Page 210 of Wild Card

He heaves me up, wrapping my legs around his waist, and kisses me hard and fast. I’m slightly disappointed when he pulls away then realize we’re not alone.

One glance at the men around the kitchen and it’s obvious I’ve interrupted something important.

“Is everything okay?”

“All good,” Ford clips.

All of their expressions are troubled. I clamber down from Talon and face Ford, Major, and Ace.

“Harley doing okay?” I knew these first few weeks were hard adjusting. The times I’ve visited, she was handling things like a pro, but that doesn’t mean she’s not feeling pressure.

“Harley and Maverick are great.”

“Jewls and the boys?”

Major nods.

“Rowan’s not overwhelmed, is she?”

Ford shakes his head.

“The parents? Brothers? Sisters?”

“Everyone is good, Princess,” Talon soothes.

“Then what’s going on?”

“Nothing to worry about. Let’s go out to dinner.”

“I want to cook, play with my dog, take a long bath… normal things that don’t include my nose in a book or glued to a screen.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

My instincts are screaming at me. “Talon Simms, what is wrong?”

He opens his mouth, but Ford beats him to it. “Max can’t make the wedding.”

My heart sinks; this is not what I was expecting.

“Why?”

“He’s got a project that has him tied up.”

“Rowan will be crushed. The wedding is next week.”

“She knew this was a possibility, but yeah, she’ll be crushed.”

“Hollywood will understand.” Talon runs his hand along my back.

“No bride needs this kind of stress. What can I do to help soften the blow?”

Ford gives me a grateful smile. “I’ll handle it.”

“Princess, we’re going for a run. Take your bath. You don’t feel like cooking, I’ll grill. Whatever you want. When we get back, we’ll celebrate your pre-exam.”

“Nope, nada… no more celebrating me. I still don’t know if I can drink after last weekend.”

“Not my call to get on stage with the queens and challenge to a dance-off. Mom watches the video daily.”

---