J.J. put his mouth next to my ear and murmured, "Your mom and my mom teamed up and put this together. I think you'll like it."
I glanced over at him, our faces a few inches apart. "What—" Then, I smelled it. There was a steakhouse aptly named Chop about thirty miles from Farley that had the best prime rib I'd ever tasted. I very rarely got to go because I was on a strict budget and it wasn't cheap.
My mouth watered and I sat up taller in my chair. J.J. chuckled next to me.
I didn't even want to think about what it had cost to have them cater our reception, but gratitude filled me. I looked over to my mother, who was helping with the unpacking, and then Colette, who was talking to a young woman with vibrant purple hair and several tattoos on her forearms and hands.
"Who's your mom talking to?" I asked J.J.
"I think that's the woman who baked our wedding cake."
"Wedding cake? I thought we didn't have time to get a cake made?" I asked.
He didn't have time to answer because Cam arrived with the pan of water just as I started to cry. She knelt at my feet and shot J.J. a stern look. "Not even married an hour and you're already making her cry!"
At the sound of Cam's voice, my brothers' heads swiveled toward us as one, even though they weren't standing together.
Oh, no. I had to say something, fast, but I was still trying to stop crying enough to catch my breath. I sniffed hard and coughed, which brought Cam's eyes back to me.
"It wasn't J.J. I just didn't expect all of this," I said. "I'm surprised, that's all. Good surprised," I explained, looking up at my brothers as they halted behind Cam and glared down at J.J.
They looked at me and I tried to stare them down, but it was hard with tears still running down my cheeks and a runny nose.
J.J.'s arm squeezed my shoulder lightly and I realized that I was leaning into him. "Let me go get you some tissues," he said.
"There's a box in my office. Go ahead and bring the whole thing out here. I'm pretty sure Mom is seconds away from bursting into tears as well, so we'll need it," she said as she unbuckled my sandal and slid my foot into the cool water.
"We'll help," D.J. said, turning to follow J.J.
Huh, D.J. and J.J., that was kinda funny.
Now, I was giggling and crying at the same time.
"Oh, God, please tell me my brother didn't manage to drive you around the bend before you've even cut your wedding cake," Cam grumbled as she unbuckled my other shoe.
"No, but my brothers might bend him into a pretzel if you don't go save him."
She shook her head. "Nope. He's a big boy, he can handle his own problems."
"Cam, please."
She looked up at me then sighed. "You really do like his goofy ass, don't you?"
I nodded. "Plus, I think our baby would like his or her father to have both his arms so he can cuddle them."
Her expression softened. "Damn, you're not going to let me be mad at him anymore, are you?"
I shook my head. "What good will that do? What happened, happened. It's time to accept it, move on, and make the best of it."
She sighed again. "Stop being so reasonable. You're pregnant and three years younger than me, you're supposed to be a hormonal mess and not wise."
"Um, I'm sitting here crying and laughing at the same time, it's probably safe to say that I'm definitely a hormonal mess."
"But you're still more reasonable than me," she countered, getting to her feet. "But, you're right. I like my brother's arms exactly where they are."
I watched as she walked toward the hallway and disappeared in the direction of the office. Unfortunately, she returned in thirty seconds with a box of tissues and no J.J.
"Well, wherever they are, it's not my office."
"Shoot," I said. "Grab me a towel, I'll put my shoes on and go find them."
"No, you will not," Colette said, coming over to me. She shot a look at my mom, who seemed to have mind reading capabilities when it came to my new mother-in-law because she looked around, saw my brothers were missing, and nodded once. Then, she marched toward the kitchen and likely continued out to the alley behind the shop.
If I found out my brothers were taking turns punching my new husband, I wasn't going to go for my usual form of revenge. I was going to find my niece and nephews, tell them every bad thing my brothers had done as kids, and encourage them to do the same.
I breathed a silent sigh of relief when my mother reappeared with J.J. in tow and he appeared none the worse for wear.
"See? He's fine. Now, what do you want on your plate?" Colette asked me.
I stared at the buffet that had been set up and instantly faced decision paralysis.
"I'll get it, Mom," he said, coming up beside her and kissing her cheek.
She patted his face. "Okay, sweetie. Make sure she eats enough. She barely touched her lunch earlier."
He looked down at me and I shrugged. He knew I'd been nervous before. "I didn't eat much either, so I'll get enough for both of us."
I smiled back at him. It might be easier than I thought to let Jackson James McClane in.
"Anything you don't want?" he asked, leaning over the chair and eyeing my feet where they still sat in the cool water.
"Mom knows what I like best, so she probably ordered all of it."
That made him grin even wider. We were both smiling so much this afternoon we probably looked ridiculous.
"Okay."
He took one step away when I called out, "Um, J.J., can you bring me a towel for my feet? They're starting to get cold."
He nodded and shifted direction toward the kitchen. He'd just disappeared inside when my brothers came in the front door of the shop. I nearly laughed at their sweaty faces. It seemed Mom had made them walk down the alley and back around to the front of the shop rather than come in the back with her and J.J.
I doubted it would teach them a lesson, but it was still funny to see them so hot and covered in sweat.
Until they made a beeline for me.
"Don't you dare!" I called out. I knew they intended to rub their sweaty faces and hair all over me, even if I was wearing my pretty white wedding dress. All while I was sitting here, defenseless and unable to run away because I might slip on the floor with my wet feet.
All four of those buttheads smiled, but I glanced down and realized I did indeed have a weapon after all.
As they closed in on me, I shifted in my seat and reached down, gripping the edges of the pan.
Considering they'd already faced my mother's wrath, you would think they'd think twice, but they didn't.
They got within two feet of me and I said, "You all look hot. Maybe you need to cool off."
That's when it registered with them what I was about to do, and they scattered like roaches in the light.
D.J. practically ran toward his wife, Letitia, and ended up hugging her in close and rubbing his damp face on her cheek, causing her to smack him and tell him to quit being an asshole.
Clayton was about to do the same to his wife, Danielle, but she stiffened up as soon as his hand touched her and jerked away.
Uh-oh. Something was going on there. As I watched, she turned her back on him, which put her face to me, and I saw the stricken expression she wore.