Best Man With Benefits (McCade Brothers 3)

“What about her?” Colt asked. “She looks fine. Surprisingly relaxed, considering she braved the hot seat tonight, sitting between our mom and dad.”

Kady nodded. “Exactly my point. It’s not easy playing Switzerland for those two. I’ve done it, so I know. And Sophie’s appetite for conflict is much lower than mine, but there she sits, smiling, completely at ease and, dare I say, a little dreamy-eyed. Plus she’s got that glow.”

“Yeah,” Colt said drily, “the glow from one too many glasses of wine, which is why she’s all smiley.”

Logan laughed, and then gulped some water to cool down. He was sweating like he’d just free-soloed Yamnuska.

“No.” Kady whacked Colt in the arm. “She’s got the glow of a satisfied woman.”

His throat constricted and the water went down the wrong pipe. A coughing fit ensued. Colt slapped him on the back again.

“Okay, new topic. Neither Logan nor I are going to survive a discussion of my sister’s love life.”

“Why not? Oh, not the salacious details.” Kady gave Colt a look that told Logan more than he needed to know about their details. “But wouldn’t you like to see Sophie as happy and in love as we are? I don’t know about you, but I want that for her.” She lifted a brow at Logan and added, “I want that for all our friends.”

Right then he got the distinct impression she knew exactly who was responsible for Sophie’s satisfied glow. He hoped she kept her suspicions to herself, because he had every intention of speaking to Colt directly about his feelings for Sophie, man-to-man, after the wedding. Yes, he felt guilty keeping news like “I’m falling for your sister” from Colt, but he owed those words to Sophie first, and he owed Colt and Kady a happy wedding day, untarnished by whatever misplaced concerns Colt might have about his sister and his best friend being together.

Colt glanced down the table again. “Of course I want her to find love.” He shifted in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “Pure, chaste love, from a gainfully employed, mentally stable guy who agrees to sign the oath of celibacy I present to him before he gets within ten feet of my sister—and understands I’m going to break him in two if he ever so much as thinks about violating it.”

Yeah, definitely after the wedding.

Kady giggled, then leaned over and kissed Colt. “Isn’t he cute when he goes all prickly and protective?”

“‘Cute’ is not the word.”

Colt cupped the back of her head before she could draw away and planted a much deeper, much longer kiss on his bride-to-be. The move caught the rest of the tables’ attention and applause broke out. Sassy Kady actually blushed, which Logan had never seen before, and the blush only deepened when Colt said, “Who’s the cute one now?”

Logan’s phone vibrated in his pocket. The alarm he’d set as a ten-minute warning in advance of a call he’d scheduled with his board. They needed to discuss the latest round of changes to the acquisition agreement and, please God, put the damn thing to a vote. “Sorry, I’ll have to leave you to settle this important question on your own.”

“Past your bedtime, princess?” Colt chided.

Logan stood. “My day’s just getting started, slacker.” But he was tired, and even he could hear the lack of enthusiasm in his voice. If he could have kicked the board call until tomorrow, he would have, but tomorrow was out of the question, so he had to get board approval tonight. “I gotta talk to a guy about a thing.”

“Get your talking done tonight,” Colt said, “because if I catch you with a phone in your ear at any point tomorrow, you’re not going to like where it goes next.”

“Don’t worry.” Logan patted his friend’s shoulder. “My phone stays in my pocket tomorrow, right next to the rings and those little blue pills you wanted for the honeymoon.”

“Ah ha ha. Funny guy. Go take your call.”

“I plan to. For the record, she’s the cute one.” Logan kissed Kady’s cheek, and then waved good-bye to the rest of the table, trying his best not to let his gaze rest on Sophie any longer than what would be considered normal.

He sent her a text on the way to his room. I’m hungry for

dessert. They’d spoken before the rehearsal—a rushed, whispered exchange in an alcove at the chapel during which he’d explained he’d have to cut out of the group dinner early to attend a call, and asked her to come to his room after dinner. She’d agreed, and promised to bring him dessert. Under a stained glass panel featuring the Virgin Mary smiling down on them, he’d whispered, “You are my dessert.”

He held back a grin as he stepped into the elevator. Luckily, the wrath of God had not struck him down in a bolt of lightning right then and there, and Sophie had been alluringly flushed and short of breath all through the rehearsal. If he’d been a little distracted, thinking of all the ways he planned to devour her, well…nobody had complained.

His phone vibrated in his hand, alerting him to an incoming call. His brother Trevor, according to the screen. He hit talk. “How’s my nephew?”

“Asleep. Which is just how we like him at this time of night.” The response came not from Trevor, but from his other brother, Michael.

“Jesus, Trev. Doesn’t Kylie have enough on her plate taking care of Max? You really want to inflict Michael on her, too?”

“Kylie’s not here,” Trevor explained. “She, and Mom, and a passel of other women are at the cabin in Big Bear for Chloe’s baby shower. They’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

“Holy shit, and she left you—worse, the two of you—in charge of a baby? Overnight? Was she high on some kind of judgment-impairing postpartum brain chemicals?”

“We’re doing fine,” Michael said. “Had some beer and pizza. Played some Texas Hold’em, and the little guy drifted off to dreamland right there in his high chair, face down in his poker chips. Never even saw the full house waiting for him at the end of the river.”