Page 36 of Last Chance Seduction (Montgomery Ink Legacy #9)

Chapter Eighteen

Brooklyn

A few months later

“W hy do I have so many freckles? I think I have more freckles than everybody in the family combined.” I scrunched my nose, staring in the mirror.

My freckles had been the bane of my existence for longer than I cared to admit.

It wasn’t that I truly hated them, but sometimes I wished there weren’t so many.

They covered most of my face, not just my cheeks and nose like my siblings.

No, they were on my forehead, my chin, all down my chest. My dermatologist swore I was doing just fine, and it wasn’t anything to be alarmed about. It was just genetics.

And yet, none of my cousins had this wide array of freckles. Not even my brothers. And yes, technically they were my half-brothers, as we didn’t share the same father, but still.

Riley snorted at my side. “You do realize that it doesn’t matter what kind of freckles we have genetically? Because although I love you with every ounce of my soul, we don’t share quite the same genetics. Some, yes, but not all of them.”

I frowned at my cousin, or perhaps first cousin once removed (I could never understand what that meant), then conceded the point. “Okay fine. But your siblings don’t have any freckles. And you only have like three. Our dads are twins. You would’ve thought we would’ve looked a little more alike.”

Riley, the oldest of her siblings, just snorted. “My friend. My cousin, near love of my life. We do look alike. We have the same nose, the same chin. Your eyes just happen to look gray and silver underneath some lights. While mine are boring blue.”

“Okay, we don’t need to go and comment about who has boring eye color, do we?

” Mercy said as she leaned back in her chair.

She had her e-reader on her lap and was barely paying attention to us.

Considering I knew for a fact that our cousin Lex had kept her up all night doing things I didn’t want to think about, I was surprised she had any energy left to even join in the conversation.

“Okay sorry, I love my eyes. I love everything about us. And I love your freckles,” Riley said pointedly. “And Duke loves your freckles.”

I blushed, that bright pink shining radiantly underneath said freckles.

“He does, doesn’t he? Once he tried to count them all and kiss them all, and it took all night.

” I put my hand over my chest, that warmth sliding through me.

Then once again I looked down at my left hand, at the new ring twinkling underneath the lights.

“I’m getting married. Married . I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t believe Uncle Storm let it happen,” Riley said with a snort.

“You know, I grew up with you guys, at least in the periphery. And I know that you guys say that your dads are all overprotective and growly, and yet, I don’t think so. I think they’re just marshmallows.”

Riley and I met each other’s gazes before we burst out laughing.

“Oh they are. Especially for their little girls, however,” Riley continued, “you don’t tell them that. Because if you tell them that, then they get more overprotective just to annoy you. It’s sort of how things work.”

“Do you think Lex will be like that when he’s older?” Mercy asked.

“Duh,” Riley and I said at the same time. Then my cousin and I met each other’s gazes and burst out laughing.

I loved my family. I loved the depth of it, the immense number.

Even though we all saw each other often, we were also smaller units.

Meaning many times the only family that I had and got to see every day were my parents and my two older brothers.

And Nate and James had that twin thing going on.

So sometimes it was just nice to be surrounded by women, the girls I had grown up with.

Of all of my cousins, I supposed Riley and I were the closest. We were the same age, had gone through all the same classes, and of course, our dads were twins.

And in a family where twins ran rampant, it meant many connections.

I was just sad that Riley hadn’t decided to come work with me. Instead, she had gone to organize and practically run the Montgomery Art Gallery by herself. However, our other cousin Jamie, until recently, was making sure that Montgomery Construction didn’t blow up.

I frowned, wondering what we were going to do now that Jamie was gone. And not just gone from our job, but from the state.

“What’s that frown about?” Mercy asked as she set her e-reader down once again.

“I miss Jamie. And Libby. Why do they keep moving to Wyoming? What’s so good up there?”

“Ranchers in tight jeans?” Riley asked.

“And on horses. Knowing what to do with their hands? And with that slight accent that doesn’t make any sense because they’re from Wyoming?” Mercy put in.

“Okay fine that is all true. But I don’t need a cowboy. I have Duke. He’s fantastic.” I’d grown up surrounded by healthy and happy marriages. I knew love was real and I could scream from the rooftops that it was finally my turn.

“And you’re getting married!” Riley said as she twirled around. Her dress, a handmade piece by one of her friends, flowed around her, and I couldn’t help but take a quick photo with my phone. I wasn’t the photographer in the family but could do decently well with a point and snap.

“So do you think Patrick’s going to propose?” I asked, meeting Riley’s gaze.

She and Patrick had been dating for a couple of years and really gelled.

He was a nice guy who thought Riley walked on air.

As long as Riley was happy, I’d be in Patrick’s corner.

The moment he broke her heart however—if that ever happened—I’d use one of my trusty shovels and show Riley my ditch digging skills from work.

That’s what friends were for.

She shrugged. “Maybe. We’re doing great right now though, so if it happens it happens. I don’t want to put so much pressure on it that I’m not enjoying the moment. I love him. He loves me. And we’ve been through so much together. I’m just happy with the way things are.”

Mercy stood up then and wrapped her arms around both of our waists. “And I’m glad that you guys have adopted me. Being around you two just reminds me that I don’t have to sit in my booth alone all day. Even though I might get behind on my deadline.”

“Deadline schmeadline,” I teased. “Okay, now do I look okay? Even with all these freckles?”

“Stop talking about your freckles. They’re gorgeous. And I’m glad you’re not covering them up.”

“I’m just glad that I can find a decent coverage foundation that has sunscreen in it that’s not actually full coverage.” I shrugged. “I may lament my freckles, but they’re me. And it did remind me that Duke loves them.”

“Okay, go meet your perfect fiancé, and then tomorrow we start wedding planning. I know the moms are going to have fun with it.”

“Duke’s parents will probably want a say, outside of the Montgomery purview,” I teased.

“Maybe, but we still win. We outnumber them,” Riley added.

“You outnumber most small towns,” Mercy said dryly.

I rolled my eyes and finished getting ready, adding a coat of lip gloss, as well as mascara, and grabbed my bag from Mercy’s side table.

We had all piled into her room earlier that day, and I knew that one day soon she would move next door, and this house would go for rent. It was just one more change in the way that our family was growing.

I was ecstatic for Lexington and Mercy. As well as Riley and Patrick. And now I had the man of my dreams.

Before Duke, I’d been the person who dated the wrong guy.

All through middle school and high school I dated the guy who wouldn’t stand up for me or even himself.

I didn’t mind being the strong one. The most vocal of the relationship.

I didn’t mind being the one to always voice my opinions and stand up for us.

But just once it was nice when they stood up for me.

And Duke did that.

I made my way downtown, parking behind my mom’s bookshop. I was grateful for that space since there was no other parking around, and I walked the two blocks to the restaurant. There were tons of other places to go closer to us, but Duke’s favorite place happened to be a steakhouse by his work.

When I got there, the hostess quickly took me to where Duke was seated, and the love of my life stood up and wrapped his arm around my waist.

“There you are. I’ve been waiting for you.” He brushed his lips against mine, and I sank into him.

I loved everything about this man. His kind eyes, the way that they crinkled at the edges when he smiled because he laughed so much.

I loved his blond hair, a running joke in our family since most of the men in my life were all brown haired, and apparently the favorite hot celebrities weren’t usually blond.

However, mine always had been. I blame Legolas from Lord of the Rings when I had been a kid. It just is what it is.

When Duke lifted up my hand and brushed his lips along my ring finger, right underneath my engagement ring, I blushed.

“I’m really enjoying my new jewelry. Though my hand’s quite heavy now.”

Duke threw his head back and laughed. “That’s what I like to hear. Come on, take a seat. I ordered us your favorite sparkling wine. But we can change it if you want.”

“That sounds perfect.” He knew what I liked and ordered ahead, but never in an overbearing way. I liked being able to just relax after a long day in the gardens.

“I did not order any appetizers, because I have no idea what you want when it comes to food. Wine? I’m your man. Not so much with the apps.”

I fluttered my eyelashes. “Considering I change my mind every single time we come here, that makes sense.”

“And they have specials. So who knows.”

I settled into the booth next to him, leaning against his shoulder.

Things just felt good.

We had new bids at the worksite, and while my hands were covered in minor cuts, and no matter what I did, it felt like I always had dirt under my fingernails thanks to my job, I loved what I did.