He still had occasional worries, but they didn’t seem quite as dark.
The wedding vows had been short and sweet, as per Ivey’s insistence. Together, she and Hope had compromised on a double wedding. Neither had wanted to go before the other. They loved each other enough that sharing seemed like the perfect idea.
Though they had very different styles, they had coordinated. Hope wore a long, flowing white dress with a full skirt overlaid in lace that made her look like a fairy princess and kept Vesta wiping her eyes.
Ivey wore a tea-length dress with quarter-length sleeves of the same material. Instead of a sweetheart neckline, hers had a rounded neck. The same lace on Hope’s gown was used as a sash on her own.
Fragrant white roses, accented with tiny blue forget-me-nots, filled the outdoor tables and served as bouquets for Hope and Ivey.
Corbin and Lang had mixed it up as well. Instead of tuxes, they wore suits—Corbin’s jacket was black with a pale blue shirt and black tie, same as Justin’s. Lang, always flashier, wore a blue jacket with a black shirt and blue tie.
Both men looked incredibly handsome.
Set up in the yard, they’d kept the wedding small with only family, which included Hope’s sister, Charity, and Hope’s precious new niece, Marley. Marley had kicked up a fuss during the short ceremony, and Justin, serving as best man for his dad and his uncle, had grinned through the whole thing.
Now Hagan sat with Ivey’s parents, holding Marley to give Charity a break, and together they all laughed at something that was said.
Justin bowed gallantly in front of Vesta. “You want to dance, Grandma?”
“Oh my, I would love to.” She took his hand and together they went out to the wooden dance floor set up by the lake.
A small local band played, and Justin danced as if he couldn’t be happier. All in all, Ivey decreed it an absolutely perfect day.
“I can’t wait to get you alone,” Corbin whispered in her ear.
Leaning back against his solid shoulder, Ivey said, “A few more hours.” Then Justin would go with Vesta and Hagan to spend a few days at the RV park, the guests would head home, and she and Corbin could indulge in a short “honeymoon” where they’d probably spend the entire time in bed.
Joining them with his arm around Hope’s waist, his jacket off and his shirtsleeves rolled up, Lang said, “I just thought of the perfect wedding gift you can give us.”
“Yeah?” Corbin smiled and sipped at his glass of wine. “What’s that?”
“The guesthouse. What do you say? I’ll expand on it, but it’d be nice to be close and still separate.”
Looking struck by the suggestion, Corbin said, “Great idea. Consider it done.”
Ivey gawked. Hope looked equally stunned.
“What?” Corbin shrugged. “He gave me a boat. And you know Justin will like having Uncle Lang near.”
Slowly, Ivey grinned. She couldn’t deny that she would love having her best friend close by. “On one condition.”
“Anything,” Corbin said, sounding as if he really meant it.
“They have to take two of the puppies as a wedding gift to us. Five pets are just a few too many, but I couldn’t give them to just anyone.”
“Done and done,” Lang said, then he thought to ask Hope, “That is, if it’s okay by you?”
“It will make me very happy,” Hope promised. “Justin will still be able to visit them, so he won’t miss them too much.”
“The same applies to Ivey,” Corbin teased with a grin.
“About the house,” Lang said, “the garage could be made into living space, right? I was thinking of a great room and another bathroom, of course. Maybe a kitchen.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Corbin agreed. “The upstairs could just be a master suite and sitting area.”
“I could build another garage off to the side.” The two brothers stepped away to discuss floor plans.
“On their weddings,” Ivey noted, shaking her head.
“You’re the one who didn’t want it to be too formal.” Smiling, Hope hooked her arm through Ivey’s. “Though I have to say, it was absolutely perfect as is. I’m not sure I could have handled a huge crowd.”
“This was just right,” Ivey agreed, pleased with how it had all turned out.
With her gaze on the guests, Hope said, “I love you, Ivey.”
Oh, now see...the tears started again. “Not as much as I love you.”
“Debatable. But the point is, I always thought we were lucky to have each other, and now we have so much more.”
“We’re the luckiest.” For a woman who had planned a summer without attachments, Ivey had ended up with something else entirely. A husband, a son, his family...and an incredible love she knew would last forever.
“Come on.” Ivey took her hand. “Let’s dance.”
To her surprise, Hope laughed—and took over the lead to the dance floor.
* * *
From New York Times bestselling author
LORI FOSTER
Welcome back to Ridge Trail, Colorado!
Get ready for the next all-new book in the exciting
McKenzies of Ridge Trail series.
“Brimming with heart, heat and humor.”
—Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author, on Worth the Wait
Order your copy today!
ISBN-13: 9781488078224
The Summer of No Attachments
Copyright © 2021 by Lori Foster
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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