Shelli beams, wiggling in her seat. Aiden slides his hand across her shoulders to the back of her neck, rubbing her with his thumb. Pretty sure if I did that, Shea would break my thumb, but apparently no one else knows that. “We’re done! Can you believe it? Now, it’s the countdown.”
“Fifty-nine days,” Aiden says on an exhale. “Thank God.”
We all laugh as she smacks him playfully. “We’ll need to finalize some stuff, but really, we’re done.”
My mom smiles at Elli. “I’m sure that’s a load off your shoulders.”
Elli nods. “Yes, especially with the Cup run.”
“But what a blessing. I am so excited to gain a daughter, and you’re gaining two sons.”
Posey’s mom laughs. “We always wanted a huge family!”
Owen, one of Posey’s twin brothers, chuckles. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll bring home a smoking-hot daughter-in-law for you.”
Evan gives him a look. “That would involve you actually taking the time to learn a girl’s name.”
“And normal people do that before getting them naked,” the baby of the family, Quinn, says.
“Lord, help me,” Elli moans as the table explodes with laughter. “Boon’s mom is right there!”
My mom doesn’t care; she just laughs. Owen snorts as he smacks his twin brother playfully. It’s crazy how much the twins look alike, but they are wildly different. They are both huge like Shea and identical, with black hair and ice-blue eyes. Owen is all about fucking and leaving them. He isn’t even ashamed. I don’t see that guy getting married. But knocking someone up? Yeah, he could do that for sure. Evan, though, he’ll find a forever kind of girl and worship her.
“Baby, focus on hockey when you get to Carolina. Please,” Elli urges. The boys were drafted to the IceCats, but they have been playing for their AHL team. They could be called up, but it’s doubtful at this point in the season. I’m sure it’s weird since the IceCats are our opponents right now, but the twins keep saying they’re rooting for the Assassins because if we win, there’ll be open spots for them on the team since a load of the IceCats are free agents. They lose, and the players won’t want to stay with a losing team. That way of thinking isn’t wrong. It’s actually genius, and we will take all the good juju.
“I know what I’ll be buying at Costco,” Shea mutters, and I hold back my laughter.
“Get two boxes, Dad,” Owen calls down the table, but Evan rolls his eyes.
“I don’t need a Costco-size box of condoms, thank you.”
With a straight face, Owen replies, “I know. They’re both for me.”
“God help us,” Elli says, covering her face, and Shea holds out his hand over the table to my mom.
“Welcome to the family.”
Posey is snorting with laughter, as is everyone else. When her laughter subsides, she shakes her head. “I hope you know if you go and ruin the Adler good name, Mom will come kill you,” she reminds the boys. “She doesn’t play that mess.”
“Yup. Ask Aiden and Wes. They’ve all had the ‘Don’t embarrass me with your sleeping around’ talk,” Shelli says with a grin. “Aiden got it more than once.”
Wes snorts. “Nope. I’ve gotten it six times. Sometimes I feel like she doesn’t like me, but then she makes me fried chicken.”
Elli ignores him before looking across the table at my mom. “Not with Boon, though. He is a gentleman.”
“Hey! I’m a gentleman!” Wes yells, and we all look at him.
“There isn’t a gentle bone in your body, Wes,” Posey says, and he waggles his brows.
“Some girls like that.”
I glare. “Do you want to die?”
Shea points at me. “What he said.”
More laughing, and I love it. Especially with how happy it makes Posey. I know she was nervous coming here, but now, all I see is bliss. When my phone vibrates with a message, I glance down at where it is sitting between my plate and Posey’s. She does the same. It’s the minister, saying he is ready when we are.
Oh shit. This just got really real.
I look up just as she does, our eyes meeting.
My heart is pounding, and I feel like I gotta fart, but still, I grin. “Ready?”
“Always.”
I lean over to her, kissing her hard on the lips before we look out at our families. “We have an announcement.”
I stand just as Posey does, fixing her dress before holding my hand. She looks up at me, and I thought she was going to let me announce it, but then Posey’s speaking. “The dinner is already paid for.”
“Score!” Owen yells. “That Carolina salary hasn’t kicked in yet.”
“And it’ll go straight to your future baby mommas if you don’t wrap it up,” Quinn reminds him.
“Please Lord, talk to your son!” Elli insists, and Shea gives her a blank look.
“Why is it when they’re doing something dumb, they’re mine?”
Yup. I’m marrying into this mayhem.
“Can y’all shut up?” Posey demands, and the boys hold back their laughter as they cover their mouths. Those two are trouble. Shit, everyone at this table is trouble. Posey looks back at me, and I’m on edge, waiting for her to say it.
That she wants to marry me right now.
“We’d love it if you’d join us over at the park across the road. Where we will meet a minister, and he will marry Boon and me.”
We tear our gazes from each other to find our families with their mouths hanging open and complete shock on their faces.
And then I see the true mayhem that is the Adler family.
Chapter Three
Posey
“Wait, what?”
“But I’m supposed to get married first!”
“Why does it matter who gets married first?”
“Dude, seriously? You’re springing this on us like this?”
“Excuse me, wait! What?”
“You aren’t even wearing white!”
“Are you trying to steal my thunder, Posey? You don’t even want a wedding!”
“Our whole family isn’t here!”
“Aunt Harper and Aunt Grace are going to kill you for not having them here.”
“For real, my mom and dad are going to be pissed.”
“But you just got engaged yesterday.”
“I’m still trying to figure this out, so again…wait! What?”
“Oh, Boon. Dad is going to murder you.”
Boon looks at me, and I hold up my hands. “Now, I know this is sudden—”
“Posey, no one is here—” my mom tries, but I hold my hand up to her.
“Everyone who is here is enough for me. I want a small, intimate wedding—”
“Which should include your aunts, by the way,” Ally throws at me. “I mean, I’m all for a small wedding and celebrating y’all, but my mom’s feelings will be hurt.”
My stomach sinks. I knew this, but I wanted to keep it as small as possible for as quickly as Boon and I wanted to make it happen.