Page 66 of You Met Me There

“Just out by the lake,” she replies over her shoulder, stirring the noodles as they soften in the boiling water. “I was thinking on the dock if the weather is good.”

I envision a scene in my head of the boys standing with Cam and Jules at the end of the dock, the water lapping gently as the wind blows the trees.

“Let me check the weather for the week. Hold on.” I grab my phone from my back pocket and scroll to the weather app. “Looks like Wednesday is nice. The afternoon will be pretty cloudy, which is actually great for photos because the sun doesn’t cast shadows. And if it ends up being sunny anyway, the sun will be behind the lake in the evening, which is also ideal.”

“Okay, Wednesday evening it is. I’ll tell Cam.”

“Make sure he comes with a big smile.”

“Oh, I will. If he doesn’t cooperate, I’m pushing him in the lake.” She grins back at me.

Mom and Dad finally step into the kitchen with my brother and his girlfriend. Tyler places the charcuterie board on the counter and gives Juliet a hug. Sandra hugs her next.

Cam opens the sliding glass door from the back porch. “Tyler!” he booms. “How’s it going, man? I’m glad you could make it.”

“Hey, Cam.” Tyler and Cam hug, slapping each other on the back. When he pulls away, Tyler has a frown on his face. “Wait a second. We’re missing someone, aren’t we?” He looks around, confused.

When his eyes meet mine across the room, he points at me. “I heard my baby sister got married!” He’s so loud. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone on a boat in the middle of the lake could hear him.

I hold up my left hand, my rings shining on my finger. “Going on eight years soon.”

“Eight years?!” His eyes practically fall out of his head.

Cam bumps Tyler’s chest with the back of his hand. “She’s been married almost the same amount of time you’ve been dating Sandra.”

Behind me, someone says, “Better put a ring on it, man. She won’t wait forever.” I turn toward the female voice that said that.

It was Sandra. She raises a brow and smirks. I like this girl a lot.

“You know I love you,” Tyler says to Sandra, walking to her and grabbing her hand. They follow Cam out to the grill, closing the glass door behind them.

Ten seconds later, Tyler pokes his head back in. “Really though, where is this husband I’ve been told about? I heard he’s a stud.”

Mom makes a choking sound. “Tyler. Be polite.”

“What? That’s a compliment.”

“He’ll be here soon,” I say, grinning at my brother. “His flight got canceled yesterday, and the next flight here wasn’t until this afternoon. He should be here before dinner’s ready.”

“He better be. I didn’t drive all this way just to see you,” he teases. I throw a grape at him. He catches it in his mouth, smiles wickedly, and slides the door closed.

I gape at Mom, laughing. “He didn’t grow up at all, did he?”

Dad replies first. “He loves attention, and he doesn’t take anything too seriously.”

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Mom mumbles.

I sit at the counter. “What do you mean?”

Dad takes the seat beside me, and I slide the bowl of grapes closer to him. “Tyler is a very hard worker, great at his job, but he still acts like a kid in a lot of ways. Sandra wasn’t completely joking when she said she wouldn’t wait forever.”

“They’ve really been dating for almost eight years?” I ask

“They broke up once,” Juliet announces from her spot at the stove. “But besides that, yes.”

“Why hasn’t he proposed yet?” I ask them.

Mom shrugs. “I don’t know if he’s ready for the commitment yet.”