Page 42 of Reclaimed

Juniper cracks half a smile. “What kind?”

“Carmelitas.”

“Done.” She encases me in another quick hug. Pulling away, she holds me by my arms. “Just don’t keep the truth from me again. Please.”

“I promise I won’t.” The words sit like sawdust on my tongue, knowing there’s still truths I’m holding back.

“Now where are those bars?”

“I think I left them on the dining room table before all hell broke loose.”

She pauses to look over her shoulder at me before opening the lid and grabbing one. “Honey, all hell broke loose way before you showed up. You actually saved the family from an all-out brawl.”

Aiden clears his throat. “Speaking of that, I need to go check in on my family and find out what that was all about.”

“Good luck,” Juniper huffs.

“Whatwasthat all about?” I move to her side and select a bar for myself. The caramel and chocolate mixture is exactly what I need to rebuild my defenses.

“Cortney’s wedding,” she says quietly. “The boys, they just don’t think Sebastian is right for her. Never have. They tried to stage an intervention.”

“No,” I gasp around a sweet bite.

She grimaces. “I told Lee it was a terrible idea. Besides, Sebastian isn’t that bad.” She glances away and bites her lip.

“You’re lying.”

“He’s absolutely terrible!” She hisses beneath her breath. “The only thing he has going for him is his good looks. Otherwise, he’s as exciting as a moldy sack of potatoes.”

“That’s pretty dull,” I deadpan.

“You haven’t been here, but you’ll see once you witness the two of them together. He doesn’t care about her the way that he should. I’ve never seen him be affectionate or put her needs above his own. He never shows up for these family outings consistently and leaves at the absolute earliest time with the lamest excuses.”

“It sounds like she can do so much better.”

“She can. I don’t see what she sees in him, and at this point, I fear it’s become thisthing. Like she’s going to marry him out of spite because her brothers keep pushing her so hard about it.”

“What does Nancy say about it?” I pull out a chair from the dining table and collapse into it. Juniper follows suit.

“You know Nancy. She believes everything will work itself out. She just smiles and watches her children bicker like it’s the most entertaining thing in the world.”

“It probably is. She spent their teen years in the trenches. She’s probably more than happy to sit back and watch it unfold. And she probably isn’t wrong.”

“I don’t know.” Juniper snags a second bar.

I lay my hand on her forearm before she can pop it into her mouth. “It will work itself out.”

Whether I’m saying that for her or speaking aloud to my own predicament, I can’t be sure. Either way, the words are true.

“What are you two talking about?” A woman I don’t recognize appears at the end of the table.

“Cortney and Sebastian. What else?” Juniper supplies and pushes the container toward her. “Have some before I eat them all.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” She selects a bar with her left hand, then holds her right out to me. “Hi, I’m Frankie. I’m Jude’s girlfriend.”

“I’m Isla. Aiden’s.” At the mention of Aiden, her eyes soften. And it dawns on me. “You’re the woman he stepped in front of the bullet for.”

“Is he doing okay? These last few months have been a bit hard.”

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