Page 6 of Practically Perfect Together

ChapterThree

Savannah

"Just follow my lead," Jameson murmurs as we approach the main lodge. His hand hovers at the small of my back, not quite touching, respecting the boundaries I'd established barely four hours ago. "And remember, they're more scared of you than you are of them."

"I doubt that very much," I whisper back, smoothing down my navy wrap dress. "And I'm not scared. I'm prepared."

His low chuckle makes something flutter in my stomach. "Prepared for a Callahan family dinner? Not possible, sweetheart."

The lodge's private dining room hits me with a wave of noise, warmth, and the scent of garlic and herbs. The long wooden table is already crowded with people and food, conversation and laughter bouncing off the pine-paneled walls.

This isn't what I expected.

"Jameson!" Evie Callahan emerges from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a checkered towel. "You're late, which means you're—" She stops mid-sentence, her eyes widening as they land on me. "Oh! You've brought a guest."

"Everyone," Jameson says, his voice carrying over the suddenly hushed room, "I'd like you to meet Savannah Carter."

"Carter?" A tall man with the same dark hair as Jameson frowns slightly. "The event strategist?"

"The very same," Jameson confirms, his arm sliding around my waist. "But she's not just here as a business associate. Savannah is my fiancée."

The silence that follows is so complete I can hear the grandfather clock ticking in the corner. I brace myself for the questions, the skepticism.

"Your WHAT?" The tall man—Liam, I think—recovers first, eyebrows shooting upward.

"Fiancée," Jameson repeats, squeezing my waist gently. "I know it's sudden, but when you know, you know."

I feel like I should say something, but my rehearsed explanation sticks in my throat as Evie's face transforms from shock to pure, radiant joy.

"Oh, my dear boy!" she cries, rushing forward to envelop Jameson in a fierce hug. "I always knew when you finally fell, you'd fall hard and fast!"

Over Evie's shoulder, Jameson throws me a wink that somehow communicates bothI told you soandPlay along.

"I can't believe you kept this secret," Evie says, releasing Jameson to turn her attention to me. Before I can prepare myself, I'm swept into an embrace that smells of vanilla and home-baked bread. "Welcome to the family, Savannah!"

"Show us the ring!" someone calls.

My heart stops. The ring. We never discussed a ring.

"We're picking it out together next week," Jameson smoothly interjects. "Savannah has very specific taste."

"Of course she does," Liam says, giving Jameson a look somewhere between amused and suspicious. Then he extends his hand to me. "Welcome to the chaos, Savannah. I hope you know what you're getting into."

"I'm learning as I go," I reply honestly, earning a chorus of good-natured laughter.

"That's the only way to handle a Callahan man," Evie says warmly, linking her arm through mine and leading me toward the table. "Come, sit next to me. I want to hear everything."

I'm struck by how easily they've accepted this bombshell. Not with suspicion, but with immediate, unquestioning joy.

"So," says Declan, the lodge's chef, as he passes me a basket of still-warm rolls, "how did my disaster of a brother convince you to marry him?"

"It was actually at one of the corporate retreats I organized here," I begin. "We got talking during the lakeside bonfire, and?—"

"And I knew right away she was different," Jameson interrupts, his eyes never leaving mine. "The way she organized that event with military precision combined and just the right touch of warmth. I was intrigued."

Something about the way he says it makes me wonder if there's a grain of truth buried in our fiction.

"He asked me out for coffee," I continue. "I said no."

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