I glanced over to see my mother crying. Annika was leaking too. I let the women hug it out. When it was my turn, I high-fived my brother. “Smart move, man. Congrats.”
“Thanks.”
That was the extent of it for us. Didn’t mean I wasn’t happy for him—I was. I just wasn’t gonna cry about it.
After the big announcement, none of us felt like playing basketball.
Annika, Mom, the aunts and Mimi gathered in the gazebo to grill Lennox. Dad, the uncles and Jax played horseshoes. Nolan and Ash had left together, mumbling about a golf game, but I suspected they’d gone back to the office for whatever mysterious project they were working on.
Brady kept an eye on Lennox as we lounged at the bar.
When he fiddled with his wedding ring for the tenth time, I said, “Think you’ll get used to wearing that?”
“I’m already used to it.”
Our youngest brother made a whip-cracking sound.
“You know what I find interesting? That for being a ‘spontaneous’ wedding, that big rock fits her finger perfectly.” I sipped my beer. “Almost like it’d been sized to fit.”
“They have jewelry stores on the island, numb-nuts.”
Jens caught my train of thought and ran with it. “But I heard you have to apply for a marriage license at least a month in advance.”
“Yeah? Who’d you hear that from?” I volleyed back.
“Guy on the team. He and his girlfriend took a vacay there, decided to get hitched and were told they’d have to wait something like two weeks.”
I shrugged. “Maybe Brady has connections.”
“Or maybe our big bro lied about the impulsive nature of his nuptials,” Jensen added.
“Fine, you nosy bastards. I planned it, okay?”
Jens and I exchanged a fist bump and a grin.
“Spill the deets, bro,” he said.
Brady sighed. “It seemed prudent to have Lennox pick out her own engagement ring since it’ll be on her hand for the rest of her life.”
I mouthed, Prudent, at Jens and he snickered.
“Piss off. Seriously.”
“Sorry. Continue.”
He took a swig of beer. “After I picked up our matching rings, I started to panic about coming up with a perfect surprise proposal. Being a practical man, I decided to skip the proposal entirely and go straight to the main event. We’d already booked the vacation, so I scrambled to get the license. I asked Lennox’s old roommate Kiley to find a dress for her to wear, since she knew Lennox’s style, and I had it shipped to the hotel along with my suit. I ordered her favorite flowers, booked the honeymoon suite, hired a judge, found a spot on the beach and”—he smiled—“totally knocked her off her feet.”
“Cool. That’s the way to do it. Keeps it private and personal.”
“Thanks. Neither of us wanted a wedding spectacle.”
I raised my bottle to him. “I’ll say thanks for letting me skip wearing a tux.”
“You’re welcome. Enough about that. What’s going on with you and the mystery chick?”
“What mystery chick?” Jensen repeated.
“Walker didn’t tell you that he had a kiss-and-run incident in a dive bar with a hot brunette who lied about her name and gave him a fake phone number?” Brady said innocently.
Asswipe. I glared at him.
“No, it’s the first I’ve heard of it.” Jensen cuffed me in the back of the head. “Where’s the damn love for me? I oughta know this shit, bro.”
“I’ll show you the love, jackass.” I took a swing at him, but he could move lightning fast and dodged me.
“Knock it off, you two,” Brady warned. “So you found her?”
“Yeah.”
“How?”
“Total coincidence.”
“And?”
“And . . . it’s complicated.”
“Thankfully I have a brain that can follow complex human social patterns,” Brady said.
“Ditto for me,” Jensen chimed in. Then he added, “Dubbya, it blows when you boycott the family deals and pull the turtle routine so none of us know what’s shaking in your life.”
“Sorry. I just—” Didn’t think you’d noticed.
“Skip to the down-and-dirty parts and all will be forgiven.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Please tell me she wore a mask or something kinky when you found out her true identity.”
“There is no down and dirty. Or kinky.”
“Dude.” Jensen slumped in his chair. “I thought I was the only one who wasn’t getting laid regularly.”
“Funny, football star.” I drank my beer. “You get laid more often than anyone I know except Nolan.”