“Actually, you’re right on time. I just decided what we will go with. Right, Cameron?” I winked at the florist, who smiled.
“That’s right. I’ll come out to view the venue and discuss the arrangements tomorrow, if that’s all right with you, Ozzie.”
I could kiss him that he asked me and not Emma.
“That sounds good.”
“What are you doing here?” Emma asked. “You rarely skip work.”
“Since you’re being so helpful, I figured I should also do my part by taking Ozzie shopping for his wedding outfit.”
“But I was going to do that tomorrow.”
“No need. Besides, I don’t have any formal suits in my closet either, so I’ll need to get fitted for one. It makes sense for Ozzie to go with me.”
Emma spread her arms and scowled. “Then what am I supposed to do?”
“There’s still the photographer to hire and lots more to do.”
“Just not the cake!” I said. “I want to decide on that myself.”
“Good. Now that that’s settled, we’ll get going.” Gray placed an arm on my shoulder and steered me toward the door. “We might be a little late getting home this evening, Emma. I’ll ensure we purchase nothing but the best.”
I held in my giggle as we hustled through the door. Gray placed a hand on the center of my back. “Don’t look back,” he whispered. “Just keep walking. She can sense fear.”
A laugh startled out of me, and he slapped a hand over my mouth.
“Hey, if you alert her, you’re the one staying with her.”
I reined in my emotions until we were in Gray’s truck, barreling down Main Street. Only then did I finally give in andburst into a fit of laughter that seemed to come from deep within. Gray looked over at me with twinkling eyes.
“What took you so long?”
“Sorry. I had to make it look natural.” He squeezed my thigh. “You didn’t suffer too much, did you, baby?”
Oh damn. When he called me baby, how could I complain? “It wasn’t that bad. I just forgot how much she liked to take charge. She was like that when Carter and I visited her.”
“She hasn’t changed. The entire time we were together, I tried to tell her she doesn’t have to take on everything, but her brain’s wired to think if she doesn’t, disaster will strike. She’s even more so because it’s Carter’s wedding.”
I scratched an angry red mark on my arm. “We have to come clean soon. I’m breaking out in hives because of all the lies.”
“You said Carter will be here this weekend, right?”
“Yeah.”
“We can hold out until then. He deserves to be the first person we tell about us.”
“I know.” I scooted as close to Gray as possible without interfering with his driving. “If only we could ride off into the sunset and never return.”
Wishful thinking. Stupid at that. Gray loved his ranch and would never leave it. Neither would I want him to. His ranch was in his blood and a part of who he was. He was proud of the land under his care and the animals he tended to.
“How are you going to handle things tomorrow?”
“I’m all set for that. I’m watching Hudson’s daughter, so a perfectly good excuse for not being able to traipse all over town with her.”
“Good thinking. I love a smarty pants.”
I preened like a damn peacock. “To be fair, it’s all a coincidence. What are we going to do? Emma expects us to return with our wedding suits.”
