Page 92 of Doing It for Love

He sighs, breath warming my forehead, and then he gently strokes my hair. “It may be a while.”

“Hey, Alec?” I say, adjusting on Landon’s lap. “Be my chauffeur again? Landon has to visit his parents and I don’t want to be in the line of fire.”

He laughs around his beer and nods. I turn back to Landon with a smile. It’s one of those scared-as-hell smiles I’ve pretty much been wearing this entire engagement.

“Go. Hear what they have to say. And don’t call off the wedding unless they offer you a million dollars.”

“Ten million.”

“Glad to know what I’m worth.”

He gives me his sort-of-laugh, the one I’ve been hearing for weeks now, and then nudges me from his lap. He doesn’t kiss me goodbye, and I don’t move to kiss him either, and the sad thing is I don’t notice until he’s been gone for at least ten minutes.

We are peas and carrots.

“It’s not you,” Alec says, pulling my attention from wherever my brain was wandering.

“Huh?”

“Landon’s mom wouldn’t have approved of anyone.”

“She sure seemed fond of his exes.”

Jace snorts, kicking his feet out and leaning back into the couch.

“What are you laughing at?” I ask him.

“Nothing. I’ve just met some of those exes and there was nothing to be ‘fond’ of. Mom Wangford is just trying to unhinge you.”

I know that, but it doesn’t make me feel better.

“You don’t think he’ll call it off, do you?”

Jace snorts again, and Alec shakes his head.

“Honestly, I think he’s more worried aboutyoucalling it off.”

“Me? Why?”

Alec shrugs, but Jace doesn’t catch it and starts spouting off what I’m sure Landon had under the “bro code.”

“He saw that list you keep on your computer. Said you were scared of vegetables or something, and he just doesn’t have the balls to talk to you about it.”

My mouth drops open. I knew I shouldn’t have added that Hurdle. It’s not that being peas and carrots is necessarily a deal-breaker. It’s that it totally sucks to be peas and carrots.

“Shit.”

Jace shakes his head, reaching over to pat my knee. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Landon was nearly pissing himself before he proposed, but then he’d look at your ring and he was excited about strapping on the ball and chain.”

“There you go,” Alec says. “Just stare at his wedding ring and you’ll feel better.”

I nearly tumble out of the recliner. Oh, sweet balls, no.

“His ring.”

Jace lifts his eyebrows while Alec furrows his.

“Um, what?”

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