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“To me too,” I admit, then wish I could take back the words.
Her eyes widen, then her lips part and spread into a wide grin. “Oh fuck, did he pull a Barnett on you?” she asks.
“A Barnett?”
“You don’t know about the Barnett family legacy?”
“I know the Barnetts. I’m going to be working for Betty in her new studio.”
“Oh, awesome, are you a tattoo artist?” Tori asks.
“No, I specialize in social media marketing, and I like to work the front desk.”
“Oh wow. Do you do freelance stuff? Because I’d love to talk to you about maybe helping with the patisseries online presence,” she asks.
“I actually do have a few small businesses that I work with,” I admit. “Depending on what you were looking for, I might be able to help,” I say with a shrug.
“Oh, this is awesome. Come sit down, I’m sure the guys will be up in a minute.” Bounding across the small room, Tori drops down into a large plush sectional, then pats the seat beside her.
Tentatively sitting next to her, I glance toward the door, wishing Oz was here, then feeling like a pathetic idiot for being so freaking needy.
“Holy shit, y’all really did get married, didn’t you?” Tori shrieks, grabbing my hand and tilting it from side to side, admiring the stunning rings on my finger.
“Yesterday,” I say quietly, “it wasn’t exactly…planned.”
“How long have you been dating? Why haven’t we met you until now?” Tori asks excitedly.
“Erm. Well, probably because we weren’t dating.”
“Oh shit, I got distracted and never explained the Barnett thing, did I?” She laughs. “So obviously you know Betty, have you met the rest of them?”
“I went to dinner on Monday night.”
“Did they tell you how they all met?” she asks.
“No, I don’t remember anyone mentioning anything.”
“Oh, you’d remember if they told you. Okay, so it all started with the guys’ parents. Apparently, their dad met their mom, and the moment he saw her, he knew she was his. They got married right away and had seven boys. Beau and Bonnie had been neighbors their whole lives, but Beau is like twice her age, and then one day he saw her at work and started…if I call it stalking, it sounds really bad, but that’s basically what it was. So…anyway, he felt like he had this crazy protective urge, and one day he realized that it was because she was his, and he’d been incapable of leaving her alone because she was his woman. After they got together, one by one, the guys all started meeting their future wives, and all seven of them agree that the moment they saw their women, they knew right in that instant that she was the one they’d been waiting for. None of them had ever been interested in getting married or settling down until they met their woman, but once they did, they were like bulls chasing a red flag. Love at first sight, caveman, you’re mine, crazy.”
My mouth falls open as I listen to her explain basically what happened to me and Oz. Only neither of us are Barnetts, and love at first sight isn’t real.
“That’s crazy,” I whisper.
“Right?” She laughs. “Only they truly believe it. And now that all seven of them are wifed up, they think the family legacy shifted onto the smoke jumpers.”
“What?” I gasp.
“Nero’s brother Buck was the first. He met my bestie James, and he says he knew right from the moment he first saw her that she was his. Nero really, really hated me when we first met, but he said he still felt this crazy connection between us.”
“Love at first sight is only real in fairy tales,” I say.
“And Rockhead Point,” she says with a shrug. “How long did you say you and Oz were dating for before you got married?” Arching her eyebrow in challenge, she smirks.
“We weren’t. But we met nearly eighteen years ago.”
“And you’re his stepsister?” she asks cautiously.
“Not really. Our parents are married, but we’ve never considered each other siblings. We don’t…” I trail off, unsure how much I should say.
