Tease (Cloverleigh Farms #8)(27)

Moaning, I fell back and put my pillow over my face. “Go away, Mom.”

“I don’t think she’s going away. She’s been knocking for several minutes.”

“Fuuuuuuck.” I tossed my pillow aside and sat up, messing my hair with one hand. “Why is she here so early? What time is it?”

“It’s after ten.”

“Is it? I never sleep this late.”

“Me neither. But I had trouble falling asleep last night.”

“Me too.” I looked at her chest again, and she folded her arms.

Nice. Now she thought I was a pervert.

“Was it the storm that kept you awake?” I asked.

“It was a lot of things.”

“Hutton, darling, open up! I looked in the garage and saw your car, so I know you’re here!”

I groaned as I got out of bed, thankful that at least my mother’s yelling had deflated my erection—mostly. Heading for the bathroom, I said, “Give me a minute.”

“I’ll get dressed,” Felicity said.

“No rush. I’m just going to brush my teeth and then try to get rid of her.”

But two minutes later, when I opened the door, I found it wasn’t just my mother—it was also my sister, my brother-in-law, my nieces, my nephew, and all four members of the Clipper Cuts: Stan, Harvey, Buck, and Leonard, decked out in their red and white striped coats and straw boater hats. Harvey held a big white bakery box. Before I could stop them, they all shuffled into the house and stood there looking at me expectantly.

“What’s going on?” I asked, running a hand over my bedhead hair. “Why are you all here?”

“We were at the house rehearsing for the FitzGibbons’ fiftieth anniversary luncheon when we heard the news,” my father said. “We gathered the troops and rushed right over.”

“Is it true?” my mother asked breathlessly, hands clasped in prayer.

“Is what true?” I asked, looking at the crowd’s rapt faces in confusion.

“There she is!” My mother’s face lit up, and her eyes misted over. “It’s true! It’s true!”

I glanced over my shoulder to see that Felicity had come from the direction of the bedrooms, wearing the blue dress from last night, her hair a mess, her legs and feet bare. It was obvious what this looked like.

Hurrying over, my mom took her by both hands then wrapped her in a giant hug. “Sweetest Felicity, this is better than a dream!”

“It is?” Felicity looked at me with wide, panicked eyes over my mom’s shoulder.

Taking her hand, my mother dragged Felicity over to me and looked at the two of us side by side. Then she wiped her eyes. “I don’t know if I can contain my emotions. The two of you—after all this time—engaged to be married!”

My jaw dropped. Felicity made some sort of squeaking sound.

My sister came over and mock-punched my gut before giving me a hug. “You jerk! Since when can you keep a secret from me?”

My brother-in-law, Neil, threw his arms around me and thumped me on the back. “You should have said something, man.”

“But it makes perfect sense now!” my mom exclaimed with a laugh. “No wonder he always protested so much when I tried to help him find love. He’d already found it!”

“But why was it a secret?” asked Zosia, eyeing the box of donuts. “I don’t get it.”

“Because when you’re someone like Hutton, the media is always prying into your business, and taking a relationship public puts a lot of pressure on it,” said my sister. “Right, Hutton?”

“Uh, yes.”

“And the sad eyes and discontent aura I sensed yesterday must have been his yearning to share the news with us, but feeling protective of his blossoming love! But in retrospect, it was right there.” My mother took my hand and placed Felicity’s palm in mine. Her eyes filled with tears. “Gentlemen. A song please?”

But before we could protest, the Clipper Cuts gathered into formation before us, and Harvey blew a note on the pitch pipe.

“Congratulations to you,” they sang in four-part harmony to the tune of Happy Birthday, “Congratulations to you. Congratulations on your engagement, congratulations toooooo youuuuuuu,” they crooned, drawing out the last two notes while shock coursed through my veins.

Everyone cheered as Felicity and I exchanged a frantic look.

“Pic!” my sister shouted, holding up her phone. “Everyone in!”

The Clipper Cuts eagerly crowded in behind us while my family squeezed in on the sides. Neil held Jonas in his arms, and my mother scooped up Keely and set her on one hip. Allie snapped one, then scrunched down in front of us and took another selfie-style so she could be in it too. “How about smiling this time?” she suggested with a laugh. “Hutton and Felicity, you two look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I couldn’t even attempt a smile. I have no idea what shape Felicity was able to make with her face. For fuck’s sake, I didn’t even have a shirt on.

“Now one of the happy couple,” my mother said.

I held up one hand. “Mom, really, this isn’t the—”

“Oh, now don’t be shy,” she chided, clasping her hands beneath her chin. “Put your arm around her, Hutton! You’re in love! And the poor girl is trembling with excitement.”