Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
He’d also noticed that she still hadn’t told him what area she was staying in.
“Well, I better get to work,” Caren said into the awkward silence.
“You’re not here to work!” Lacey told her. “You’re here as my friend.”
“I’m still going to take some photos.” Caren winked at her. “I just can’t help myself. Especially with such a beautiful bride.”
Caren darted away through the crowd. Not that it was hard to follow her path. The woman stood out in a sea of muted beige, black, and blue.
Did orange and pink even go together?
Anyway, it was none of his business what she wore. Or that she was moving to a large city that she barely knew anymore.
At least he’d solved the question of why she was here. Obviously, she was the wedding photographer.
She better not fuck up the photos of his cousin’s big day.
“Stop scowling at Caren,” Lacey said, elbowing him in the ribs. “She’s going to think you don’t like her.”
“I don’t like her.”
“Travis!” Lacey scowled up at him. “Be nice.”
“Like she was when we were younger?” he retorted.
“She was just a kid. People change. And you don’t know everything that someone is going through.” There was a strange look on her face.
What did she mean by that? What had Caren gone through? She’d lived a charmed life, hadn’t she? She lived in a nice house, and had always wore expensive clothes.
“She left without a word,” he grumbled. “You were heartbroken for months.”
Lacey leaned the side of her face against his bicep. “Always looking out for me, aren’t you?”
“Of course. That’s what big cousins do.”
“I prefer to think of you as my big brother.” A look of sadness filled her face and he knew she was thinking about Brax.
But, fuck him.
He knew it was wrong to think that way about his cousin. He’d only been fifteen when he’d died. Still a kid. Travis shouldn’t hold him fully responsible for his actions. But he’d been reckless and stupid and his actions had ended his life.
And they’d hugely affected Lacey’s. She’d lived in the shadow of his death until she’d left home and gotten away from her toxic father.
“Yeah, I like the idea of that,” he told her, trying to hold back his emotion.
“So does that mean you’ll say yes?” she asked.
“Yes to what?” he asked suspiciously.
“To walking me down the aisle.”
“You want me to give you away?” he asked, shocked.
“Yeah. What do you say?”
He swallowed heavily, surprised as an even bigger swell of emotion hit him. “Yeah, honey. I’d be happy to walk you down the aisle. Not giving you away, though, because you’ll always be mine.”
“Of course I will be.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and he sent Gray a warning look.
If he did anything to hurt his cousin, he was a dead man. Instead of looking annoyed or angry, Gray just nodded in understanding.
He got what Travis was laying down.
Gray led Lacey away so they could talk to some other people who had arrived at the wedding dinner rehearsal.
Christ. He still didn’t get the point of all this.
2
“What the fuck is the point of all of this?” a voice grumbled from behind him.
“Hunter, shh, someone will hear you.”
“Well, that’s generally the point of me talking. So that someone will hear me,” Hunter said.
“Really?” Travis said, turning. “I thought it was just to hear the sound of your own voice.”
“Who invited you?” Hunter demanded.
Hunter was the co-owner of Black-Gray Investigations with Gray. It was a security firm that mainly took domestic jobs.
Unlike his own security firm, Raptor Inc. which took on mostly overseas jobs.
Cady rolled her eyes as she stood next to her huge husband. “Are the two of you ever going to grow up and get along?”
“Grow up?” Hunter said, staring down at her with a raised eyebrow. “I can assure you that I’m all grown up. Do you need a demonstration?”
“Um, nope.” Cady shook her head. “I’m going to go talk to Simon and Sasha. Behave. You both love the people getting married.”
Hunter huffed. “Love is a strong word. I tolerate Gray.”
“I’m not sure how he tolerates you,” Travis replied as Cady slipped away from them. His gaze remained on her as she moved away.
“This marriage doesn’t mean we’re related,” Hunter said to him as they stood side-by-side, studying the guests.
“Well, obviously, unless there is something about your relationship with Gray that you want to make clear.”
Hunter let out a bark of laughter. “It’s good to see you again, man.” He whacked him on the back and walked away.
What the fuck was that? Why hadn’t he bitten back? Hunter always bit back.
This was a trap, he could sense it.
Hunter operated a rival security firm. He was the enemy in Travis’s mind.
Sure, they co-operated sometimes. But that was the beside the point. He and Hunter were never pleased to see each other. What was going on?