Page 5 of Pirate

Pirate didn’t understand it. His own mother was thrilled to have Jasmine as a daughter-in-law. She’d been traveling up and down from North Carolina since the couple had announced their engagement to help Jasmine with the planning. Though she hadn’t been able to make this dress fitting due to a work conflict, she had been at the others. Jasmine also had Mrs. Groveton, Sophia’s mom, in her life. She wasn’t without a maternal figure.

“And where are you storming off to?” Pirate questioned Sophia.

Sophia’s smile was wicked as she said, “To personally uninvite her and to give her a piece of my mind.”

As crazy as that sounded, it was very Sophia. Pirate, though, did not loosen his hold on her forearms. She’d take the opportunity to run if he did and follow through on her plans.

“Your best friend needs you here,” he tried to persuade her.

“That’s why I waited for you and Jumper to arrive first.” Sophia looked over her shoulder at her bestie. “She’s in good hands.”

Pirate could not argue with that statement. “She needs you too. I highly doubt she’s going to keep that dress now.”

“She better,” Sophia snapped. “She’s beautiful in it.”

It was then that Pirate realized Sophia, Amanda, and Zoe were all wearing the same red dress. He knew that red was the accent color—whatever that meant—of the wedding. His tie and pocket square on his rental suit were also red. The fact that Sophia was wearingChuck Taylorhigh tops seemed out of place. Amanda and Zoe were both in heels.

“Don’t you need to change?” he asked her, hoping that would be incentive enough to distract her from dashing off half-cocked.

Sophia looked down at herself. “Fuck,” she muttered. Her shoulders relaxed some and she released her defensive posture. “Forgot I was wearing this.”

Pirate slowly loosened his grip on her arms. When she didn’t bolt, he let his hands fall down to his sides. He could hold her and keep her from leaving as long as he had a grip on her. If she ran, Pirate would not be able to catch up to her. His prosthetic leg was good for standing and walking, but not for the jarring pressure of running. He had a different attachment for when he went jogging.

He put a hand on the small of her back and guided her over to where Jasmine and Jumper were standing. Jasmine looked calmer, but still upset. She wasn’t actively crying anymore, which Pirate was happy to see.

Pirate leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. “You look beautiful, little sis. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

She beamed up at him, still pressed tightly to Jumper’s broad chest. “Thank you. I shouldn’t let her get to me,” she admonished herself. “I just wanted her to like my dress?—”

“Sucker!” Sophia suddenly shouted. Before Pirate could snag her, Sophia was racing towards the glass front doors. “Jumper, she’s all yours until I get back!”

Then she was out the doors, jogging down the street in her high tops and red dress.

Jasmine gasped. She put a hand out to touch Pirate’s arm. “You need to go after her!”

“Go after her?” Pirate snorted. “Iagreewith her. I’m not going to stop her if she’s actually going to go tell your mother off. Jazz, no one has a right to speak to you like that, not even the woman who popped you out of her lady parts.”

Unfortunately, Jasmine didn’t laugh like he was hoping she would. “I don’t care if you stop her,” Jasmine told him sternly. “I care about her not getting arrested two months before my wedding!”

Fair point. “Fine,” Pirate grumbled. “Where is she going?”

Jasmine’s expression turned sheepish. “Probably the airport.”

“The airport?” Pirate’s jaw dropped. He knew that her mom wasn’t in the state, but somehow hadn’t put it together that the airport would be Sophia’s destination.

Jasmine opened her mouth to say something, but then something caught her attention over Pirate’s shoulder. Her eyes went wide. “Look, there she is! She’s flagging down a cab!”

Pirate turned in time to see Sophia standing on the sidewalk opposite of the dress shop with her arm raised as a yellow cab pulled up in front of her. “Crazy woman doesn’t even have a fucking jacket on,” Pirate snapped as he ran towards the doors. He gritted his teeth against the discomfort the fast movement caused his right knee.

Pirate made it outside and into the middle of the street in time to see Sophia’s cab pull away from the curb. He cursed when he saw her raise her middle finger to him out the rear window. For added measure, she also stuck her tongue out at him.

There was no way he was going to chase down a cab like he was in some B-rated action movie, even if he’d had two working legs. He quickly turned, spotted another cab and put his fingers to his lips. The sharp whistle caught the attention of the cabbie, who pulled over for Pirate to get in.

“Closest airport!” he ordered as soon as the door was closed. He still had no idea where he was going. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he tried to call Sophia. The call went straight to voicemail.

Pirate ground his teeth together. That woman was going to give him a fucking ulcer!

Sophia chuckledto herself as she lost sight of Pirate standing in the middle of the street as her cab turned a corner. Like she was going to let the man stop her from giving her bestie’s mom a piece of her mind.

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