Page 31 of No Place Like Home (Orlinda Valley #3)

Rowan

T his “helping with the wedding” as a runner thing was such a joke.

The guys were already dressed and hanging out at the small groom’s cabin behind the wedding pavilion.

The cabin was a newer building, built for the wedding venue just last year.

It contained a dressing area, two bathrooms, a small kitchenette, and a game room which contained a dart board, television, and pool table for killing time before an event.

I sat on the oversized couch in the game room with my feet up and a beer in my hand, waiting.

I had nothing else to do. Susie was with the women, and, according to her texts, she’d been pretty busy.

Meanwhile, not much had been going on here except for a lot of trash-talking, alcohol consumption, and dart-throwing.

“Hey, bro.” Bryson fell into the cushion next to me and threw his arm over my shoulders, Jamison falling into place on the other side. “What’re you doing by yourself?”

Jamison smacked me on my thigh. “Here, brother pic.” He held up his camera and we all squished together. They smiled, I lifted my brows, and he snapped the picture. “Yeah. You’re quiet,” he said as he tapped away at his phone and sent the picture.

“Texting Lilly?” I asked.

“Yep. I promised Darcie I’d send her a picture of us. But let’s get back to you. Why you so quiet?”

“Quiet? Hell, what do you expect of me? Y’all have been drinking and acting the fools you are.

I have to stay focused and get you where you need to be on time.

” Just then my phone pinged. I read the message.

“And it’s time for the first look. Kai, you ready?

The girls are on their way, and you need to go into your room until you’re told to come out. ”

He blew out a breath. “Looks like we’re doing this.” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. His smile filled his face and his silver eyes gleamed.

“You’re not crying, are you?” Lance asked.

“Shut up, Lance,” Jamison said. “Maybe one day you’ll fall in love and understand how important this day is.”

“What girl would be dumb enough to deal with his standards—or lack thereof?” I asked.

Lance was not the type to focus on just one girl.

Though their mom, Kaye, is a sweet woman, Lance and Lilly’s father was an asshole—and, unfortunately, Lance might have inherited that trait.

He was someone I could barely tolerate on a normal day, but somehow he remained Jamison’s best friend. I’d never understood that.

“Whatever, dick. I don’t see you with anyone draped over your arm.”

“You didn’t see him last night with Summer?” Bryson elbowed me. “I think Summer has finally opened her eyes to what’s always been right in front of her. ”

“Yeah, well we all know what kind of person she is. Her standards are pretty low. Hell, I wouldn’t even go there, and if Rowan thinks I don’t have standards, what does that say for him?” Lance laughed at his own stupid joke, but I saw red-hot fire behind my eyes. I jumped up from the couch.

I’d be damned if I’d let someone talk about Summer with disrespect—and Lance, of all people, sure as hell wasn’t going to get away with it. “What did you say, asshole?” I asked, nose-to-nose with him. We were about the same height, so his bulky size didn’t intimidate me.

“Rowan, back off,” Jamison said as he came up beside me and placed his hand on my arm.

I pulled out of his grasp, keeping my gaze on Lance. “Leave it, Jamison. Let me take this asshole. He’s always irritated me. I never understood why you kept him around.”

“What, Rowan?” Lance taunted. “You’re the small-town god and military hero. Was it so hard to find a beautiful piece of ass anywhere else to shack up with on your trips around the globe, that you had to come home and settle for Summer?”

That was it. I didn’t think, I just reacted. Crack! My fist made contact with Lance’s nose, and the spurt of blood that ran down his face and splattered on his tux was in high contrast to the white shirt he wore.

“Fucking-a, you piece of shit!” Lance bellowed as he covered his nose with his hands.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Kai hollered.

He glanced between me and Lance, his eyes bulging when he saw Lance’s face.

“Shit! Jamison, get your brother out of here. Bryson, get me a towel and some ice. Kora’s going to be pissed.

” He led Lance to the kitchen. “And you need to get your shit straight. You’re walking Summer down the aisle. ”

I didn’t hear what else was said, because Jamison pulled me outside just as Susie came around the corner of the house.

“Hey, guys,” she said, her voice upbeat and oozing with excitement. Then she froze when she saw me shaking out the pain that shot through my hand, and her eyes trailed over me. “What happened?”

I cradled my hand in my arm and paced in tight, angry circles. I needed to get a grip before my anger took over completely.

“Oh, nothing much,” Jamison spat, directing his sarcasm at me. “Just Lance and Rowan having some words. Lance getting his nose broken. Rowan bruising his knuckles.”

“Why does Rowan have bruised knuckles?” Kora came around the bend along with her dad. Nigel came over to me and put his hands on my arms to stop my pacing and checked out my hand.

“Uncle Nigel, good to see you,” I said through gritted teeth.

“You too, Rowan.” He grabbed my hand then caught my gaze. “It’s swollen, but I don’t think anything’s broken. You need to ice it.”

“It’s fine,” I seethed.

“What happened, Row?” Kora asked

His gaze wandered across my face and a smirk ticked at the corners of his mouth. “Good luck dealing with her.” He jerked his head toward Kora and smacked my arms, just as Kora walked up.

“Yeah, Rowan?” my mother echoed. Great, she and all the women were there too. Summer’s eyes were huge.

“Rowan?” Summer said as she rushed to my side and grabbed my hand. “Who did you punch? ”

I shook my head and closed my eyes.

“He punched Lance,” Susie said as she came out from the house with Bryson right behind her. “And Lance has a broken nose.”

“What?” chorused every female voice in the vicinity.

Bryson came to my defense, his hands in the air. “Lance deserved it. He was speaking shit and Rowan shut him up. Sorry, Kaye.”

“Speaking shit about what?” Kaye asked.

“Or better yet, who?” my mother added.

I shook my head at Bryson. Hopefully he got the message that he better keep it quiet.

“Great,” Kora fumed. “You dumbassess can’t keep your testosterone in check for a day? This is my wedding!”

I turned toward Kora and froze. She was beautiful—angelic.

Guilt filled my gut. “Damn, Kor. You look amazing. I’m sorry, but if you knew what he said—trust me, you’d support me.”

“I’ll find out later. Right now, I want my first look. I’m dying to see my future husband, so everyone go away and let us do this.”

We all filed into the house. I pulled Summer off to the side. There was no way in hell I was going to let her anywhere near Lance, and I sure as hell didn’t want to be in arm’s reach of him. I’d only punch him again for good measure.

Every place in the cabin had a good view of Kora and Kai’s first look, since the wall along the back was basically one long window. Summer and I stood off to the side, left alone while everyone was getting ready to gush over the bride and groom.

“What could Lance have said to piss you off enough that you punched him?” Summer asked. “I know he’s not your favorite person, but, Rowan, seriously? Fighting isn’t your style unless you’re . . .” She stopped and looked at me .

Damn. I turned away from her. She really knew me. Too well.

She turned me back to face her. “Who were you sticking up for?”

I looked away. “Shouldn’t you be watching this?

” Kai was already outside, waiting with his back to the bride’s entrance, and Summer reluctantly turned her attention away from me as Kora walked around the corner and stood close to him.

He turned around, and the expressions on their faces were priceless.

They both cried and wrapped each other in a hug.

Everyone in the cabin did the same. I admit, even I got a little misty watching my cousin wrapped in the arms of the man she loved.

I heard a sniff and turned to Summer. When she looked at me, she smiled and gave a small shrug. I wiped a lone tear from her cheek. “Look at you. Getting sappy in your old age?”

“Fuck you,” she said with a laugh.

“I’d like that,” I said with a wink.

She laughed again and rolled her eyes.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“You look amazing,” I whispered. She did.

The dress she wore hugged all her curves and showed just enough cleavage that it was sexy, yet not overdone.

Spaghetti straps showed off her shoulders, and the back dipped low toward her hips.

I held her away from me and gave her a once-over.

Her chestnut hair and brown eyes popped against the bright red of her lipstick. I leaned in to kiss her.

She put her hands on my chest. “You’ll mess up the lipstick. We have pictures in a minute. But you also look pretty damn handsome, at least for someone who’s just the help.”

“Yeah, well,” a voice said nearby, “that’s a good thing, as he’s no longer the help.”

I turned to see Kai and Kora standing next to us .

“Seems that Lance has to take care of an injury,” Kai said, “so it’s a good thing you have on a tux. Looks like you’re in the wedding.”

“Think you can handle taking Lance’s spot and escorting Summer?” Kora added.

“I think I can handle it,” I said as I turned to Summer and my blood pulsed through my veins. “Looks like it’s you and me, Summertime.”

She smiled. “I guess so.”

“Good. Stay close. We’ll need you both for pictures.” Kora pulled Kai away to continue their circuit around the room.

Summer closed the small gap between us and placed her hands on my chest. “So, did you hit him so you’d get in the wedding, finally? That’s pretty desperate of you.”

I placed my hands on her arms, feeling the need to tell her the truth. “Lance was being his typical jackass self and needed to be put straight.”

“That’s what I figured,” Summer said. “You never answered me. Who were you sticking up for? And tell me the truth. If it was me, I can take it.”

“What makes you think it was you?”

“If it was anyone else, one of the other guys would have punched him. He said something to get to you, so I’m figuring it was about me.”

“Beautiful and smart.” I nodded. “Yeah, it was, but don’t make me repeat it.”

“I won’t, because I don’t care what he thinks of me.

Never have. He’s too much like his old man, and I don’t have time for that kind of shit in my life.

” She wrapped her arms through mine, stood on her toes, and kissed my lips.

“Thank you for still being my knight in shining armor—or, I guess, my knight in one hot tux.”

She kissed me again, soft and sweet. I hovered there a moment, enjoying her scent and warmth. Then I smirked and said, “Thought we couldn’t mess up your lipstick.”

“It’s long-lasting. It won’t wear off that easily.” She winked and smiled. “Even if it did, I can reapply.”

“Okay everyone,” Susie announced. “It’s time for pictures, then we need to get a couple married.”

“We’ll continue this later,” I said to Summer as we joined everyone outside.