Page 19 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)
And her siblings still didn’t know the truth behind the breakup.
Jamison wanted to keep it that way for now.
There hadn’t been a good moment, and maybe there never would be, but with all the stress weighing on Evie and the complications with her pregnancy, the last thing she and Liam wanted to do was give her yet another thing to be upset over.
Liam lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “She has one week. ”
“One week?” Evie was already wrestling her way off the couch to stand. “What happens in a week?”
“We’re getting married,” Liam replied, physically bracing himself. “No exceptions.”
“What?” Evie shrieked, struggling to get upright. Samuel was trying his best to help, but she was flailing so much that it was hard for him to get a handle on her. “What do you mean in a week?”
Liam waited patiently for Evie to come marching over. “We’re getting married here, under the Marriage Oak.”
Evie pointed a finger in his face, her mouth opening and closing. “You can’t give us just one week to plan!”
“I’m not waiting. We don’t know what’s coming next, and we sure as hell don’t know when you’re giving birth.” Liam nodded at her baby bump. “Still having those Toni Braxton contractions?”
Evie jabbed a finger into his chest. “They’re called Braxton Hicks, and yes, but that doesn’t mean anything.
” She swung her finger at Jamison, who straightened under its power.
Her sister was terrifying on a good day, but add in pregnancy hormones, and things could get crazy real quick.
“Is this what you want? What about the beach wedding? With the lanterns, and the fairy lights, and the bonfire, and the girls in their pretty dresses?!”
Jamison struggled with what to say because if she were honest, none of it mattered anymore. They could have a big beach ceremony for their one-year anniversary when life settled down, but in the meantime, she was prepared to admit Liam was right. All she needed was him.
And her dress.
She wasn’t giving up that dress.
“We can still incorporate most of the details. We’ll just be walking on grass instead of sand. Also, let’s be for real here. You’re not upset we’re skipping the beach wedding, Evie. On the inside, you’re completely fine with this.”
“Oh, she’s not upset.” Samuel came up behind Evie, wrapping his arms around her so he could lift and massage her lower stomach. “If you guys want to get married in a week, do it. We’ll support you no matter what.”
A sarcastic smile twisted the corners of Evie’s mouth. “Have you told Annabeth?”
“No, I have not yet spoken to my wedding planner,” Jamison replied primly. Annabeth hadn’t been thrilled with a beach wedding either, worried that she would miss out on the whole thing if she panicked. “This is all pretty fresh.”
“We’re going to need a new dress for Harper,” Evie rattled off, already ten steps ahead.
“She had that growth spurt over the summer. The menu’s easy because it will just be us, but then Rowan needs to set up a screen for Selah and Lenora.
It should feel like they’re here and not just watching through someone’s phone. ”
Samuel rested his chin on her shoulder, rubbing slow, calming circles as she sped on. “And flowers. What are we going to do about the flowers? Oh! I know.” Evie squealed, suddenly excited. “We can make bouquets from the flowers in Ty’s rainbow garden. Yes, that’ll be lovely and appropriate.”
“Don’t forget music,” Liam said, tossing fuel onto the wedding planning fire. “We’ll need someone to play DJ.”
“Holden can do it.” Completely lost in her thoughts, Evie headed for the door. “Abe’s notary license is still valid, I think. Annabeth and I will figure out the photography. Ugh, then there’s videography…”
And she was gone. Samuel watched her retreat with a small smile. “Nice distraction. You’re pretty smart, Cohen.”
“That makes you the second Fairweather to say that today,” Liam said with a nod toward Samuel’s new hairstyle. “Speaking of pretty, those braids are really working for you.”
“Shut up.” Samuel tilted his head at Jamison. “Can you get this clip out?”
Jamison smirked at the glittery butterfly holding Theo’s braided masterpiece together. “Won’t Theo be mad?”
“She’s already forgotten.” Samuel worked his fingers through his hair once all his accessories were out. “Okay. Give me the real details on this dock.”
Liam showed Samuel something on his phone. “Watson’s dad was ex-military. Emmett, though? Total recluse. Rowan dug through his last three years. The guy basically lives online. Dating apps, conspiracy forums, anime boards, even the server Zanmi uses for public announcements. ”
The public server for Zanmi mainly consisted of Toby’s basic bio and a call to action to help free him.
During the years when the public was obsessed with their new favorite serial killer, Rowan said it wasn’t uncommon to see close to eighty thousand unique users.
These days, there were barely a hundred, with a few more who only trickled in when Zanmi did a press conference.
Samuel’s face darkened. “Do you think Watson is one of them?”
“No. He hasn’t even searched for Toby or Zanmi in over a year. When he did visit the forum, it was brief and more out of curiosity than anything else.”
Jamison stood off to the side, listening quietly. But before Liam could dive deeper, both men’s phones buzzed, and the distinct, high-pitched sound that followed alerted them that someone was at the gate.
“Who’s here?” Jamison leaned to see Liam’s screen. The security feed clicked on, showing a blacked-out luxury SUV. “Are we expecting anyone new?”
The SUV’s window lowered to reveal a stunning woman with cropped blonde hair. She wore enormous sunglasses, so it was hard to gauge her exact age when she tipped her head up to the camera.
“Open the gates, Rowan,” the woman ordered, her demand ringing loud and clear through Liam’s phones. “Or so help me, God, I will drive right through them.”