Page 112 of Enticing Her Love

“What? That’s the best part of getting a new dress,” Jules said. “Right, Tara?”

Tara blushed a red streak. “Mm-hm.”

“Heck yeah it is,” Leni agreed.

“You’ll have to excuse my girls, Monica,” their mother said.

“They get it from me,” their grandmother said, making them all laugh.

“I guess that’s where I get it from, too,” Indi said. “Sorry, Mom, but I cannot wait to get to the boat and have my husband rip off my dress.”

“The first flaw in your thinking is that Archer will wait that long,” Leni said. “We all know he’s going to drag you into a dark corner of the vineyard or his office in the winery.”

“He totally is,” Sutton said.

“I hope so.” Indi giggled. “And don’t tell me you don’t hope Flynn is going to do the same to you.”

“I plead the Fifth,” Sutton said, and her mind skipped happily down that sexy street.

“Honey, there’s no mistaking the way you two have been looking at each other,” her mother said.

“That man practically salivates every time he looks at you,” Daphne said.

“It’s called passion, dear,” her grandmother said. “It’s no wonder you two went head-to-head for so long. Passionate people can’t turn it off. Their passion carries over from their work and family to all the things they care about.”

“That’s true,” her mother said. “Look at Leni’s protectiveness and Jules’s need to spread happiness like fairy dust.”

“Exactly,” her grandmother said. “And, Sutton, you’ve been passionate about reporting and making a difference since you were a little girl. I think you and Flynn tried to smother the fire in your bellies that was meant for each other with hatred, and it didn’t work, because there was no hate.”

“You know what they say,” Jules chimed in. “There’s a thin line between love and hate. Maybe you’ve loved each other this whole time.”

“No, we definitely did not.” Sutton looked at her grandmother, and although she’d always been private about her intimate life, she wanted to tell the truth. “But I think Gram’s right. All those times we challenged each other, we were stoking the fire, until we couldn’t hold back anymore. But everything has moved so fast. We went from hate to”—love?—“being crazy about each other in the snap of a finger, and now I can’t imagine my life without him. That’s scary.”

“Love is supposed to be scary,” Meredith said. “If it weren’t, we wouldn’t want it as badly as we do.”

“The man came all the way here last night to win you back, Sutton,” Indi reminded her. “That’s the equivalent of Archer showing up at that first brunch with my parents.”

“That was serious weak-knee stuff, sissy,” Jules said.

“I know. I was there.” Sutton looked around at their caring gazes. “So you guys don’t think I’m nuts for feeling this way so fast?”

“I totally think you’re nuts,” Leni said. “You went into the Amazon rainforest with some guy you barely knew. No sane person does that.”

Sutton’s brow furrowed. “So, what are you saying?”

“Honestly? That I’m kind of jealous,” Leni exclaimed. “I’m the brave one, and there’s no freaking way I’d ever do that.”

Everyone laughed.

“Seriously, though, Sut,” Leni said more gently. “I think I know why you haven’t dated in forever. Your heart was tied up in Flynn before either of you knew it.”

Sutton thought so, too.

“But the jury is still out on him,” Leni warned.

“How can you say all that nice stuff and then add that to it?” Daphne asked.

“Because someone has to make the guys think their balls are on the line,” Leni said.