I frown. “But why?”
He gets out of the truck and laughs. “You’ll see.”
Fucking Christ, what did I get myself into?
We walk inside the house and it’s suspiciously quiet. “Seriously, Brody. What the fuck is going on?”
Before he can answer, Charlee appears at the top of the stairs right off the entryway. I’m speechless as my eyes eat her up from head to toe. Her long chocolate hair is curled into soft waves and she’s wearing a simple but elegant cream-colored dress that falls to her ankles. She never wears much makeup, and she’s not doing so now, but her eyes are smoky, in that understated sex kitten kind of way.
“Hi, Drew.”
“Uh...hi.” Real smooth, asshole.
Brody slaps me on the back. “I’ll leave you two alone. Charlee, I’ll be out back with the others.”
She smiles at him. “Thanks, B.”
Charlee descends the staircase and takes my hand when she reaches the bottom. “Thanks for coming.”
“What’s going on, Charlee?”
She nods toward the back of the house. “It’d probably be easier if I showed you.” She leads me into their den which doesn’t look any different from the last time I was here. As we approach the French doors leading into the backyard, I amend my previous statement. That part looks very different.
I nod to the rows of white chairs set out on the lawn. “What is this?”
Charlee shrugs. “I did a thing.”
The folding chairs are split down the middle and pointed toward a pergola that’s covered in flowers. Our family members mill about, trying to look casual but it’s pretty obvious they’re here for something big.
“I can see that. But why?”
She gives me a soft smile. “I wanted to show you how serious I am about us, Drew. I’m in this for the long haul. I swear to you, I will never pull a runner again. I do trust you. Wholeheartedly. This—”she gestures to the lawn—“is my way of proving that to you.” She takes a deep breath. “If you’re up for it, I was kind of hoping you’d marry me again. I mean, technically, we’re still married because I cancelled the annulment, but I wanted—”
She doesn’t get a chance to finish her sentence because I’ve got her crushed against me, lifting her right off her feet as I kiss the hell out of her. Jesus, how did I fucking survive without this over the last two weeks? Her taste, the way her soft curves feel pressed against the hard planes of my chest...my memory did a piss poor job, that’s for damn sure.
When I pull back, I press my forehead against hers. “Yes.”
Charlee lifts her head. “Yeah?”
I nod. “Yeah. I’d fucking love to marry you again, honey.”
When her lips turn up in a smile, I swear on all that is holy, there’s never been a more breathtaking sight. “Okay, then.”
I’m grinning so hard my face hurts. “What do we need to do?”
Her delicate hand turns the knob to open the door. “Just head up to the front. Everything else is ready to go.”
I grab her face and kiss her one more time. “I’ll see you up there.”
She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye and nods. “I can’t wait.”
I step outside and everyone’s eyes are on me. My sister offers me a smile as she takes a seat next to Riley and Nathan on the right. Charlee’s mom, grandmother, and Mrs. Pistorio are watching from the left. Rainey is up front, looking beautiful in a dark green dress, standing next to a man that I can only assume is the minister since I’ve never seen him before.
Brody comes at me from the side and points to the unknown man. “All you need to do is stand to the right of that dude. He’ll take care of the rest.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Yep.” He pats my back and starts walking away.