Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Fallon turned on him and snapped, “And who are you supposed to be, the ‘husband?’ Come on. Who are you really, some actor my brother hired? If so, he did a terrible job with casting. I have no idea why he decided to pretend he’s gay, but you two don’t even sort of look like a couple.”
Embry met him scowl-for-scowl. “Shows what you know.”
“Really? Is that all you have to say in your defense?”
“I don’t need to say anything,” Embry informed him, “because your opinion doesn’t matter.”
I loved how fierce he was. I’d assumed I’d have to spend the next few days shielding him from my family, but here he was, doing the same thing for me.
Without really thinking about it, I kissed the side of Embry’s head, in what was meant as a silent thank you. Fallon picked up on it, rolling his eyes as he asked, “Was that supposed to make me think you two are really a couple? Well, I’m not buy—”
I had no idea if my brother stopped talking or if I completely tuned him out at that point, because of what happened next. Embry slid his hand around the back of my neck, pulled me down to his height, and planted a long, lingering kiss on my lips.
He was putting on a show to shut my brother up. I knew that.
This wasn’t supposed to mean anything.
But I felt that kiss right down to my toes.
The entire world dropped away, and Fallon along with it. I cupped Embry’s face between my hands and deepened the kiss. It felt so incredibly good that for a little while, I let myself get lost in it.
Eventually, he took a half-step back and looked up at me. I searched his eyes. I wanted to say something, but words failed me.
Then someone called, “Hello, you two,” bringing the outside world back into focus. When I looked around, my brother was nowhere to be seen. Instead, my grandfather and my great uncle were walking toward us.
I tried to gauge their reactions as I introduced Embry. Both of them were polite and cheerful, but they also seemed a bit guarded. Did they suspect the marriage was a sham? Maybe not. I was so worried about pulling this off that it might have been coloring my perception.
Embry clutched his dog to his chest and held my hand when we went inside. My family was gathered in the living room, which featured a huge, rustic fireplace and a twelve-foot Christmas tree that almost reached the beamed ceiling. It had to be overwhelming for him when I introduced ten people at once, and I knew he was nervous. Despite that, he kept a smile on his face and was his usual charming self.
I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting. Obviously, my grandfather had given them a heads up before we arrived, but nobody blinked an eye at the fact that I’d married a man. Maybe they were taking their cue from Granddad and Uncle Charles, and those two weren’t making a big deal of it. Really though, I didn’t care how my family felt about this, as long as they were polite to Embry.
The only person who openly had a problem with this was Fallon—not because I’d married a guy, but because I’d gotten married in general. He sat in a corner, drinking too much, glaring at me, and grinding his teeth while everyone generally ignored him. He was often in a bad mood, so the family knew to leave him alone and let him stew.
Two members of the kitchen staff arrived with a rolling cart loaded with bottles of champagne and glassware. Uncle Charles told us way too much about the vintage as the flutes were filled and passed around. Then Granddad stood up and raised his glass in a toast. “To my grandson and his new husband. May you enjoy a lifetime of happiness.”
Everyone toasted us—except Fallon, who let a humorless laugh slip. When our grandfather turned a sharp glare on him, he muttered, “This is ridiculous.”
Granddad snapped, “We talked about this, Fallon. If you can’t be happy for your brother, no one is forcing you to stay.”
I took that to mean my brother had already gone to him with his suspicions, and apparently Granddad had shut him down. Not that I expected Fallon to give up. If he really believed I was trying to get away with something, he’d hold on to this like a rabid dog with a bone.
Embry and I chatted with everyone for a few minutes, and then I said, “If you’ll please excuse us, we want to rest up after that drive. We hit all kinds of traffic leaving San Francisco, and getting here took twice as long as usual.”
“Of course,” Uncle Charles said. “I instructed my staff to put your things in the Sunset Room. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask.”