Her willingness to go to battle with me has my dick twitching behind my zipper each time she sends a witty retort my way. Or right now, for example, when we lock eyes from across the bar and she sends me a wink before turning back to listen to whatever Carson is talking about. Yeah, she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
Scar won the three of them over within a matter of minutes, not that she needed to earn their approval. But seeing her so easily interact with three of my closest friends has me smiling to myself like a fool.
“Look at you,” Jax says, slapping me on the shoulder before sidling up next to me at the bar as I wait for our second round of drinks. “You’re looking at Scarlett like she hung the moon.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing, considering she’s about to become my wife.”
Fuck, I think I like the sound of that far too much for someone who hadn’t really thought about marriage up until a few days ago.
“And how did that come about so quickly?” he asks, curiosity shiningin his eyes.
“Why are you asking?”
“I’m happy for you, big bro, I really am. I just can’t help but wonder if there’s more to the story than you’re letting on. I mean, when we got drinks about a month ago, you had just left her house after your first lesson with Gemma and you swore up and down things were platonic—that you were just doing her a favor. Now I hear you’ve been together since the family skate, but I thought she basically told you to go to hell after that.”
“So?” I ask in a tone that borders on defensive.
“So, do you love her?”
My shoulders stiffen at his question. “People don’t always marry for love, J. You and I know that better than anyone,” I tell him.
“And that’s exactly where my concern lies,” he says, shaking his head. “Look, Scarlett seems like an amazing woman. I think she’d be a great match for you—she’d keep you on your toes and I doubt she’d let you get away with your typical moody bullshit. But you’re right, you and I know better than anyone what happens in a loveless marriage. And it’s not just the two of you from what you’ve told me, you’ve got to consider Gemma and Gunner as well,” he points out and I’m not mad at him for it. Jackson’s concerns are coming from a good place, and I’m glad that he’s not just looking out for me, but the three people about to become my family as well.
He’s my brother, and I’m not going to lie to him, but I also made a promise to Scarlett not to tell secrets that aren’t mine to share. “I can’t really share all of the details of our engagement, but the way I look at it, I’m getting another shot with the one woman who’s knocked me on my ass and left me wanting more. Trust me, I didn’t go into this without thinking about Gemma and Gunner. I’d like to be there for them in whatever capacity Scar is okay with, even if that’s just being another role model to them.”
And I mean that. Even if our agreement has an end date, I’ll still treat them as my family every step of the way, and after if she’ll let me. In the short amount of time I’ve spent around them, they’ve already taken up residence in my heart, just like their older sister.
Jax looks down and plays with the peel of his beer bottle, seemingly lost in thought. When he looks up, he holds my stare as he says, “I can’t think of a better role model for any kid to have than you, B. Hell, you’ve been the best big brother and role model to me and Walker our whole lives so you’ve had plenty of practice.”
The sincerity shining in his eyes has me clearing the emotion clogging my throat. “Thanks, Jax. That means a lot.”
He brings me in for a hug, and once he’s pulled away, he does what he does best—he completely ruins the sentimental moment between us with a snarky remark. “I can’t wait to see what the ladies think of Daddy Bennett.”
“Oh, I do like the sound of that,” Scarlett hums in approval from where she stands behind us.
After I’ve given Jax a shove for his comment, I turn my attention to Scarlett to find her biting her bottom lip, her cheeks flushed.
“Do you?” I ask, trying to mask the humor in my tone because I think my fiancée may be slightly buzzed from only one drink.
“Yep. And here I thought I’d come see what was taking so long with my drink, but I wasn’t expecting to come over here and hear you talking about how many babies you were planning to knock me up with.” She punctuates her statement with a bop to my nose.
Okay so maybe a little more than slightly. “Jesus, I didn’t realize I was marrying such a lightweight.”
“Buckle up, Benny Boy, you’ve got so much to learn,” she singsongs.
“Ah, hell, the two of you are adorable. She calls you Benny Boy and you call her Little Red,” Jax points out, shaking his head. “I can’t wait to add that into my best man speech. You’re turning my brother into a simp. He might even give Griff and Carsey a run for their money soon,” he tells Scarlett.
“Who said you were the best man?” I toss back.
“If you choose Griff over me, I’ll never forgive you,” Jax warns.
“No, I think maybe I’ll ask Griff to get ordained as payback for him having me officiate their wedding.”
“When is the big day?” Jax asks.
“We haven’t gotten that far in the planning yet. We should probably tell our families before we set a date,” Scarlett explains.
“Yeah, that makes sense. Which reminds me, I forgot to ask, what does your grandfather think of all this?”
