Page 48 of Let Me Love You

“They’re off celebrating,” Gemma answers. “Dad finally popped the question.”

“What? No way!” I exclaim. “That’s so exciting.”

“Speaking of…” Katie interjects. “We set a date for next summer in Magnolia Springs.”

“About time!” I wrap my arm around her. “That time of year will be stunning.”

“Where’s that?” Archer asks.

“It’s just over an hour away,” Noah says.

Archer and I sit next to each other on the couch, though we’re not close enough to touch.

“It’s this quaint little town that my grandmother used to live in, and we’d go visit every summer. One time, Noah came with me, and last April, he surprised me with a weekend trip to a B&B. Ever since, we knew we wanted to get married there.” Katie beams at Noah, who’s holding one of the twins.

“I can’t wait,” I say. “We better get to planning.”

“Small and simple,” Katie says, giving me a warning glare. “I’m aware of how extra you get.”

I gasp. “I may never get married, and my brother went and got hitched without telling anyone, so yours might be the only one I’ll ever help plan.”

“You can plan mine, Aunt Everleigh,” Owen says.

“Aw, thanks, bud. You have a bride in mind already?” I ask in a teasing voice. “Because if so, we only have seven years until you’re eighteen. I better start now.”

Owen rolls his eyes as he rocks the other baby.

“Are ya tryin’ to gimme a heart attack?” Katie scolds.

Her panicked tone makes me laugh.

“I hope someone warned you, Archer,” Gemma says. “You stay with Everleigh long enough, she’ll trick you into walking down the aisle with her.”

“I wouldn’t have to trick him, thank you very much.” I glare. “He’s already offered to kiss my feet and make me his queen.”

A roar of laughter echoes from everyone except my unamused brother, who’s glancing between Archer and me. But we’re not even touching, so I don’t know what his problem is.

“Relax, Tyler. Geez.”

“Blink twice if you need help,” he tells Archer.

I grab a throw pillow from the couch and chuck it at Tyler.

“Can we open presents now?” Owen asks, thankfully redirecting the conversation away from me.

“After we get the food in the oven,” Katie tells him as Gemma and I move to the kitchen to help. “Then we will while they’re baking.”

It’s been our tradition to get together for years. We have homemade pizza, snacks, and desserts, then exchange presents. After that, we watch a Christmas movie. Since Katie and Gemma are breastfeeding, we opted out of having any alcohol this year.

“So Archer, now that you’ve been here for a month, how’re you settlin’ in?” Gemma asks. I add sauce to one of the pizzas, and Archer adds pepperonis and mushrooms on another.

“Better than I thought I would, honestly. Feels like I’ve been here much longer. So far, everyone I’ve met has been friendly. I love working at the gym, and Everleigh’s been a great roommate.” He looks at me with a boyish grin. “I’m glad Tyler urged me to move here.”

“Probably the second-best idea he’s ever had,” I muse. “Marrying Gemma being the first, of course.”

Gemma snickers as Tyler flashes me a scowl.

“I ran into MaryAnn at the grocery store the other day. She said she loves her boxing lessons with you and that you have a waiting list now,” Katie tells Archer. “You must be in high demand.”