“I’ve seen Bridesmaids and Girls Trip. You’re just as wild.”
She glared. He smiled back.
Aspen cleared her throat. “Well, that was fascinating but we have news. There will be no need for a bachelor or bachelorette party so you can stop fighting. Which was…a little weird? Not gonna lie.”
Sierra waved her hand in the air. “Sorry, it’s been a weird week. I’ll behave.”
“Please, don’t,” Kane murmured. “It’s nice to see you less in control.”
Brick lifted his brow. “You two have to play nice. Because we’re moving up the wedding.”
Sierra blinked. “Faster than next summer?”
Aspen gave a squeal. “Yes. It’s going to be this summer! We don’t want to wait. It’s ridiculous to plan for a year when we want things simple and fun.”
“That’s awesome,” Kane said. “Why wait when you know?”
“Exactly,” Brick said with satisfaction. “We want the ceremony on the beach where the sea turtles hatched. Then we’re throwing a party at the Sunfish Bar and Grill for anyone who wants to come.”
“Anyone?” Sierra squeaked. “You won’t be able to keep track of the food or liquor needed. There won’t be enough seating. Dresses can take months to order, Aspen. There are a million details that we need time to plan!”
“Not much to plan if they already have the date and place,” Kane said, obviously trying to back their decision.
She was trying not to freak out but the time pressure was too much. Sierra imagined a leisurely year of bonding with her sister, poring over choices and details, and creating the perfect wedding. Once, Aspen had walked down the aisle and found her fiancé had run off with another woman, leaving her stranded and alone. Sierra figured this was the perfect way to wipe out the memory. Create the perfect wedding with the right person. Rushing things could be sloppy and Sierra wanted so much for her sister.
Aspen’s voice was both forceful and soft. “Sierra?”
“Yeah?”
“This is what I want.” Her eyes filled with emotion and she reached across the table to snag her hand. “I had the big, planned event before, and I hated every moment. It wasn’t my dream. It was his. But this time? I want it as joyous and free as I feel when I’m with Brick. I don’t want to wait or follow the rules. Does that make sense?”
Her anxiety drained away. She looked at her beloved sister and managed a nod. This wasn’t about her. It was about Aspen, and damned if she’d take hostage an event that came from the heart and wasn’t hers to choose. “Yeah. It does.”
No more words were needed. Sierra cleared her throat and regrouped. The server came back to take their orders, and she settled back in with a new focus. “Okay, the Sunfish it is. Are you doing August or September?”
“Definitely early September so the tourists are gone,” Aspen said.
Brick grinned. “Funny how you used to be a tourist and now you’re thinking like a local.”
“My city sister has gone Southern,” Sierra said, joining in on the teasing. “Maybe you can finally learn how to make sweet tea?”
Aspen wrinkled her nose. “I tried. It bombed.”
“She tried it out on me,” Kane said. “Wanted to make sure it was drinkable before serving to Brick.”
“I thought it was good!” Aspen burst out.
Kane shook his head gravely. “It was a crime. Rotted my teeth away.”
Sierra giggled at her sister’s outraged expression. “She thinks the more sugar the sweeter the tea will be. For a writer, she’s extremely literal in the kitchen.”
“Did she tell you on one of our dates she pretended to cook for me but ordered all the food from North Banks?”
Aspen threw her hands up. “I didn’t get the cooking gene, okay? There can only be one great chef in the family, anyway.”
“You like to cook?” Kane asked, swiveling his gaze toward hers.
She tried to be casual, but every time the man focused on her she was thrown off. “Yeah. I find it relaxing.”
