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“Yeah, but not like you do it … they do it differently.”
“Differently?” both James and I chimed in at once and chuckled.
“Uh huh,” Brynn replied, folding her arms and scowling at her parents since she’d sensed she’d captured all of our attention.
“I’m almost scared to ask,” Sawyer chuckled, and Billie raised a brow in question. “All right, I’ll bite, how do we do it differently from Uncle James and Auntie Tricia?”
“You do it lying down, you on top of Mom, Mom on top of you, side to side, all ways. They only do it standing up,” she added, cocking her thumb at James and me. Both James and Sawyer burst out laughing, while Billie’s face turned red and I bit back a grin.
“That’s true,” I agreed with a straight face and our husbands cracked up again.
“Maybe they haven’t learned to do it standing up,” James offered, barely containing his laugh.
“Hm, no I’ve seen them do it that way too … and sitting on a table, and on the counter.”
“Doing what?” Colby asked, as he came over and joined the conversation.
“Kissing. I was explaining that they,” she said, wagging her finger between James and me, “only kiss standing up. Mom and Dad, do it lying down—a lot … and they don’t wear clothes that much when they do it either,” she added.
“That’s because they’re probably doing it when they have sex,” Colby told her nonchalantly and walked away, leaving us all with the bombshell he’d dropped. Looking over his shoulder, he smirked and Sawyer chuckled.
“Right Sawyer, can you ask Hammer to go check with Harriett what time we’re sitting down to eat? The photographer’s waiting and we’re holding everything up,” Billie asked with a bright red face, looking flustered as she led Brynn away.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sawyer had made way for Josh as James’ best man, because Josh and James had been through thick and thin together since they’d been six years old. It had been Sawyer’s idea, because he had already performed a key role by singing for us. He made James chuckle when he’d said the guests would remember his performance long after anything Josh had had to say.
Harriett had done an amazing job of putting everything together and the simple light lunch of chicken, pasta, and sushi dishes had been the perfect choice for us. A three-tiered cake—in ivory and lilac with gold leaf—was made by their family chef at home, and if I’d had a choice I couldn’t have chosen better.
For James and me, the day wasn’t about the food, drink, cakes, songs, or toasts. It was about us finally being husband and wife. We had plans to make and after he’d made the concession of the prenup agreement, I felt happy to make the compromise of working from home independently. James suggested I join the firm, and I told him I’d think about it.
I had considered the responsibility that went with being a wife of a CEO-in-waiting for a huge financial and property corporation such as the one James’ father headed, but felt confident I’d be a key person in place to support my husband when the time came for him to take over.
As the waitstaff cleared the dessert dishes away, Josh rose to his feet and banged a clean dessert spoon on his glass to get everyone’s attention. My eyes scanned the room and I reminded myself I’d married into a remarkable family.
Several times during the luncheon I caught Tammy watching James and I carefully. My first thought was she had been waiting for me to slip up, to say or do something that would justify her initial opinion of me. Pushing past those thoughts, I reminded myself of what Billie and Harriett had advised—to give her time. I figured I could do that since she lived in Arizona, and I could probably afford her all the time she needed as long as she stayed there.
“What are you smiling about?” James asked and I shook my head, realizing my last thought had turned into a feeling.
“I’m your wife … there’s every reason to smile.”
“Wow, I like that answer. You’ve been taking lessons from me,” he replied, chuckling, until Josh called us all to attention.
“Let me start first by saying I’d have preferred a much larger audience for my first outing as best man.”
“And your last,” Sawyer heckled Josh by commenting to James, “none of my brother’s other friends are charming enough to fool anyone into marrying them.” The family chuckled and it was clear Josh’s longstanding relationship with James was a familiar and a much valued one.
“When James asked me to be his best man,” he winked toward Sawyer like he had been the loser, “I guess he was thinking about the wedding photographs because I look better than little Sawyer, so it was his strategic move to place his baby brother on the end. This way he can easily be cut out the pictures with the excuse the photograph wouldn’t fit in the frame.” Everyone chuckled. “Seriously though, it’s no secret to any of us that growing up, James and Sawyer haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I’m glad to say that nowadays they’ve never been closer. This warms my heart because it will mean extra party invites for me.”
The family chuckled again, and James smirked in Sawyer’s direction.
Sawyer shook his head with a smile on his face and muttered, “Always freeloading.”
Josh chuckled. “Just keeping things real,” he mumbled, and took a quick swig of his champagne to hide his smile. Placing his glass down, his face sobered and he gestured toward me. “Seeing James with this beautiful woman, his wife …” Everyone cheered loudly and banged on their tables. James and I grinned at one another before James laced his fingers in mine, lifted our hands, and brushed my knuckles against his lips. “… brings a couple of questions to mind. The first one being, exactly how drunk did he have to get Tricia before she said yes to marrying him? And secondly, where am I going to find a new good-looking wingman with the same wit and charm to replace James at my age?” The family roared with laughter.
For a moment James and Josh shared a look that said they’d had a lot of fun together, but Josh referring to James’ history as a playboy hadn’t annoyed me. James’ past, no matter how debauched, couldn’t have even begun to match the hurt knowing mine could have caused James.
“It’s no secret James and I were a hit with the ladies back in the day … that was mainly because he was with me, by the way. However, I’ve been strongly advised, mainly by James, to tone things down because it’s his wedding day, and I’ve been reminded that there are children present.” James’ dad and mine both laughed heartily. “I think this directive was borne mainly out of fear his marriage may well be annulled before it gets off the ground if I stray from the agreed script James kindly wrote for me.” Ronald slapped his hand on the table and guffawed loudly.
