Page 70 of Coming Home Country
“You’re not going to pass out,” I assured him, though he did look a little pale.
Not getting the sympathy he’d been hoping for from me, he leaned to peek at the man further down the line to the side of the makeshift outdoor altar, where we awaited the start of the ceremony. “Colt, buddy, you’re happily married. Tell me something that’ll help ease my nerves.”
Colt grunted. “The wedding is the easy part. Marriage is hard; you gotta put in the work every day. If you can’t hack it, best to get out now before you let that girl down.”
Mac’s jaw dropped, and his gaze shifted to me as he mouthed,What the fuck?
I shrugged. “He’s got a point.”
“Still, you don’t say that to a guy about to tie the knot. It’s enough to spook him.”
“You spooked?” I arched an eyebrow.
He scoffed. “Of course not.”
“Then there’s no problem with Colt shooting you straight, is there? Because you should have considered that was the type of answer you’d get before asking for his advice.”
Mac’s forehead wrinkled as he thought that logic over. “Dammit. I hate it when you’re right.” His hands fanned his face. “Okay, let’s try a new tactic. I need a distraction. Tell me about last night with Bex.”
I shot him a side-eye. “I don’t kiss and tell.”
“You kissed her?” He bounced on the balls of his feet.
“Judgin’ from how she walked into the house this morning in his clothes, they did a lot more than kiss.”
Mac’s head whipped around to find the owner of that voice to be a smirking Betsy Sullivan seated in the front row.
The man was lucky he didn’t give himself whiplash with how fast he turned back to me. “What?!”
My lips thinned as my gaze slid to Betsy. “Thank you for that.”
Unapologetically, she lifted a shoulder. “The boy needed a distraction. I provided one.”
Betsy was a firecracker, known for stirring things up, much to her son’s dismay. So I knew I could push back without it being viewed as disrespecting an elder.
“By all means, please tell Mac what happened between me and Bex last night.”
There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Since I don’t have a firsthand account of the events, I’ll be forced to take creative liberties. But I need a little background information before I do. Tell me, Doc, are you the type to treat a woman like glass, or do you enjoy a good old-fashioned hair-pulling?” She waggled her eyebrows, grinning wider as my cheeks grew hot.
No wonder Jett was so locked down; his mother was a loose cannon.
Mac burst out laughing beside me, doubling over to grip his sides, and even Colt chuckled. Poor Tripp was used to his grandmother’s antics and merely rolled his eyes.
Wiping the tears from his eyes, Mac stepped forward to kiss Betsy’s cheek. “And that’s exactly why you’re my favorite, Meemaw. You always know exactly what we need.”
“Still didn’t get an answer from the good doctor.” She trained her hawk-like gaze on me.
“Sorry to disappoint, ma’am, but I’d prefer to keep that private.”
Betsy hummed. “Everyone acts like sex is some dirty secret. Hate to break it to ya. We’ve all done it.”
I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that Barrett was set to walk down the aisle with his sister instead of hanging out up front with us. That saved us from trying to cover his little ears to avoid having him learn some more new words his mama would be pissed about.
Mac opened his mouth, likely to pepper me with a million questions about all things Bex, but I was saved by the first notes coming from the string quartet, signaling the bridal procession.
The man to my right sucked in a sharp breath, and I placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve got this.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed on a swallow. “Uh-huh.”
