures that you won’t back out on me.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Who knows? Women are fickle creatures, and I’m learning to be ruthless.”
She snorted and waved down the bartender, ordering a drink.
“Carter,” I nodded. “How are things tonight?”
“Well, Chili Man is telling everyone how stiff we all are at poker night, so I’m guessing that’ll squash any potential future unwanted invites.”
I nodded, looking around the room. “That’s always a good thing.”
“And Antonio’s here.”
“Really?” I glanced around the room until I saw him at a table with Josh and Andrew. “We should play a round.”
“You mean, you’ll let me off duty?” Carter asked hopefully.
“Like things actually get out of hand here.”
“I don’t know,” he muttered. “This town is getting crazier by the minute.”
“It’s not that bad,” I said, wrapping my arm around Christy’s waist and pulling her to the table with me. “Mind if we sit?”
Antonio nodded to one of the empty chairs. Carter took another, then waved down Abby. She came bustling over in her usual cheerful manner.
I glanced around the table, noting how strange it was that we seemed to have formed a group of some kind in the past week. I never thought I would be sitting at a table with Josh playing a friendly game of poker, let alone with Antonio. But things changed so much over the past year. I was learning to let things go and move on with life. Things that once bothered me seemed like peanuts in comparison to the problems I’d recently faced. And as I kissed Christy, I realized that everything I’d gone through was worth it because it brought her to me. I finally had the woman I was always meant to be with, and I had a feeling that even Natalie would approve, wherever she was.
The cards were dealt and I picked up my hand, grinning when I saw the four kings.
“What’s so funny?” Christy leaned in and whispered.
Brushing my lips across her ear, I whispered. “It’s the four horsemen of the apocalypse.”
She frowned down at me, not understanding. I looked at Antonio, Josh, Andrew, and Carter, thanking my lucky stars I had them when I needed them.
“I’ll explain later.”
We played a few rounds, laughing and joking the whole time. It wasn’t until Carter looked up at me, his eyes going wide that the room quieted around us. Then I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder and looked up. Christy’s dad was standing behind me, a scowl on his face.
“I heard you’re marrying my daughter.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, not worried at all about what he thought. She was mine, and I was marrying her, whether he approved or not.
He nodded slightly. “Before you marry her, we have a few things to talk about.”
“Dad, please, do not go into the whole burying him in a wetland thing.”
“What?”
He narrowed his eyes at me, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’ll get to the whole wetland thing. The first thing I want is an explanation.”
“About what?”
He put one hand on the back of my chair, leaning in so only I could hear. “Sophomore year. Band trip.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“Think it over, son. Then you can decide if you still want to be my son-in-law.”
Also by Giulia Lagomarsino
Thank you for reading Four Horsemen! I hope you all enjoyed Jack and Christy’s story. Look for more from them in The Nut Low!
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To find the individual series, follow the links below:
For The Love Of A Good Woman series
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The Cortell Brothers
A Good Run Of Bad Luck
Four Horsemen: A Small Town Romance (A Good Run Of Bad Luck Book 5) Page 33