Peyton blinked at Candace in surprise, though her comment shouldn’t have shocked her, not with her mother beaming about Peyton’s relationship with Leo. “I take it you heard that from my mom?”

“Of course.” Candace grinned as she picked up a glass and poured lemonade into it from the dispenser on the table. “But really, to bring a guy with you all the way from New York, and for him to willingly come to a family wedding, well, that says it’s pretty damn serious.”

Peyton shrugged as she ate the strawberry macaron next, keeping her tone casual. “We’ve been dating for nine months, and my parents really wanted to meet him. It just seemed like the most logical time to do so. But yeah, he’s a great guy.” The latter, at least, was the absolute truth.

“Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next to get married,” her cousin teased. “I can help speed up the process and toss the bouquet your way at the reception if you’d like.”

Peyton laughed. “I’m good, really.” She hadn’t given much thought to marriage, mainly because she’d been so focused on living in New York, enjoying her career . . . and dating alpha-holes. Leo was definitely husband material and everything she’d ever want in a significant other . . . except they lived across the country from each other, and he was most likely still cautious after whatever had happened with Amanda. But she couldn’t deny that the thought of something more permanent with sexy, charming Leo did make her heart beat faster.

“So, how’s New York and your job as an apparel designer treating you?” Candace asked, changing the subject as she took a sip of her drink.

“It’s all good,” she fibbed, then took a bite of the chocolate peanut butter macaron, which was by far the best of the three in her biased opinion. “I love the city and being out on my own and doing my own thing.” She deliberately omitted that currently her career was nonexistent, though she was sending out resumes for job openings nearly every day from her laptop. Her savings would only hold out for so long, and she had rent and bills to pay.

Candace sighed. “I really do envy you. You moved to New York and followed your dreams. It all seems so exciting.”

The most exciting part for Peyton had been the freedom and independence away from her parents, though at times she definitely missed being away from family. “You’ve done well with your blog and podcasts,” she pointed out, finding that equally exciting.

“Yeah, it’s all been a labor of love, and the fact that it’s gotten to be so huge and lucrative is quite a surprise,” her cousin said with a laugh. “But it keeps me busy and I’ve made some great connections with high-end designers, as well as local ones, which has been fun.”

Before Peyton could reply, they were interrupted.

“Candace, we need you over here for a few minutes,” her maid of honor called out, waving her hand impatiently for Candace to join her and the other women who’d been introduced as her bridesmaids at the beginning of the bridal shower.

“Looks like my break is over,” her cousin said with a rueful smile. “After the wedding, let’s not be such strangers, okay? I’d even like to feature you on my blog sometime. Maybe do an interview with you and the apparel company you work for to give you both some exposure.”

Peyton forced a smile and prayed by then she had a new job, because her cousin’s offer was a generous one. “That would be amazing.”

“Then I’ll be in touch when my life finally settles back down after the honeymoon,” she promised, and went to continue her bridal duties for the day.

Chapter Seven

After spending the afternoon with Carson and his cronies at the country club playing a round of golf, then having a drink at the bar before heading home for the evening, Leo walked purposefully across the Bishops’ backyard to the guesthouse. With a plastic sack from a local drugstore dangling from his fingers, he was eager to see Peyton, and it wasn’t all because he couldn’t stop thinking about getting her naked and picking up where they’d left off this morning.

Sure, that was a big factor in driving his anticipation, but the other part had to do with the woman herself and how much he enjoyed being around her, which made him think about the exchange he’d had with her father at the clubhouse after their golf game, when Carson’s friends had left for the day and it had been just the two of them finishing up their drinks.

The conversation had started with Carson asking about his company, Prestige Car Services, and because Peyton had already told Leo that she’d stuck to the truth about his business, that topic had been easy enough to talk about. The other man had been impressed with how quickly the business had grown and liked that Leo was ambitious and responsible, and even though the discussion had been relaxed and casual, Leo suspected her dad was making sure that he was an honorable guy with goals, who was good enough for his daughter.

And that’s when Carson had posed another question . . . what is it about my daughter that caught your attention? In any other situation, Leo would have found the question odd and maybe even intrusive, but as he’d met the other man’s direct gaze, he realized that Peyton’s father genuinely cared about her well-being and needed to be reassured that Leo was a man he could trust with his daughter and her feelings. Just as Peyton had told Leo, her parents were definitely protective, but only because they wanted the best for her, and that included him.

Answering Carson’s question was easy enough, and he’d based his honest reply on what he’d liked so much about Peyton in college . . . and realized those same characteristics and quirks still applied in terms of his attraction to her. Her sassy sense of humor and her ability to make him laugh were high on the list, but the fact that she was also sweet and kind with a huge heart was equally appealing.

They weren’t technically dating, but as he approached the guesthouse, he realized that this thing between them felt like those exciting days in the beginning of a relationship, where you just couldn’t get enough of the person you were seeing. He wanted to spend time with her because she was fun and adorably amusing, and she made him forget that he’d been living with a bruised heart wrapped in resentment for too many years. That cynicism was slowly, gradually being replaced with an unexpected happiness that had taken him by surprise.

Then again, Peyton was a wonderful surprise, in every way imaginable.

The door to the house was unlocked and he walked inside without knocking, then stopped abruptly and winced when he heard Peyton belting out the words to the song “Battlefield,” her tone so loud and off pitch that the shrill sound literally hurt his ears. She was lying on her stomach on the couch facing away from the front door while she perused a page on the laptop opened in front of her, with her feet swinging in the air and her head bobbing as she sang the lyrics at the top of her lungs, without any music playing out loud.

That’s when he realized she had her earbuds in, which was why he couldn’t hear the actual song and why she hadn’t heard him come in. She shouted out another off-tune chorus, and he chuckled because she was so fucking adorable. After setting the plastic drugstore bag on the kitchen table, he came up behind her and trailed his fingers along the inside of one of her thighs to let her know he was home.

Startled by his touch, she shrieked and jumped off the couch, ripping the earbuds from her ears in the process. “Jesus, Leo!” She pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes wide. “You scared the crap out of me!”

He grinned unrepentantly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your karaoke session. Quite the voice you have there, Pixie.”

She smiled sheepishly, clearly knowing that she couldn’t carry a tune. “I was looking through job listings to see if anything new has been posted.”

“And?” he asked.

She shrugged, c

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