Chapter 70
SEVENTY
“Are you ready to go?” Cane kisses me quickly as he walks by. His hair is still damp from the shower. He smells so fresh and clean, yet the musky scent that is Cane is still here. It’s my favorite scent of all.
He’s walking around the room in a pair of jeans and a blue button-up shirt, sleeves rolled to mid-forearm. His sunglasses are tucked inside the top, and he seems a bit flustered. He’s tossing his remaining belongings in his open suitcase and stops, scratching his head.
“I am. But I have to admit, I hate we have to go home so soon.”
I pick up my bag and toss my brush inside, scanning the room to ensure I didn’t forget anything.
“Who said we’re going home?” He turns to look at me and smirks.
“Well, you did.”
“No, I said we have to leave. Our flight leaves in two hours.”
“Yeah ...”
He laughs, puzzling me even more.
The door to our room pops open.
“Good morning!” Kari chirps, walking in with Max behind her. She hands me a cup of Starbucks and kisses my cheek. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I shoot Cane a look. “But it seems we aren’t going home ...”
Kari laughs and walks back to Max. She leans against him, the side of her head against his chest. “Is that so?” she asks.
I shrug helplessly. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I am sure I’m the only person who doesn’t get it. “Max? Help a girl out.”
“He’s taking you to—”
“Don’t you dare,” Kari says, elbowing him in the ribs.
Max laughs. “Ah, sweetheart. Are you gonna get mad? Because that just might make me tell her. You’re stuck here, alone, with me for another day. Think of the make-up sex we could have.”
“We don’t have to fight to have make-up sex, Max.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Cane interrupts. “Nobody wants to hear that shit right now.”
“I do.” Kari smiles. “I want to hear about all the things Max wants to do to me.”
Cane narrows his eyes playfully and slams his suitcase closed. “You, my beautiful sister-in-law, and I have some things to discuss.”
“Oh, do we now?”
“Yeah, we do. You about fuckin’ killed me yesterday with your lack of fucking texts. I was sweating balls up here, going outta my mind, waiting on some indication of how things were going downstairs.”
Kari tosses her head back and laughs. “Yeah, well, my nails were wet. Sue me.”
“I would,” Cane says, coming up behind me, “but I forgive you. You called me amazing in your speech last night.”
“Oh, I surely didn’t.”
“No. You did. I heard it.”
“It was the champagne talking.”
“It’s a win for me. I’ll take it.” Cane kisses the top of my head. “You ready to go?”
“Depends on where we’re going,” I huff.
“Rome. He’s taking you to Rome,” Max blurts out, wincing as Kari elbows him in the stomach again.
I whirl around, my pulse rapid-firing. “Rome? Is he joking, Cane?”
He pulls me into him, winding my hair in his hands. “No, beautiful girl, he’s not. We’re going to Rome in a couple of hours.”
I squeal, much to my embarrassment, but I can’t help it. I bounce up and down and kiss him on the lips. “I’ve always wanted to go to Rome! Oh, my God! Cane! Thank you!”
“Someone told me that one night at a restaurant. Right before they told me they didn’t see me enough. So I’m taking you there and you can see me the entire time.”
“You’re amazing. Absolutely amazing.”
“It’s my job to make sure you keep thinking that.” He winks.
“Wait,” I say, pivoting on my heel, “I can’t go to Rome. I don’t have any clothes for a trip like that.”
Panic ensues. I do a quick mental recap of everything in my suitcase, of the things I packed away in the box to UPS back home with my wedding dress.
I have nothing that will work.
“I don’t have—”
Out of nowhere, Kari scoots a large orange suitcase across the floor. “You have everything you need in here.”
“What?”
“Our little shopping trip the other day? That was your honeymoon shopping expedition. You’re welcome.”
I’m shocked in the very best way. I walk across the room and hug my sister, my heart filled with more love than I’ve ever felt in my life. She pulls back, and I head to Max, wrapping my arms around his waist and hugging him, too.
“Thank you, too, Max. I can only imagine what you’ve put up with over the last few weeks.”
“You have no idea, darlin’.”
I laugh. “I do. I do.”
“Well, I’d do anything for you. You know that. We’re family now.”
“You know,” Cane says, his voice full of mischief, “if you two would get married already, we would all be one happy family.”
“One wedding at a time, Cane,” Kari says, rolling her eyes.
“What? You’ve just proven that you can plan a helluva wedding in a couple of weeks. I say let’s do it again.”
I wait for them to answer, but it never comes. Max has a slight grin, and Kari looks at the floor. I’m not sure how to read her response.
“She won’t marry me,” Max says simply. “She only wants me to deliver the goods.”
“I don’t want you just for that.” Kari looks at him defiantly, but her eyes soften once her gaze meets his. “But you’re pretty good at it.”
“Pretty good at it?”
“Really good at it,” she says huskily.
“So get married,” I say, pushing the envelope. Something tells me this needs to be brought to a head, and I’ll be the one to do it.
“Yeah, you two make it official, and Jada and I will plan your wedding when we return.”
“You, Mr. Alexander, will do no such thing,” Kari says, her hand on her hip. “You aren’t touching any wedding I may or may not ever have.”
“See? She won’t marry me,” Max drawls.
“I didn’t hear her say that,” Cane says coyly.
Max shrugs and sighs. “Kari, will you marry me?”
She stiffens, but it’s so brief that I’m not sure anyone else notices it. She looks at him and smiles like she’s brushing it off. “Not today.”