Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove #1)(68)

She giggled, but it was drowned out by the fact that Sonia was talking a mile a minute to Finn, who looked like he was feigning interest, and Hugh leaned down so only I could hear.

“I didn’t want to throw you under the bus, Snow, but Gracie wasn’t the only one singing in her sleep last night.” His lips grazed my ear.

“Oh, yeah?” I asked, as we stepped outside.

“You like my head buried between your legs, don’t you?” His voice was all tease, and I squeezed my thighs together to stop the ache that was building.

“It wasn’t a terrible way to fall asleep,” I said as we walked toward the bus.

Hugh’s hand moved to my lower back as he guided me up the steps. The pad of his thumb grazed the exposed skin just above the waistband of my bare back, and chill bumps covered my skin. I’d never been like this before. I’d even wondered for years if something was wrong with me. I’d wondered if maybe I was dead inside or missing something, as I’d never been that girl who was boy crazy or thought about sex all the time.

But, times had changed, and I was officially boy crazy—at least about this one in particular. I thought about having sex with him all the time.

And I hadn’t even had it yet.

But the way I wanted this man—it was indescribable.

Georgia and Brinkley were waving us over, and we all gawked at one another’s dresses.

“Where’s your date?” Hugh asked, as we took the seat in front of Georgia on the bus.

“He has a migraine.” She shrugged. “It’s fine. I can dance my ass off and have fun on my own, and I won’t have to worry about him.”

“Well, there’s a red flag,” Brinkley said, leaning in to speak as she sat in her seat beside Kaeran, who gave us a curt nod.

“You know I love me some red flags. I’ve yet to date a man who didn’t come with a whole slew of them.” Georgia smirked.

“I think Mom would call that emotional baggage. And you’ve always liked fixing broken things, Georgie,” Cage said from the seat beside her.

“I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” She shrugged, referring to their mom being a therapist.

Hugh bumped me with his shoulder, and I shifted my attention back to him. He was holding his phone in his lap and turned it for me to see a text from Finn in their family group chat.

Finn



This isn’t going to work out with Sonia. Her sleep contraptions alone kept me up all night. But I think the thing that put me over the edge was the fact that she traveled with a tripod and wanted to film us last night when we were getting busy. That’s a hard no for me. It’s going to be a long day. Feel free to interrupt as much as possible.





My mouth gaped open, and I chuckled before Hugh responded quickly and tucked his phone back into his pocket. I loved this about them. This family fiercely loved one another.

It was a short bus ride to the Wayburns’ house. The estate was like something out of a magazine. When we stepped off the bus, we were led through a gorgeous garden overflowing with the most beautiful peonies and hydrangeas I’d ever seen. Lush trees offered shade, and white lanterns hung from every branch around the large, beautiful estate. There were men in black tuxedos with tails sitting in three chairs, playing the violin. I’d never experienced anything more elegant in my life.

We were each greeted with a glass of champagne before making our way to the rows of chairs on the expansive grass area. Hugh introduced me to several family members that hadn’t been in attendance last night at the rehearsal dinner, and we took our seats in the third row back on the bride’s side. Hugh and I sat beside his siblings, taking the two end seats beside the aisle. Hugh said that Dylan had requested that he sit near an aisle so if she got nervous, she could find him easily. I knew they’d always been close when we were young, and that bond had only deepened with time.

The sun was out, but there was a breeze swirling around us, making it the perfect temperature for an outdoor wedding. People flooded in, filling the chairs quickly, and there must have been a good two hundred and fifty people in attendance.

I looked up to see Sebastian escorting his mother to her seat beside her husband. She wore a gorgeous champagne-colored gown, and everyone was dressed to the nines. When Sebastian turned around to head back down the aisle, he spotted us and hurried over.

“Ah… I love seeing all of Dylan’s cousins,” he purred, as he smiled at each of them, and everyone stopped to say hello before Hugh’s siblings returned to their individual conversations that they’d had going on. And then his gaze locked with mine. “Hello, Lila. Might I say that you are looking striking in that gown.”

A loud enough growl left Hugh’s lips that had Cage and Finn turning to see what was going on. Sebastian barked out a laugh.

“And hello to you, Hugh,” Sebastian said, his voice teasing. “I do enjoy seeing you all worked up. I’ll see you two at the reception. Save me a dance, Lila.”

He held up a hand before moving back down the aisle and out of view.

“Real smooth, brother.” Finn leaned in and chuckled.

“That dude has a way of getting under my skin.” Hugh ran a hand down the front of his face, and Cage studied him for a long minute before the music started to play.

Wolf entered first and stood beneath the large arched gazebo covered in pink and white florals surrounded by greens that matched the rest of the garden. He didn’t look nervous at all as he stared down at the end of the aisle as if everything that mattered in the world was at the other end of the grassy path. It was impossible to miss the love between these two, and it restored my faith in just how magical it all could be. I wondered what it would feel like to be loved like that.