Page 105 of The Paradise Plan

Harrison grinned at Robbie and leaned a little closer to him.“Nothing wrong with modesty, son.But they must see something they like.”

Robbie swallowed again.“We’ll see.I have another interview next week—in Denver.”

Harrison nodded.“Keep us informed.”He loved including himself with Cass, and it felt natural to do so.

Jane joined the group, and Harrison shifted to make room for her too.“Grammy wants more tea,” she said.

“Oh, is your grandmother here?”Harrison scanned the crowd and didn’t see her.“Was that a surprise too?”

Jane looked at Conrad blankly, and Conrad shrugged.“I don’t know,” they said together.

Harrison hadn’t known Cass’s parents would be there, but he didn’t want to say that.Instead, he put his arm around Jane and said, “It’s good to see you.”

She grinned up at him and said, “You too.”

“Where are you off to after this?”

Jane looked over to her mother, and Harrison followed her gaze.He wanted to go help her, kiss her, and whisper how he couldn’t wait until they could be alone.She seemed a little frazzled, and Harrison would’ve never surprised her with eight extra mouths to feed.That just wasn’t how Cass was built.She could plan a big party, and do so gladly.But she wouldn’t like planning for six people and then suddenly have to add eight more to it.

In that moment, he decided tonight would be a bad time to ask her to be his wife.It would be one too many surprises, and she’d reject him in front of everyone.

Thankfully, he’d told no one about his plans—which was really to simply pull out the ring in the moment before dinner started, with everyone seated at the table, and proclaim his love for her one more time before he asked her if she’d marry him.

The ring sat in his pocket, and there it could stay…for now.

“I can’t wait to see your outdoor kitchen,” Jane said.“It’s all Conrad talks about.”

“That’s not true,” Conrad said with a healthy roll of his eyes.“But it’s pretty cool.”

“I’m hosting a barbecue on Thursday,” Harrison said.“Y’all can see it then.”He nodded to Bea and Joy.“How long are the ladies staying?”

Sariah joined the group, wiping her hands on a towel.“They’re leaving Thursday morning,” she said.“So your barbecue will just be us.”

“And your grandparents?”

“Yes, them too.”Sariah moved into him and gave him an awkward side-hug.She cleared her throat and stepped back.“So eight of us.”

Just the fact that she included him in the “us” was far more than she’d done before.The hug too.

“Great,” he said.“I’m ready for eight of us.”He looked over to Cass.“I’m going to go see what Cass needs.”He extracted himself from the conversation and went into the kitchen, nodding and saying hello to the people he went past.He still didn’t see Cass’s parents, so they must be outside.

“Hey.”He arrived at Cass’s side and slid his hand along her waist, a thrill moving down his spine as he did.“You smell like sugar.”He chuckled as she leaned into him.

Her exhaustion bled into him, and he held it for her so she didn’t have to.“Eight extra people showed up,” she said.“I was ready until the doorbell rang.”

“They’re your friends,” he said under his breath.“You love them, and they love you.No big deal.”

She met his eyes and searched his face.“You’re right.This isn’t that big of a deal.”

“They’re your best friends,” he said.“They miss you.”

“Maybe I should go to Texas more often,” she said.

“ThenI’llmiss you.”He grinned at her, because she had gone to Texas twice for her Supper Club.His gaze landed on the caramel.“This looks amazing.”

“It goes on popcorn,” she said, and Bessie squeezed in between them.

“Oops, sorry Harrison.Cass, we’re ready.”She glanced at Harrison, her eyes blue and deep and pretty.