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Turner was the one that cut the invisible line between us. He reached into his coat pocket and placed the ring on the pastor’s palm. Macie did the same.

The whole ceremony went by quicker than I’d expected it too. Neither Camden or Keegan were super religious, so they’d chosen to cut out a lot of the stuff you’d find in a more traditional wedding. They exchanged the rings, said vows they’d written for each other, kissed and then that was it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Camden Brooks.”

There was some cheering and whooping in the audience. I was ready to get out of there and get some fresh air. I was certain the damn air conditioning was broken. The happy couple strode out of the church hand in hand while the rest of us filed out in couples. Thankfully, Macie was paired with Turner, and I walked with Dodger. He was eyeing her up and down as we made our way to the foyer where we’d greet everyone. I knew they used to be a couple, but I didn’t know how long they’d been together or how serious it’d been.

“It’s a good ass, isn’t it?” I spoke out randomly.

He looked down at me. “Excuse me?”

“Well, I just noticed you checking out Macie, so I was making a remark about how great her ass was.” I wasn’t one to try and embarrass people but I got the impression, he was the type that could take it.

He smirked, seeming shocked by my straightforwardness. I could see why the girls were so attracted to him—baby blue eyes, and that quirky crooked smile would melt the socks off of anyone. “Busted. Yeah, it’s a mighty fine ass.”

I giggled. At least it lightened the mood both he and I seemed to be in. “Sorry, just giving you a hard time.”

He nudged me with his elbow that I was holding on to. “Eh, no worries.”

We both stopped as soon as we got into the foyer and met up with Camden, Keegan, Turner, and Macie. Turner was glaring at his brother, his eyes shooting to where I was still holding on.

“Uh oh.” He leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Might want to release me soon or I may have to roll around and throw a few punches with my big brother over there. Somebody looks jealous.”

My eyes flew to Turner. Sure enough, his jaw was ticking and he was holding himself back. “I’m not scared, are you?” I had no clue why I was testing him, but I didn’t actually think that Turner’s current expression was just because I was touching someone else. Someone that was his freaking brother!

“If you’re trying to see who the strongest brother is, I can tell you that without coming to blows. Turner can hold his own. I battled it out with him one time when he was in high school, and I’d accidentally kissed a random chick in front of the locker rooms. Apparently, he’d told her to wait for him while he showered after practice, and I caught her eye.” He shrugged. “How was I supposed to know he was interested?”

I giggled. “Okay, okay . . . you can have your arm back.” I released him. “Just trying to figure him out is all.”

“Good luck with that. Most girls try and fail.”

What was it with these boys comparing me to most girls? I knew Dodger didn’t mean anything by it, so I let it go. I simply responded with, “Well, unlike most girls, I’m not interested. I’m just trying to figure out his game.”

He chuckled. “Again, good luck.”

I decided to drop it. The congregation moved out of the church and everyone filed into their vehicles to head to the Brooks’ residence. The reception was set up to take place in their expansive backyard, and no doubt was it decorated immaculately. I managed to remain unscathed and not be spoken to again by Turner during the wedding photos. I’d briefly bumped into him during one shot, to which my eyes shot to his and quickly moved away. I felt that pulling towards him even in that short moment, and I refused to be sucked in again. Most of the wedding party climbed into two
different limousines to head to the party, but I decided to drive myself. Keegan understood my need to have that little bit of control and thankfully she didn’t mind. I likely wasn’t going to stay that late because I had an early morning shift anyway.

Arriving at the house, the guests were greeted with white twinkle lights strung up in the birch trees and hanging lanterns in the willow trees. The backyard had a large tent and music was playing from speakers placed throughout the property. The DJ was busy keeping the guests entertained and the wedding party was lining up to be introduced to enter. When we all got inside and to our designated spots at the head table, Camden and Keegan immediately went into their first dance together. “When You Got a Good Thing” by Lady Antebellum was what Keegan chose. It was beautiful and absolutely fitting for them. They did all the traditional things that go on during a wedding—cutting the cake, mother and son dance, Keegan danced with Paul Brooks. He’d been more of a father to her than she could have asked for.

Standing at the bar, I had my elbows resting on the bar asking the bartender for a bottle of water when a deep voice that caused my the butterflies in my tummy to flutter up said, “May I have the next dance?”

Spinning around, Turner was a little too close for comfort. His electric blue eyes were level with mine and my heart galloped in my chest. The scent of his cologne and mint on his breath blew across my face as he gave me the most glorious smile I’d ever seen. Turner had one of his arms leaning against the bar, and it trapped me where I stood. Never mind the draw, that line that pulled me in would have kept my feet planted in their spot.

“Uh, what?” Genius response.

Why was he piercing me with those damn eyes? “I said, may I have the next dance?”

Heat crept up my cheeks and I was tempted to look down. Instead I held his eyes and said, “I don’t really dance.”

“Oh now, Annabelle, we both know that’s a lie. I’ve seen you dance.”

Okay yeah, definitely blushing now. “That was a rare occasion.”

He bent down and spoke into my ear, “Make it another one.”

I swallowed hard. Feeling tingly all over, I shook my head. He was crazy if he thought I was going to dance with him. If I was reacting to him like this and he wasn’t even touching me, I could only imagine how I would be if he
were.

“Oh come on, Belle, give my big brother a chance.” Wrigley sidled up to Turner, with an identical smirk.

“You heard the kid.”

My eyes bounced back and forth between them. “Why do I feel like I’m being ganged up on?”

“‘Cause you are,” Turner replied.

“I don’t dance.”

“How about a date?”

“Yeah, how about a date?” Wrigley repeated as if he were asking for himself.

I giggled. This conversation was ridiculous. “Who’s asking?”

“Me.”

“Me.” Turner chimed in right after Wrigley. He glared at his brother and elbowed him in the ribs. Wrigley exhaled loudly with an “ooof.”

“Didn’t you ask me out on a date just a couple months ago?” I taunted for fun.

“Yes, ma’am. But I’m fairly certain you hit your head, not twisted your ankle.”

I bit the inside of my lip to hide my smile. Why was he so charming? “Definitely didn’t bump my head. My poor ankle took weeks to heal.”

Shiny white teeth glistened in the lights as he flashed me a brilliant grin. “What do you say, Annabelle?”

Just before I was going to answer, Camden and Keegan strolled up hand in hand. They were glowing from happiness. Camden was laughing hard at something Keegan had told him.

“Hey you two, what’s the happy couple going on about?” Wrigley asked.

Turner was drilling a whole in the side of my face with his stare. I was going to make him stew a bit longer. Plus I was interested in what these two love birds were about to say.

“Did you see who snuck into the pool house, drunk as a bunch of skunks?” Keegan asked.

“Nope.”

“Dodger and Macie. Those two better put away some of Mom’s breakables. I have a feeling between how drunk they are, and all that aggression those two have been taking out on each other, some things may get broken.” Camden laughed.

“Oh geez,” Turner said.

“He loves her,” I announced out of the blue.

They all turned in my direction. My eyes got big and I raised my hands in the air. “What? I’m just saying.”

Keegan stepped beside me, unable to remove her permanent smile. “Oh that boy has loved her since the day we walked into Camden’s apartment. But both have a stubborn streak a mile long. They will fight their feelings ‘til one of them breaks. That much we all know. Maybe the alcohol, just for tonight, is what they need.”

“Or a good orgasm or two.” Wrigley twitched his eyebrows.

Camden slapped the back of his head. “Do girls actually
like
you?”

“They flock to me,” he said, fixing his hair.

“Right,” Camden retorted.

Stepping back into my little bubble, Turner asked me again, “So about that date.”

I gulped and glanced around. All eyes were on me. Keegan and Camden appeared curious as to what they missed. “Can we talk about this privately, please?” I tried to say under my breath.

“Nope.”

I wanted to glare, but Wrigley jumped in again with his unwanted commentary. “Would you please put my big, pathetic brother out of his misery and just go on a date with him?”

Ever have one of those times in your life where you felt like the world just pauses and waits for you to figure out what in the hell is going on? I was in one right now. A date sounded nice, it really did. I haven’t been on one in a couple of years. In fact, the last one I went on was my first year in college and I was pretty certain the guy wasn’t very interested in girls. Probably why I said yes in the first place. He was safe. Turner makes me nervous. He’s the furthest thing from conventional. Let’s not forget he has been with half the hospital staff.

Besides the music playing around us, you could probably hear a pin drop waiting for me to answer. No pressure. Looking into his sparkling blue eyes, something in my gut said to take a leap. I may be scared, but I had a feeling Turner wouldn’t do something that would make me uncomfortable.

“Okay.”

His smile dropped a little. “Yeah?”

Did he really think I’d refuse?

“Yes.”

That smile came back in full force. “I’ll pick you up next Saturday at five.”

Whoa, he wasn’t giving me much time to realize what I’d just done. “Where are you taking me?”

Everyone who was standing around us scattered. Apparently they felt the need to give us privacy now. His face changed from happy to devious and troublesome.

“Don’t worry about it. But you’ll want to wear jeans and a tank top or something with short sleeves.”

Crap. “Okay, I can do that.”

He tapped his hand on the bar, and took a drink that had been sitting beside me. It looked like a whiskey and coke. “Thanks, buddy,” he said to the bartender over my shoulder. “See you next week.” He winked and walked away like he just won the lottery.

I looked around me wondering if anybody saw the exchange that just took place. Scrubbing a hand down my face, I sighed. Why did I have a feeling I just agreed to something that would make me question my sanity? Something in my peripheral caught eye. Turning towards the pool house, Macie came walking out, adjusting her dress and smoothing her hair back. She looked like she was thoroughly satisfied. What that must feel like . . . It’d been a long time since I’d had that. But I’ll say this right now, Turner Brooks isn’t getting that from me. No flipping way. I don’t care how attractive he was, or how much he could smooth talk. If he thought this date was going to end in me moaning his name, he was going to be going home very disappointed.

“A PATIENT WAS JUST BROUGHT
into room 213. She’s eight centimeters, and seems to be moving along quickly.” One of the nurses was informing me of the patients on the floor. She was getting off shift as I was coming on.

“Okay. She the only one we got right now?”

“We just had a delivery in 215 but, I’ll to wheel her into recovery before I leave. And about the momma in 213, she’s an addict. We tried to stop the labor because she’s only thirty-three weeks along, but it didn’t work. We’re still waiting on toxicology to come back with everything she’s taken, but she’s not in good shape. Angry and belligerent. So be careful when you go in there. We’ve considered restraining her.”