Flirting with Forever: A Hot Romantic Comedy(90)

“Dex’s mom.”

“Perfect.” His mouth curled in a grin. “Excuse me, love. I’m going to go have some fun.”

I shook my head as he made his way toward Gillian. But I wasn’t worried. She’d be able to hold her own. In fact, being the object of Jensen’s shameless flirting would probably be fun.

Riley caught my eye. She had her phone to her ear as she slipped inside through the back door.

My instincts tingled. Something was going on. I followed her in.

She stepped into the living room and answered her phone. “Hi, Mom.”

A sense of fierce protectiveness stole over me. Why was Brooklyn calling her? For a second, I thought about running outside to find Dex. I didn’t want to butt into a situation that wasn’t my business.

But damn it, this was my business. Maybe I was just Dex’s girlfriend, but Riley was important to me. If one of my friends had been in a difficult situation, I wouldn’t have hesitated to be there for them. I’d do the same for Riley.

“We’re having a barbecue right now, so it’s busy.” Riley met my eyes and shrugged.

I moved closer. If she wanted privacy I’d give it to her, but otherwise, I was going to stay with her.

She stepped toward me and slipped her hand in mine. My heart just about burst.

“Oh.” She paused again, listening to whatever her mom had to say. “Actually, no thanks.”

I couldn’t hear what Brooklyn was saying but Riley squeezed my hand. I squeezed back.

“I’d rather not,” she said. There was another pause. “Because I’m busy.”

I kept waiting, holding her hand.

“You can if you want to, but when school starts I’ll be busier… Okay… Talk to you later.” She ended the call and met my eyes. “That was my mom.”

“What did she want?”

“She wanted to see me. Tonight. I said no.” She glanced down at her phone. “I’m not mad at her or anything, but I don’t really believe her when she says she wants to see me. She doesn’t show up. And I don’t have to let her treat me that way. I can say no.”

I pulled her in for a hug and she wrapped her arms around my waist. “You can absolutely say no.”

“Thanks for being the one who always shows up.”

Tears stung my eyes and I hugged her tighter. “I love you, honey.”

“I love you, too.”

She stepped back and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Is it okay if my friend Holly comes over? She lives right up the street, so she can walk.”

“It’s fine with me. Is this the Holly you slapped Katie over?”

She smiled. “Yeah. It turns out she’s really cool.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.”

“I’ll go tell Dad.” She ran out through the backdoor, pausing to glance over her shoulder. “Thanks, Nora.”

With a smile, I followed her outside.

The women in Dex’s family had all gravitated toward Jensen. He stood with them fanned out around him, eating it up like the attention-whore he was. I left them to it and wandered over to where Dex was busy grilling and slipped my arm around his waist.

He kissed my temple. “Hi, beautiful.”

“How’s it going over here?”

“Can’t complain.”

Hazel came over to get a drink out of the cooler, followed closely by Everly and Sophie.

“Hey Everly,” Dex said. “Thanks for putting me in touch with Zoe Miles. We got everything squared away.”

“Wonderful!” Everly said. “I’m so excited.”

“Got what squared away?” I asked.

“Our wedding.”

I extricated myself from under his arm. “Excuse me, what?”

“Our wedding.”

“I heard you say those words the first time but since when are we getting married?”

“Since I booked the venue. It’s next spring at Salishan Cellars.”

I gaped at him for a moment. “What are you talking about?”

“The girls told me it’s supposed to be there. I don’t make the rules.”

“Dex, we’re not engaged.”

A slow, sexy grin spread across his face. “I know. That’s why I scheduled it for next spring. That should give you plenty of time to get used to the idea.”

I blinked at him. I had no idea what to say to that.

He set the spatula down, then slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me to the side. His voice was low in my ear. “I’m going to marry you, Nora Lakes. That’s just what’s happening.”

I will not swoon. I will not swoon.

“Is that so?”

His lips brushed my ear and his voice was a low growl. “You’re mine.”

My legs wobbled and he tightened his grip on me.

Okay, maybe I was swooning. A little.

“If you want a big romantic display, I can do that, too.” He still spoke softly into my ear. “But I have a feeling I used up my one romantic gesture that day in the rain. And we both know this is it for us. We’re a family.”

He was right. I didn’t want a big romantic display. That wasn’t my style. I wanted honesty and loyalty, and I’d give it in return.