Page 73 of Conflagration
Turning towards her, I decide not to remind her that she’s already sat through one of Branson’s weddings. “To be honest, I haven’t even thought about the kind of wedding we want to have. Actually, eloping sounds kind of a like a good idea.” I’m just teasing her, but her eyes narrow.
Just as I’m about to tell her I’m kidding, I feel a warm arm wrapping around my waist as Branson’s voice fills my ear. He overheard every single word.
PLACING MY arms around Ariana’s waist, I pull her in and nestle my chin on the crook of her neck. She squeals and squirms as my sweat slides onto her skin, but I hold her tighter against me, not letting her go.
“Elope? I like the sound of that,” I say.
“Branson Andrew Wellington! You’ll do no such thing!” Mom exclaims, and I have to choke down my laughter.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m just teasing. But we better start planning. I don’t want a long engagement, so break out those books or Pinterest boards or whatever you have to do to get the ball rolling. I want to be married by Christmas.”
“Christmas?! That’s only a little over three months from now. How do you expect us to put a wedding together by then?” Mom says with a panic.
Looking down at Ariana, I see that her eyes are wide, and I grin at her. “What do you think about something small and intimate?”
She swallows and blinks twice. A slow smile spreads over her face. “Small and intimate sounds nice. As does a Christmas wedding.”
There. It’s set. When she asked me earlier when I wanted to get married, she freaked out, apparently not having intended to say the words out loud. Even though I’d wanted to plan a true proposal, I knew that was the right moment to do it. And in the end, I realized that it was perfect. Simple and intimate—just the way I like it.
“There you go, Mom. We’ll look at a calendar later for a date, but for now, December. Plan away,” I say, knowing full well I should probably talk to my fiancée before giving Mom carte blanche, but I can’t help myself. The thought of flying off to Vegas to marry her is tempting, and even just a three-month wait is going to feel like forever. Now I get why Knox said that eight months was nearly torture.
Mom claps her hands together then takes one of Ari’s, pulling her from my grasp. As she leads her inside, Ariana looks back at me, giving me a glare, to which I respond with a smile. There might be hell to pay later, but it will be so damn worth it.
“Well, that was quite a show. I don’t think Ariana knew what hit her,” Charlie says, walking up beside me. “I should probably get in there to help, but I think I’ll give her a few minutes alone with your mom. After all, I had to go through it. I’m sure, one of these days, Andi will, so Ariana might as well get the Wellington wedding treatment.”
“The Wellington wedding treatment?” I ask, and she just grins with a nod.
“I know you were drunk half the time, but surely you remember your mother barely getting through brunch before dragging me to the living room for her wedding planning sessions?”
I wince at the harshness of her words. “I deserved that.”
She sighs, her expression softening. “No you didn’t, and I shouldn’t have said it.” She steps closer, surprising me when she wraps her arms around me.
I pause, unsure of what to do. Then I slowly place one arm around her and hug her back.
Looking up at me, she smiles. “I’m happy for you. She’s great, and you two are great together. I know I’ve only known you a year, but I’ve never seen you happier than you are right now.”
“She is. And I am. At the risk of sounding like a complete tool, I don’t think I knew happiness before her. At least not true happiness. My whole world’s changed since she came into my life. I don’t think I’d be here right now with my family if it weren’t for her.”
Charlie takes a step back and looks at me perceptively. “I don’t think that’s true. I don’t doubt that Ariana’s played a role in this change in you, but it began with you, Branson. Your parents love you. Your brothers love you. That has nothing to with her and everything to do with you. Don’t disregard your own actions. Before you even brought her around, things were changing with you and the family. They don’t love you any more than they did before just because you’re with her now. It’s just finally easier for you to accept the truth—that your family loves you.”
Letting out a deep breath, I look down at her. “I appreciate that, Charlie. And I know you’re right. I held back, but I was still trying. She just made it easier to believe I deserved it.”
Her smile is warm. “I’m glad.”
“Dude, get your own wife,” Knox growls from behind me.
I spring back, almost pushing Charlie out of my arms, causing her to laugh. He slips his arm around her waist, giving me a grin.
I hold my hands up. “Just a friendly hug, Knox. Promise. My future wife’s inside with Mom.”
“Branson, I was kidding. Calm down.”
Charlie rolls her eyes then wrinkles her nose. “I love you two, but you both smell, so hit the showers. It’s probably time I relieve Ariana from Amelia’s wedding planning.” She leans up and places a kiss on Knox’s lips before heading inside.
He turns and looks at me. “Wedding plans? Did you catch the fever or something?”
I laugh, shrugging my shoulders. “There’s too much wasted time in my past to take things slow with her. She’s it for me and no amount of time dating or having a long engagement is going to change that.”
