Page 167 of Untying the Knot
I smile down at him. “It was nice. It reminded me of the time we went to Hawaii and spent most of it sleeping.”
“Sleeping . . . and fucking.” He waggles his eyebrows, and it makes me smile.
“Seems like we’ve sort of done the same thing here.”
“With the addition of talking, going on walks, and drinking more wine than humanly possible.”
“The wine . . . so much wine.”
He kisses my thigh and then smiles up at me. “What do you want to do for dinner? The rehearsal dinner is tonight, but they’re doing a close family thing, so it’s just you and me. Well, and Banner if you want to invite him.”
“Hmm, dinner alone with you or dinner with you and Banner? Well, the clear choice is inviting the third wheel.”
He chuckles just as I hear, “Third wheel? I hope you’re not talking about me.” JP comes up to our lounger along with Huxley. They’re both dressed in nice pants and button-up shirts. They look fresh from the shower with styled hair and both smell so freaking good. Not sure what kind of cologne they wear, but I shamelessly want to get it for Ryot. Maybe I’ll ask the girls.
“Hey, man,” Ryot says as he sits up. “You guys heading over to rehearsal soon?”
JP smiles sheepishly. “Actually, I have a special guest coming, and I’m meeting up with him in a few to take some pictures.”
“A special friend?” Ryot asks.
Kelsey comes up and loops her arm through JP’s. “Don’t let him fool you. He’s talking about a pigeon.”
“What?” I ask with a snort. A pigeon? I never in a million years would have imagined JP taking pictures with a pigeon.
“He has some sick obsession with saving the pigeons.” Kelsey rolls her eyes. “Kazoo is practically his best friend.”
“First of all,” JP starts, “pigeons need love too. They are highly underrated creatures. Do I need to show you the PowerPoint again?”
“God, no. That might jeopardize our marriage,” Kelsey says.
“And second of all, Kazoo is a best friend, and if I had it my way, he’d deliver our rings on our wedding day, but you vetoed that idea.”
“Because the last time we saw him, he pooped on my head and then nearly clipped me in the eye with his wing.”
“He could sense the hostility and jealousy you had toward him.”
“Dear God,” Kelsey mutters and then turns toward me. “While these two go hang out with Kazoo, think you can grab a glass of wine with me? I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“Oh, sure,” I answer.
“Good, meet you for drinks over at the wine tasting?”
“Sure. Should I go shower and change first?”
Kelsey waves her hand at me. “No, not at all. I’ll grab a table outside and a flight of wine. Lord knows I’ll need it once JP is done talking with a pigeon.”
“You’re so lucky you’re marrying me,” JP says, while squeezing her tightly.
“Very.” She kisses his jaw and then takes off. The boys say bye, and when we’re all alone, I turn toward Ryot.
“What do you think that’s all about?” I ask.
“Nothing bad, I assume,” Ryot says.
“Oh, I don’t think it’s bad. I’m just curious is all. I haven’t spent any alone time with them.”
“Maybe that’s why she wants to hang before the wedding.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “She wants to get to know you better.”
