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“Way to look out, little sis,” I praise her. Her eyes widen at my name for her, but no one comments.
Rodney hands me an order of fried pickles, and I hand them to Courtney.
“Oh!” She immediately grabs one and pops it into her mouth. “So good,” she mumbles.
Rodney and I get the food passed out, and we all dig in. I cut the sandwich in half, and Courtney wastes no time picking up her half and taking a hefty bite. “Best decision ever.” She leans over and kisses my cheek. “Thanks, Mer.”
“Hey, it was Chloe’s idea that we all get together.”
“But this—” Chloe holds up her fried pickle bite. “—was all you, and it’s perfect. We should make this a tradition for our group date nights.”
Courtney stiffens next to me.
“Consider it done,” I reply, popping a fry in my mouth. I lean my shoulder into hers, and she turns to smile at me. I wink at her, and she finally relaxes.
Conversation flows from wedding plans to jobs, and houses. Chloe and Rodney are looking to buy a house in Atlanta and move out of their apartment.
“Dessert time?” Rodney asks.
“Yes, but no.” Chloe laughs. “Give me a few to let all of that settle.”
“What? We ate way more than the two of you,” I tell her.
“Dessert is happening,” Chloe assures me. “I just need a breather.”
“Me too. I should have worn gym shorts. It’s indecent to unbutton these,” Courtney says, tapping her flat belly.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her I’ll take her to my truck and help her out with that problem, but I bite my tongue. If it were just the two of us, I wouldn’t have held back. I like to see her cheeks turn pink when I shock her with my words.
“Did you all ever get your engagement pictures?” Courtney asks them.
“Meh.” Chloe waves her hand in the air. “We never got around to it. Besides, it’s not necessary to have a giant wedding.”
“Why don’t we go to the sunflower field, and I’ll take a few with my phone? It has a great camera,” Courtney suggests.
Chloe looks up at Rodney.
“Anything you want, baby.”
“Good man.” She laughs, kissing his jaw. “Let’s do it,” Chloe tells her sister.
Tossing our trash, we stroll toward the sunflower field to take some pictures. Courtney could give Palmer and Scarlett a run for their money the way she’s instructing them to pose. When she’s done, she smiles down at her phone.
“Give me that. Now I’ll take a few of the two of you,” I offer.
Her eyes light up. “Thank you.” She pops a kiss on my cheek, thrusts her phone into my hands, and goes to stand next to Chloe. Rodney starts calling out orders for silly and ridiculous poses, but the ladies execute every single one of them while the four of us laugh at their antics.
“Gimme.” Chloe reaches for Courtney’s phone, and I look at my girl. She nods, so I hand it over. “Now get over there.” Chloe points for me to join Courtney, and I do as I’m told. I move to stand behind her, wrapping her in my arms.
As expected, both Chloe and Rodney call out poses, and we do every single one they demand of us, the silly, the sexy, and the sweet. By the time our photoshoot is over, we’re all ready for dessert. This time, it’s the ladies who tell us to sit, and luckily, our same table is still free, so we do.
They come back with funnel cakes, deep-fried Oreos, and fried ice cream. We eat, talk, and laugh, and enjoy hanging out. Chloe and Rodney are easy to be around. The sisters are very similar in personality. They’re both laid-back and don’t take themselves too seriously. At least Courtney doesn’t when she’s with her little sister. I’ve seen glimpses of this Courtney when it’s just the two of us, but not like this. She’s open and unguarded, and I’m glad that being here with her helps with that. The pressure of not being the third wheel and all that.
As the sky grows dark, we make plans to get together again soon and say our goodbyes. I open the truck door for Courtney, and she starts to climb in but turns at the last second and wraps her arms around me. Dropping my hand from the door, I return her embrace.
“Thank you, Merrick. Today was the best day.”
I kiss the top of her head. “It was,” I agree with her. I hold her for a few more seconds and reluctantly let go of her so she can climb up in my truck.
