The Engagement Arrangement

by Jaci Burton

  Alice’s eyes widened. “Oh, no.”

  The music started and Brenna cringed.

  “Oh, I love this song,” Alice said.

  Of all things, an Adele song. And not only couldn’t Erin sing, she did not have the range that song required.

  Fortunately, Mirai had an incredible voice, Laurel could hold a tune and between the two of them, even drunk they managed to drown out Erin’s awful tones.

  They even got applause from the rather boisterous crowd.

  “Okay, that wasn’t the disaster I expected it to be,” Honor said.

  Brenna agreed. Not that her sister would have even noticed if she’d been booed given the state she was in. Okay, she might have noticed that, so she was grateful. “Yeah, Mirai and Laurel saved her butt on that one.”

  “I didn’t even hear her over the other two,” Alice said. “Next time we’re together I’m busting out the tunes and making her sing.”

  “You’re a mean friend, Alice Weatherford,” Brenna said.

  Alice laughed. “Hey, I can’t sing, either. I need my friend to be terrible with me.”

  And that was friendship in a nutshell.

  Brenna gave it another hour, gradually slipping glasses of water to Erin in between her cocktails, then decided at around twelve thirty that her sister had had enough. They all walked outside together and waited until Mirai and Laurel’s car arrived to take them home. After that, Brenna and Honor got to listen to Erin sing to them from the back seat on the thirty-minute drive to Erin’s house.

  Honor slanted Brenna a murderous look, then whispered, “It’s a good thing she’s not still living with us, because I would murder her in her sleep.”

  Brenna resisted the urge to laugh, but she felt her sister’s pain, because with every song Erin got louder and more obnoxious.

  They got to Erin’s place and the lights were on. It looked like Jason was already back from his bachelor party. He stepped outside just as they parked.

  “No wild night for you, huh?”

  “Nah. I got home about eleven thirty.”

  “Babe!” Erin stumbled out of the back seat and threw her arms around him. “Did you know I was getting married?”

  Jason gave Brenna and Honor a bemused smile before pulling Erin off him. “I’ve gotten wind of it. Did you have fun tonight?”

  “So much fun. I sang.”

  He grimaced, then smiled. “You did, huh?”

  “Want me to sing to you?”

  “Uh, sure. Let’s go inside.” He threw a smile over his shoulder. “Thanks for bringing her home. And for taking her out.”

  “It was fun.”

  Erin tilted her head back. “Love you both.”

  “Love you, too, Erin,” Brenna said.

  “Love you, sis,” Honor said.

  They both cringed as Erin started singing a love song to Jason while they walked away.

  “Poor Jason,” Honor said.

  “Hey, he asked for it,” Brenna said. “He fell in love with her.”

  Brenna laughed.

  They climbed back in the car and headed toward the house.

  “I’m going to be honest here,” Brenna said. “I was so happy to dump her on Jason.”

  “I guess he can be the one who holds her hair tonight, huh?”

  Brenna cracked a smile. “I guess so.”

  CHAPTER

  • • • • • •

  twenty-six

  ERIN BENT OVER and took several fast breaths. “I knew this was going to be a disaster. We should have eloped.”

  Brenna rubbed Erin’s back and looked over at Honor, the two of them realizing that their sister was having a meltdown on her wedding day.

  “It’s going to be fine, honey,” Honor said. “The florist said they were only going to be a half hour late. It’s no big deal.”

  Erin twisted her head to the side to look at Honor. “It’s a nightmare. Monica double-booked herself and I don’t have anyone to do makeup, and now the florist is late. What’s next? The groom doesn’t show up? Because I’ve had that happen before and I’m telling you both right now that I will lose it if Jason is a no-show.”

  “Of course Jason’s going to show up,” Brenna said. “He can’t wait to marry you.”

  “And I’ve already put in three calls to our best makeup artists,” Honor said. “I’m sure someone will be available.”

  Again, Honor gave Brenna that worried look. So there might be a few mishaps today. But the one thing Brenna was certain of was that Jason would be there. And he wouldn’t care if Erin walked down the aisle with no makeup, messy hair and wearing her llama pajamas, as long as he got to marry her today.

  Though Erin wouldn’t think of that as her ideal bridal look.

  Honor’s phone buzzed. She held up her hand and stepped out of Erin’s former bedroom to take the call.

  “See? That’s probably one of the makeup artists right now,” Brenna said.

  Erin groaned. “Or maybe the caterers are canceling and we’ll be forced to have grilled hot dogs for dinner.”

  This was why Honor dealt with brides. Brenna sucked in a deep breath and forced a benevolent smile on her sister.

  “We are not having hot dogs for dinner. I’m telling you, that’s one of the makeup artists on the phone.”

  “Yeah, likely telling Honor no. We should have eloped. I suggested eloping last week and Jason said, ‘No, babe. Everything will work out fine.’ Shows you what he knows. Who’s the wedding expert around here? Is it him? Nope. It’s me. But did he listen and hop a flight to Vegas with me? He did not. And now look. Everything is falling apart.”

  Brenna sighed. She was going to have to do something to keep Erin’s spirits up.

  Or maybe get her drunk. Tequila was the great equalizer.

  “Great news,” Honor said as she walked back into the room. “Ellen Pinkston has a client right now, but after that she’s free and will gather her crew and be here by one p.m. to do makeup.”

  Erin blew out a breath. “Oh, bless her. Remind me to give Ellen a very generous tip.”

  “Noted,” Honor said.

  When Erin’s phone rang, Brenna glanced at the display and saw that it was Jason. Brenna and Honor looked quickly at each other.

  He wouldn’t. Not Jason.

  Erin put it on speaker. “Hey.”

  “Hi, babe. Happy wedding day. You doing okay?”

  “I’m only mildly hyperventilating. How are you?”

  “I’m good. Look, we have a slight . . . issue.”

  Erin took in a deep breath. “As long as you aren’t bailing on me, we’ll deal with it.”

  Jason laughed. “I’m marrying you today, no matter what happens.”

  Their sister exhaled, and Brenna felt a little bit of that relief herself. Not that she doubted Jason at all.

  “What’s the problem?” Erin asked.

  “Leo has food poisoning.”

  Erin straightened. “What? What happened?”

  “I don’t know. Some bad oysters, I guess. But he’s sick and he can’t be in the wedding.”

  Erin blew out a breath. “Poor Leo. I hope he’s going to be all right.”

  “He will be. But not today.”

  “Okay,” Erin said. “We’ll make this work. Get Owen. He’s the same size as Leo so he can fit in the tux.”

  “Erin,” Jason said. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Of course. He should have been one of your groomsmen anyway.”

  “Okay. Take a minute. Think about this before you decide.”

  Erin looked up at her sisters. Brenna shrugged and so did Honor.

  “It’s up to you, Erin,” Brenna said. “You and Jason.”

  “Jason and I have discussed this ad nauseam. Owen and I have put that whole debacle to re
st. It’s all in the past, isn’t it, Jason?”

  “For me it is. But he didn’t break up with me. He broke up with you.”

  “Owen and I dealt with it. And now we’re all friends again. Call Owen, Jason. See if he’s willing to do it. And if he’s okay with it and doesn’t feel uncomfortable, let me know?”

  “I’ll do that. And Erin?”

  “Yes?”

  “I love you.”

  Brenna was so relieved by her sister’s warm smile.

  “I love you, too. Bye.”

  Erin clicked off and looked up at Honor and Brenna. “We can only hope that’s the last disaster of the day.”

  “Since I was the one who was paired off with Leo,” Honor said, “I can always walk down the aisle alone. It won’t be a big deal.”

  Brenna shook her head. “If Owen isn’t comfortable doing it, we’ll find someone else. Don’t worry.”

  A few minutes later Jason texted. Erin looked down at her phone. “Owen’s happy to fill in for Leo. We’re set.”

  Brenna’s heart did a leap at that.

  “Okay, let’s get you married.”

  Several hours and fortunately no further disasters later, they were all made up, dressed up and ready to walk down the aisle. Honor had explained to Mom and Dad about why Owen was filling in for Leo, and they were both fine with it, both of them saying the only important thing today was Erin and Jason.

  Brenna took a last look in the mirror. The dress was perfect, her hair was tamed and she couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day for her sister’s wedding.

  Everything had come together perfectly.

  It was a small gathering, with only close family and friends—along with Agatha and Puddy, Erin and Jason’s dogs, who looked adorable in their bows and bow tie today. Brenna liked the intimacy of it as she walked down the aisle, spying Finn standing at the altar looking gorgeous in his dark tux. And when he smiled at her, her heart did a quick jolt.

  That man did things to her.

  She met up with Honor along with Erin’s best friend Alice Weatherford at the vineyard altar, which had been decorated beautifully with an overflow of fall flowers on the top and sides of the arch.

  Everyone stood as Dad walked down the aisle with Erin, who looked radiant and as happy as Brenna had ever seen her. She peeked over at Jason, whose eyes glistened with tears. Even Owen was smiling widely and Brenna realized that having Owen here was the best form of closure for everyone. He truly was happy for his best friends, and it was a step in the right direction for all their futures.

  Dad handed Erin off to Jason, and then the pastor began the ceremony.

  Brenna couldn’t believe her little sister was getting married. She’d been prepared for this for a while now, but hearing Erin say her vows and listening to Jason promise to always love and care for Erin made her heart squeeze.

  She’d always been the one to watch out for and take care of Erin. Now that responsibility would fall to Jason. She knew her sister had found the right man, and that Jason would love her forever.

  And when the pastor pronounced them husband and wife, Brenna’s eyes filled with happy tears.

  She believed in their happily-ever-after. Maybe it hadn’t happened for her, and she’d been cynical about love ever since. But she could see it with Erin and Jason. These two truly loved each other.

  As they left the altar, she slipped her arm into Finn’s, his smile infectious.

  “You look like a cat eyeing a tasty snack,” Finn said.

  “Maybe you’re the tasty snack.”

  He arched a brow, then laid his hand over hers. “Filing that away for later.”

  She couldn’t hold back the grin. “You do that.”

  After the guests filed to the barn, the wedding party stayed behind to take pictures. Since Honor was part of the wedding, they’d enlisted the help of an outside wedding planner to help guide the day, much to Honor’s great distress. But since the entire family was in the wedding it made the most sense. They couldn’t be both in the wedding and manage it, so they all had to give up control for the day.

  She knew how Honor felt not having that control. It was hard for Brenna having her staff manage the distribution of the wine, but she was also supremely confident in their abilities. She’d ordered the wine and champagne for today, and all they had to do was arrange the stock. The caterers and bartenders would handle everything else.

  Fortunately, the wedding party had finished with outside pics, but the photographer was going to take some more of Erin and Jason. The rest of them headed to the barn, which suited Brenna just fine. It was a little chilly outside as the sun was just beginning to set.

  “I don’t know about you,” Brenna said as Finn held her hand while they walked. “But I’m ready for a drink.”

  “So ready. It was a nice ceremony.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “Jason was so nervous today.”

  Jason was always calm. Nothing seemed to ruffle him. “Was he really?”

  “Yeah. He wanted everything to be perfect for Erin.”

  “In the end, it turned out just right. And the two of them—the way they look at each other as if no one else exists . . .”

  Finn looked at her, his lips curving, and it was as if time stopped. “Yeah?”

  That flutter in the vicinity of her heart whenever he gave her that look was so disconcerting. She didn’t know what to make of it. She pushed it aside, reminding herself that today wasn’t the day to think about herself or her mixed-up feelings. “Well, that’s love, isn’t it?”

  His smile made her heart flutter. “I guess it must be.”

  They took their seats at the large table in the front. The waitstaff poured wine for her, and Finn went off to grab a beer.

  “I don’t know about you,” Honor said, leaning over to talk to her. “But it was all I could do not to sob like a baby during the ceremony.”

  Brenna nodded. “It was lovely, wasn’t it?”

  Alice came over and took Finn’s seat. “It was perfect. I teared up as well. I think all of us were sniffling up there.”

  “You’re right,” Brenna said.

  “Mom cried, too,” Honor said. “I had to stop looking at her because then I was going to cry.”

  “I already knew not to look at her. You know how sentimental she is.”

  “See, I should have remembered that. Even Dad shed a tear.”

  “He did? Though that shouldn’t surprise me. He’s a softie when it comes to us girls.”

  “That’s true. I still can’t believe Erin is married.”

  “I’ve never seen her so happy,” Alice said. “Her whole face just lit up when she was walking down the aisle.”

  Brenna nodded.

  “How’s Owen handling this?” Alice’s gaze tracked to the bar where Owen, Clay and Finn stood talking.

  “Like a rock,” Honor said. “He’s as happy for them as we all are. Now he can put it all behind him and move on with his life, concentrate only on himself.”

  “Which he should be doing,” Alice said. “We need him healthy.”

  “And he needs to be happy, too,” Honor said.

  “Yes, he does.” Brenna looked around. “Where’s your cowboy, Honor?”

  Honor shrugged. “Oh, well, that didn’t work out.”

  “I’m sorry, Honor,” Alice said.

  She shrugged. “I’m not. He wasn’t the right guy for me.”

  At least her sister realized that. “No, he wasn’t. And, hey, now you can work the room tonight. Hit up all the single guys.”

  Honor laughed. “Yeah, sure. All those hot single men just wandering around at my sister’s wedding.”

  “Hey, there are a few here,” Brenna said. “Just don’t pick any losers.”

  Honor lifted her chin. “Are you say
ing I date losers?”

  “Yes.”

  “Brenna.” Alice gave her a shocked look.

  Brenna shrugged. “Sorry, but Honor, you’ve dated some choice jackasses.”

  “I have not. Have I?”

  “Let’s start with your recent cowboy who couldn’t seem to keep his hands off your ass.”

  Alice put her hand over her mouth. “He couldn’t? I must have missed that.”

  Honor gave Alice a squeamish look. “Yes, he did have a hands problem. Among other issues I won’t go into.”

  “And then there was Padon,” Brenna said, “who seemed to forget to show up for dates he’d made with you.”

  Honor nodded. “Now he was an actual jackass.”

  “And Cliff, who seemed to forget his wallet every time he took you out for dinner.”

  Honor sighed. “I don’t have the best track record with men, do I?”

  “Hey, we’ve all been there,” Alice said. “Sometimes you have to go through the wrong ones to find the right one.”

  Brenna reached over and laid her hand over her sister’s. “That’s true. You just haven’t met the right one yet.”

  Honor looked over Brenna’s shoulder and smiled. “But you have.”

  Brenna shifted to see Finn approaching, along with Clay and Owen.

  Honor leaned over and pressed a kiss to Brenna’s cheek. “Don’t let go of a good thing.”

  “Okay,” Clay said. “You’ve all been talking about us, haven’t you?”

  Alice stood. “Honestly? Not a word about you.”

  “Oh, so it was me, then,” Finn said.

  Brenna shook her head. “Not really.”

  Owen grinned. “Lately if there’s gossip, it’s about me.”

  Honor laughed. “Not tonight, stud. Let’s go wait at the barn entrance for the bride and groom. They should be arriving soon.”

  They all made their way to the doors, and just in time. Erin and Jason walked up and the deejay played a kickass song to get the crowd going as the new Mr. and Mrs. made their arrival in style. After the applause, everyone dispersed.

  She had to go hug her sister.

  “You’re married,” she said to Erin.

  Erin had such a sweet blush to her cheeks. And the happiest smile she’d ever seen.