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“All right, you all are freaking her out,” Connor growls, coming to stand in front of me. “Give her a break, she just met you.”
“Sorry,” Gabriel and Mackenzie say in unison, but Archer is silent, gaze still switching between me and Serena, his mouth a grim slash.
When Serena moves forward to kiss him hello, though, his face softens, eyes only for her.
“I got caught up at the shelter,” I hear her say as he leads her to the other side of the room. “Someone surrendered a box of puppies.”
Their conversation fades as they get further away, and Connor turns around to face me, laying a hand briefly on my upper arm before he drops it. “Sorry about that.”
“Not your fault.” I shrug half-heartedly. “Just a weird coincidence, I guess.”
He nods, his eyes seeming to search mine. Is he looking for the similarity too?
I force myself to chuckle, trying to put him at ease. “You know, people always tell me I look like my mom. It’s the first time I’ve been compared to anyone else.”
“Yeah, no doubt you’re her daughter.” His shoulders drop, his searching over, and the tightness in my body eases as we join the others, Mackenzie explaining the vision she has for the space.
“This is where the reception will be,” she says, gesturing to the whole of the room. “I’ve done a few weddings here and it works great as a blank canvas so you can make it your own.”
“And since money isn’t an object…” Gabriel chimes in, smiling slyly. “We can go big.”
“Don’t get too crazy,” Archer warns, eyeing his brother.
Mackenzie slips her arm through Gabriel’s, reining him in. “We won’t. And this isn’t the ultra-classy affair from before. This will be relaxed and intimate, with a romantic vibe. I’m thinking white, green, and gold as the colors with a lot of natural elements.”
“I like that,” Serena says, her eyes shining as she gazes around the venue. “I don’t want anything stuffy.”
“Let me show you the ceremony space. I have a plan for a white runner down the length of the aisle with evergreens framing the sides.”
“Oh, that sounds beautiful.”
The two of them move to the next room over, but the guys linger, and I stare longingly after them, not sure if I should stay with Connor. I should stay, right? I’m his assistant. I should be here to assist.
But the chance to spend time with my sister? When am I going to get that again? And she already seems so nice. Just like I imagined.
I slide a little to the right, but no one appears to notice, and then a bit more, but Connor’s listening to something Gabriel is saying about the capacity of the room.
I slip through unnoticed, the lure too strong to resist.
Chapter Thirteen
Emma
The door snicks shut behind me, echoing in the empty room, and a blush steals over my cheeks as Serena and Mackenzie both turn toward me. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist seeing the space.” Or you. Not saying that aloud, though.
Serena smiles, looking angelic with all that fair hair loose around her shoulders, and studying her closer, it really is true about our eyes. They’re the same. “That’s fine. I didn’t catch your name when I came in. I’m Serena.”
“Oh, I know who you are.” Oh, God. That sounded like a total stalker. “I mean, I’ve heard about you from Connor. I’m his assistant, Emma.” I study her closely, seeing if my name sparks any recognition, that maybe Dad had slipped up and mentioned it to her, but there’s nothing other than polite interest on her face.
“We were at a photo shoot,” I continue, as if I need to justify myself for being here, “down the street when his brother texted him about coming here. I’m sorry to crash your wedding planning.”
She waves her hand to dismiss my concern. “Mackenzie’s the one with actual work to do. I just have to say if I like her ideas or not.”
“Well, let’s hope it goes better than last time,” Mackenzie quips, earning a chuckle from Serena. Is she referencing how they switched grooms in the middle of the ceremony previously? And speaking of, if Mackenzie is dating Serena’s ex-fiancé, how are they all so cool with each other? I must be missing something.
I stay quiet as Mackenzie paints a picture of her vision for the space, white tulle and fresh greenery framing the arch behind the couple, gold chairs lined up in neat rows for the guests, and that long runner where Serena will make her way down the aisle to marry her already sort-of husband.
“Could we have lit candles along the aisle too?” Serena asks. “It would look so romantic.”