“I heard about you.” His eyes narrowed. “Didn’t you get eight years in jail?”
I grinned then. “I was pardoned by the President of the United States himself. How great is that?”
Murphy 2.0 looked kind of green.
“Let’s go, darling,” Murphy 2.0 said. “We have to get you changed so we don’t miss the wedding photos. I would hate to not be able to be there for my son on his big day.”
Melody huffed loudly.
“I have a dress in the trunk that might do,” she admitted. “I can change in the back seat of our car.”
It was only when they were walking away that Crockett said, “Why would one have a suitable dress in the trunk of her car if she was confident that she was doing the right thing by wearing what she’s wearing?”
I looked down at her, so fuckin’ close that I could smell her beautiful scent, and said, “She knew that you’d stop her. My guess? She’s not even close to being done yet.”
Crockett reached up to rub her face but paused before she’d actually touched her eyes.
“That woman drives me to drink,” she said as I started guiding her to the front door where who had to be her sister waited once again. “I already had a beer in a coffee cup on the way over here. Let me just tell you, it wasn’t enough alcohol to have to deal with Melody.”
The door opened for us before we got there, and Nora stared at us with wide eyes. “She’s wearing a wedding dress.”
Crockett’s eyebrows rose. “I told you, point-blank, that she was going to do something to ruin this wedding.”
Her eyes were filled with disbelief. “They’re normally so level-headed. They don’t act like this around me, Crockett. They’re good to my kids. They didn’t do this at my wedding.”
“You got married at the courthouse without telling anyone.” Crockett slipped from under my arm and moved to the little room right inside the door they were using as a coat check. From there she dropped her wrap into a small basket near the top, which made the hem of her skirt ride up to expose the bottom curve of her ass.
When I didn’t look away, the woman that was now clearly paying attention to me cleared her throat.
I looked away, might I add reluctantly, and gave a chin jerk toward the sister who was now very much aware that I was there.
“You’re her date?” she asked, looking at me warily. “Your name is?”
I held out my hand for her to shake, which she did seconds later.
“Zach,” I said, “and yes, I am her date. I’m actually her boyfriend.”
Crockett squeaked in surprise, whirling around so that her skirt flared out around her before settling once again against her sweet body.
Her eyes were wide, and she was staring at me with surprise on her face.
“Crockett didn’t tell me that she had a boyfriend,” Nora said, sounding upset about it.
I tilted my head when Crockett sighed and disappeared farther into the room, after what I didn’t know.
“You don’t strike me as the type to know much about your sister’s life,” I admitted. “Do you know that she has a stalker? Do you know that your stepmother treats her like absolute shit? Did you know that she broke down on the side of the road the other day and was there for over an hour because she had nobody to call to come get her?”
Nora’s eyes went a little flinty.
“What are you trying to say?” she asked.
“I’m trying to say that you and your brother live in your own little bubble and have no earthly idea what it’s like for Crockett,” I said. “From what I understand, Murphy is your grandfather, too, right?”
Nora nodded. “He is.”
“Then why aren’t y’all there helping with his store? Why did Crockett have to give up her career to do that? Why didn’t y’all volunteer to help?” I wondered. “Why is she working her ass off right now? Why is she the sole caretaker for your grandfather? Why is your little sister named so close to Crockett? Why do y’all allow her father to treat her like dirt and not stick up for her?” I was on a roll now. I would’ve kept going, but Crockett was back, filling the doorway, with a look of disgust on her face.
“The dress she chose to change into isn’t much better,” Crockett admitted. “In fact, I would almost say it’s worse. But it’s not white.”
“What do you mean it’s worse?” she asked.
“It’s the same dress as the mother of the bride,” Crockett said. “You did send it to her, right? Showed her Nadine’s dress as an example on what to wear?”
Nora tossed her head back and groaned. “Yes.”
“Then have fun dealing with that,” Crockett said. “I’m going to go get in my seat next to Murphy.”
And with that, she latched on to my hand and tugged me toward the doors that were at the end of the hallway.
“What’s that about?” I asked.
“We were having lunch one day when Melody sent a text to Nora asking about Belinda’s mother’s dress. And she wanted to make sure that she was wearing something appropriate. So Nora texts Belinda, who then texts her mother, and they all send back a pic of Nora’s mother’s dress so Melody will have a gauge on what to wear. Only, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that Melody got the same exact one. Honest to God, that is so Melody. Which I told Nora would happen. I flat out told her that she’d show up with the same dress, and Nora said she wouldn’t.” She looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. “Thank you for coming.”
I reached out and tugged her back into my body.
“We have a few things to talk about tonight,” I said. “So don’t go running off until we do that, okay?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to be running anywhere in these heels.”
• • •
Two hours later, the photos were taken, and Belinda was fuming.
I could tell, even being a man that usually didn’t notice those types of things, that Belinda was about to lose her shit when it came to Melody Archer.
“You’re lucky that she wasn’t wearing the white dress,” I felt it prudent to point out when Belinda stood next to me fuming.
It was during the family photos, this one including all of the Archers, that Belinda backed away for a moment to collect herself.
Unlucky for her that she came to my particular dark corner.
“What?” she asked, startled to see me there.
I gestured toward Melody.
“She was wearing a white strapless number that looked a whole lot like the wedding dress you’re wearing right now,” I told her. “But Crockett made her go change. Threw a glorified shit fit right there in the parking lot. You’re lucky that she’s only wearing the same dress as your mother, instead of the same dress as you.”
Belinda’s jaw clenched.
“I didn’t think she was that bad,” she admitted, still pissed as hell.
More pissed now that she’d heard what I’d just said.
“How do you not know she’s that bad?” I asked curiously. “Does Danny not tell you everything that she does?”
Belinda turned to me with a frown.