Ready to Run (I Do, I Don't 1)

“Well, if you’re not the one, you get a wedding invitation. To the groom’s future wedding. To another woman.”

“Burn,” Hailey said reverently.

Simon shot a finger pistol at her. “Right? That part was our girl Jordan’s idea.”

Everyone looked at her, and she gave a finger waggle of acknowledgment.

She thought she heard Luke snort.

“Okay, so you get a wedding invitation, you’re out,” said Tim Withers. “What do you get if you’re still a contestant?”

Hailey flicked her husband’s arm. “Look at you, being all interested.”

He draped an arm around her shoulders. “Just exploring my options for when I leave your sorry ass.”

“You love my ass.”

He kissed her temple. “Maybe. Still want to know what my options are.”

Simon grinned. “Well, Timmy my friend, if our groom decides you might be the love of his life and wants to get to know you better, you get an invitation to spend more time with him. A dinner date, champagne tasting, a walk on the beach—”

“I do love a nice beach,” Tim mused.

“Oh, Luke, you have to do this,” Bree said, linking her arm in his. “You’ll be the talk of the town.”

“The talk of the country, really,” Jordan said.

Luke cut her a look. “Fantastic. That’s always been a big goal of mine.”

“What’d I miss?” Ryan asked, coming back out with a plate of mushrooms.

Charlie Bander followed close behind. “Sorry I’m late, but I brought beer, so nobody gets to be mad. Did we convince Prince Charming to be a superstar yet?”

“He’s resisting,” Hailey said with a sigh.

“Really?” Luke asked. “You guys can’t be serious. It’s not just my life that would be cracked wide open. I’m guessing my entire past would be under scrutiny. Am I right?” he said, flicking a look between Jordan and Simon.

Simon subtly shifted into lawyer mode. It was why he was here, to explain exactly what was involved so there were no nasty surprises—or lawsuits—later.

“We tell the groom’s backstory, yes. The women whose hearts he broke.”

Someone snorted, but Jordan took over from Simon, her eyes on Luke. “Preferably interviews with the exes directly, if they’ll let us. From friends and family if the ladies aren’t inclined to talk to the camera.

“And then there’s the hometown episode,” Jordan continued, wanting to be completely transparent with these very kind people. “Near the end of the season, the final contestants would come home with Luke—or whomever—to his hometown, see where he’s from, where they’d be living after the wedding.”

“The wedding,” Charlie said with a laugh, flicking the cap off his bottle and clinking it against Luke’s beer. “One of your favorite hobbies, buddy! You hearing all this?”

“Yeah, I’m hearing it,” Luke said, tilting the bottle back and taking a sip. “And it’s like I told Ms. Carpenter here, there’s not a chance in hell I’ll go along with this circus.”

“Actually, you didn’t tell me that,” she said, leaning back on the railing and crossing her feet at the ankle as she studied him. “You ignored every single message.”

“Luke. That’s rude.” Hailey swatted his hand.

“So’s chasing down a man who doesn’t want to be found,” he muttered.

Jordan felt a surge of panic alongside her frustration. She’d known Luke would be a challenge, but she’d thought the expected enthusiasm from his friends would at least intrigue him.

Not so much, apparently.