Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 33887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Tom and Genny’s divorce wasn’t easy, but they were the kind of people who did the work to make it not as difficult as it could have been, and then some.
But this was something else.
Stealing a glance at Genny, though, he saw her standing with Duncan like they had been when he and Elsa emerged from the kiss the night before. Duncan holding his wife close, Genny having wrapped both arms around his middle. She was leaning into him heavily, Hale could see, and there were tears of happiness for Tom and Mika shimmering in her eyes.
He moved his gaze to his fiancée to see she had the same watery gaze. She felt his attention and tore hers from the happy couple to look at Hale.
She blew him a kiss.
“Love you,” he mouthed.
She blew him another kiss.
He then turned his attention back to the handsome groom and his stunning bride, and he, along with the others who loved them most in this world, watched two people who deserved every happiness, receive it.
CHAPTER 7
A COCKTAIL PROMISE
Hale
“We need hazmat suits with the amount of sexual tension and unrequited lust floating around in here,” Rix stated.
It was post nuptials.
It was also after they partook of a killer buffet that included an insane truffle mac and cheese that Hale was determined to copy in his own kitchen.
A wedding cake that had an artistic design of leaves and petals pressed into the smooth frosting at the sides and a tuft of the wedding décor bursting from between the two layers was set out, but had yet to be cut.
And while they were all outside, Jamie’s living room, the dining room it flowed into and foyer that flowed into both had been transformed with decorations, a one-bartender bar station, small, intimate tables with centerpieces for eating at, and a variety of comfortable seating areas welcoming everyone to hang and talk.
All this was new furniture. Where Jamie’s stuff went, Hale had no clue. He also had no clue how the crew managed to make such huge changes in the forty-five minutes it took to get everyone outside, have the ceremony, then pass around the first glass of champagne for the first toast, which was given by Tom to his beautiful bride. Once they were back inside, many other toasts followed.
Though Hale wasn’t surprised this minor miracle had been achieved, seeing as Nora was involved in the planning.
Now he and Elsa, Rix and Alex, along with Blake were lounged in one of the seating areas in the corner of the living room, and Rix was saying what they all were thinking.
Since they came in from the garden, Jamie had been casting irate glances at Nora, more than likely because she was avoiding him.
But more, something was going on between Sully and Dru.
That was a new one.
And if that wasn’t enough, as had become usual, Cadence was wearing her heart on her sleeve for Gage.
Since Hale had known him, Gage had grown up a lot. He was more boy than man when Hale first met him. Now, he was a laidback guy who was quick with a joke, but considering he was close to finishing his master’s in ecology and biodiversity, there was a serious side to him that was nowhere to be found back when the families first entwined.
Even so, Gage seemed entirely unaware of the fact that Cadence was into him in a huge way, and Hale sensed that wasn’t because today wasn’t the day for him to go there.
He sensed, and Cadence definitely sensed, it was because he thought of her more like a little sister than a possible girlfriend.
“Chloe says Sully and Dru started to be a thing at Judge’s mom’s funeral,” Alex said quietly.
“Really?” Blake asked. “That long?”
Alex nodded. “Nothing happened, but Chloe said it was obvious they were into each other. And nothing has happened since, because Chloe believes Sully refuses to go there because of Judge.”
“If it didn’t work out, it could make things awkward,” Elsa noted. “Same with Gage and Cadence.”
“Cadence is simply out of luck,” Alex shared. “Gage looks like he’s oblivious, but he’s not. Chloe told me that too. He’s just not about to start a thing with someone he considers a stepsister, who he genuinely has feelings for as a sister, but nothing more. He’s trying to get her in that headspace by treating her as such, she’s just not following his lead.”
“Bummer for her, Gage is a hottie,” Elsa muttered, and sipped her fake wine spritzer.
Hale raised his brows to her.
“Obviously, no one is hotter than you,” she assured.
“When it comes to you, I know that,” Hale replied. “But I wouldn’t have called Gage being your type.”
“Tall, dark, built, smart, loving and determined to save fragile ecosystems?” she asked. “Have you met who I’m engaged to?”
Rix chuckled, Alex and Blake laughed.