Page 39

Bishop

My jaw clenched when Susannah’s laugh reached me. We’d been on the terrace for an hour. The food and drinks were flowing, while everyone chatted. Eden was still standing at the bar with Dana and Tallulah, and every so often I would see her smile in response to what the other two women were saying. I couldn’t deny I was curious about their conversation, but they didn’t look in my direction at all, so I couldn’t attract her attention and find out.

Susannah laughed again, loud and abrasive to my ears. She was drunk. It was obvious from the slur in her voice as she talked to Kennedy and Saul. I kept my gaze firmly away from her and focused on the conversation between Crosby and David.

“—so, when I found out, I fired him. An employee flirting with my wife is completely unacceptable.”

“Is ‘fired him’ code for something else?” Crosby lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip.

David’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s just say it’s unlikely anyone will hire him again.”

I knew his type. Like I’d told Eden, his preferred method of removing someone was to kill them. I didn’t doubt for a second that the employee he was talking about was dead.

“Do you have a high employee turnover?” I asked, and three sets of eyes turned to me. “If you fire everyone who looks sideways at your wife, I imagine you do.”

“I don’t fire everyone, just the ones who cross the line.”

“And what is that line?”

“You seem very interested.”

I shrugged. “I’d prefer not to get a bullet to the head if I say hello or pass her the salt over dinner.”

He stared at me for a long second, then threw back his head and laughed. “I like him, Crosby. You were right. He is very dry.”

Crosby sent me a curious look. “He is. And secretive.”

“Secretive?” David’s sharp gaze turned to me.

“My friend here told me he was bringing a plus one. That alone would be a first for Bishop. But it wasn’t just a date he brought.” Crosby shook his head. “No, Bishop here turns up with a wife .”

“I didn’t realize I had to inform you of every decision I made.”

“You don’t. But as your friend , I thought I’d at least get an invite to your wedding.”

“It was spur of the moment. We didn’t invite anyone.”

“You’re not a spur of the moment kind of person, Bishop, so you’ll forgive me if that makes me extremely curious about your relationship.”

My gaze shifted to Eden, drifting over the thick red braid hanging down her back. “She’s rare. Seeing her smile makes me …” I frowned and switched my gaze back to Crosby. “It makes me happy.”

Silence greeted my words, then Crosby cleared his throat. “That’s how it is for me with Dana.” He patted my shoulder. “I don’t blame you for locking that down fast. I should have done it a lot sooner myself.” He turned to look at where the two women stood with his mother. “They seem to be getting along well.”

“They do. It’s a quality I’ve noticed about Eden. She seems able to connect to people. Like I said … she’s rare.”

“Spoken like a man in love.” David chuckled. “Make the most of it, boys.”

“And, on that note, I think I’ll go and remind my fiancée that I exist.” Crosby lifted his glass to us both in a silent toast and walked across the terrace to the women.

“I think I might do the same,” I said into the silence. “Eden never did bring me that drink she promised. If you’ll excuse me …” I inclined my head toward David and followed Crosby.

When I reached Eden, I tweaked her braid. “Did you forget about me?”

She twisted around at my voice. “No, of course not.”

“Then what happened to my drink?”

She turned pink. “Oh! Maybe I did forget about you … just for a minute.”

“Sixty of them. You’ve been over here for an hour.” I accepted the drink Crosby handed to me and tipped it toward her. “I could have died of thirst.”

The pink in her cheeks deepened. “I doubt that would have happened.”

“Maybe that was the plan.” I eyed her over the rim of the glass. “Let me die. Become a widow. Steal all my ill-gotten gains.”

She gave a startled laugh. “It wasn’t , but now it’s definitely an option.”

“Better watch my back.”

“That’s okay, I’m happy to watch it for you.” Her eyes widened and she bit her lip.

I tilted my head to one side. “Been watching my back, Songbird?”

“Hard to miss it when you come out of the shower half naked.” She buried her face into the glass she was clutching.

I wasn’t sure if I was meant to hear her muttered words or not, but I couldn’t resist responding. “Maybe you should have joined me.”

She choked on the mouthful of drink she’d taken. Everyone around us laughed. Tears streaming from her eyes as she spluttered, she pointed at me.

“You shouldn’t have said that.”

“And miss out on your reaction? I have to disagree.” Teasing her was apparently an unforeseen bonus to our pretend marriage.

“Don’t torment the poor girl,” Tallulah chided, but she was smiling as she looked at us both.

“I apologize. I’m very sorry.” There was no hint of contrition in my voice.

“No, you’re not,” Eden said.

“No.” I reached out and stroked a finger over her lips. “I’m really not.”