Madison laughs. “Don’t mention that to the guys because Ifearthey’ll be all for it.”
The guys wander over to see what the big fuss is about. Probably because they heard us having fun and they get cranky when they’re not in on anything we’re doing.
I hold up the little blue box and beam at Callum. “I’m going to be Madi’s bridesmaid.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Callum asks Hayden, clearly not understanding how surprises work.
Hayden crosses his arms. “It’s my personal business.”
We all burst out laughing, because of course he thinks anything involving Madison is his sacred territory.
Tristan smirks. “He wants a wedding because he knows she’s going to wake up one day and realize he’s an absolute psycho.”
Hayden doesn’t miss a beat. “She already knows that.” His expression is completely serious, and it only makes us laugh harder.
Callum throws an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, man. If you have a daughter, Lilac and I will have a son so we can be in-laws.”
Hayden’s face twists in what can only be described as horror. “I will fight you in the street if your hypothetical kid so much aslooksat my hypothetical daughter.”
Callum grins like he’s enjoying himself way too much. “He’s probably going to be just like me, and your daughter is going to look just like Mads. So he’ll probably be obsessed with her and kill a bunch of guys for asking her out.”
Hayden is screaming so many expletives that are strung together, I can’t even make them all out as he takes off after my man.
Callum yelps and bolts, and the two of them are suddenly sprinting around the lake like idiots while the rest of us double over laughing.
We hear Hayden’s voice echoing across the pond. “No one is asking my daughter out on a date! Not until she’s at least fifty…or I’m dead…and even then I don’t like it!”
Callum, still running, yells back, “He’ll probably scale the side of your house while you’re cuddling with Mads and spend the night in your daughter’s room without you even knowing!”
Hayden gains on him, probably fueled by pure rage at this point.
“STOP SAYING MADS!” Hayden screams.
Callum just cackles like a maniac as he rounds the pond, locking eyes with me as he blows a kiss. I grin, shaking my head at him.
He’s completely ridiculous. And I love him more than anything in this whole world.
Tristan watches them with a flat expression. “I hope they drown each other.”
Winter laughs. “They’re your only friends, you need to be nice to them.”
Tristan scrunches his nose like the concept personally offends him. “You’re my friend. They exist around me.”
Madison smirks. “I think that’s fair, considering you don’t acknowledge that most people exist.”
Tristan raises his glass in salute to her, like she just said the most profound thing he’s ever heard, then casually wanders off toward the grill. He flips the burgers like nothing in the world could possibly rattle him. Not screaming, not sprinting grown men, not hypothetical marriages between future offspring.
I wrap my arms around Madison and Winter, pulling them close as we all watch Callum take a running leap straight into the pond with a dramatic splash.
Hayden follows seconds later, still yelling, “Come back here and fight me!” like the man’s going to wrestle him underwater or something.
“Think they’ll ever grow up?” Madison asks, laughing as she leans into me.
“Absolutely not,” Winter replies dryly. “I think in twenty years they’ll be having this same fight and Tristan will still be insisting that he’s not associated with them.”
I let go of the huddle, walking over to the picnic table and grabbing our cups. I hand one to each of them, then lift mine toward the sun.
“May we be that lucky.”
