She was so sweet.

As the afternoon wore on, Reyes and I got to sit back and watch Cookie in action. For once in her life, my very best friend was the absolute center of attention. And she glowed.

“She’s really something,” Reyes said to me.

I turned to him, his eyes sparkling with appreciation as he watched her and Ubie. “You know, every time you say something like that, I fall a little more in love with you.”

His shimmering gaze landed on me in surprise. But he recovered quickly, his expression intensifying as he took me in. It made my insides tighten.

“I wanted to thank you for being Uncle Bob’s best man.”

He didn’t respond. His gaze dropped to my mouth and lingered there as his heat feathered over my skin. He let one finger slide under the hem of my dress and up over a knee. His touch sent a shiver of delight racing up my thigh to settle in my nether regions. He was so darkly sensual, the moment didn’t last long. There were too many other women clamoring for his attention, and I sat floored at their brazenness. No idea why. It was like that everywhere we went. Well, when we went places. One actually asked him if he could go out front to check her tires.

Man, Cookie had a fertile set of relatives.

Most people stayed outside to mingle. Fortunately, there weren’t many departed in the back. They were mostly on the front lawn. As Reyes helped pull tables together, I chatted with Swopes and Osh, much to the chagrin of Cookie’s second cousins, who were vying for their attention at the time, then with my good friend Pari and her beau, Tre. Then I sought out Quentin and Amber after Cookie and Uncle Bob cut the cake. We’d asked Quentin beforehand if he’d wanted an interpreter and he said no, informing us that nobody listened to the words anyway. He just wanted to enjoy the ceremony. What he’d really wanted was to whisper—aka, sign small where no one else could see—back and forth with Amber through the whole thing. They were absolutely adorable together.

The next obstacle I faced that afternoon was of the four-legged variety. Thrilled that Reyes and I were outside, and taking that as her cue to get her freak on, Artemis ran around like a gerbil on meth, turning occasionally to make sure we were still watching. And God help us if we weren’t. Every time we turned away, she charged. That was fine for most involved, but she was solid to Reyes, Osh, and me. So while she flew through the guests with the greatest of ease, she’d almost taken me out. Twice. Fearing for my and Beep’s safety, Reyes escorted me inside, where more food awaited and guests stood around chatting and eating and generally enjoying the afternoon. But we weren’t in there long before he was needed elsewhere.

Turned out, Cookie had a whole plethora of family that I didn’t know about. They were all aunts, uncles, and cousins. No siblings and her parents had passed away years ago, but she still had family showing up to represent like true homies. She even had that gaggle of second cousins. Five young women who had decided that Reyes, Osh, and Garrett were the most delicious beings they’d ever seen. Even Quentin and Pari’s tall drink of water, Tre, weren’t exempt from the Flirtatious Five. I was right there with them, but I did fear for one’s life when she made googly eyes at Quentin. Amber’s hackles rose to needlelike points, and I was afraid the other girl would not make it home with all her hair. Or all her limbs. Or both eyes. Or a full set of teeth. So many body parts could go missing in such a scenario.

Thankfully, Reyes headed that confrontation off at the pass, and Amber led Quentin to a quiet little table away from most of the guests. But that put Reyes back in the fray. I watched as the five practically assaulted him, each trying to get closer than the next. He took it all in stride, not that I was surprised. He’d been getting that kind of attention his entire life.

And he knew I was watching from inside. I sat at a window as he endured their attention, but the more I watched, the more flirtatious glances he shot my way. The more winks he offered. The more lopsided grins he wore. It was all quite enchanting, but the one that got me, the killer movement that almost sent me into orgasmic bliss, was when he glanced at me from across the sea of guests, gave me a long, languid once-over, then pulled his lower lip in through his teeth. To say the move was sexy would have been like calling a tsunami a ripple in the ocean.

I stood and walked to the door that led outside, about five seconds away from ordering him in, when I heard a female voice.

“Hi, pumpkin head.”

I turned to see my aunt Lillian standing behind me, trying to see over my shoulder. Aunt Lil had died some time in the ’60s. She was part world traveler and part hippie. Since there were so many people around us, I had no choice but to put my phone to my ear so I could talk to her without looking like a mental patient.

“Aunt Lil,” I said, giving her a quick hug before anyone saw us. “When did you get back?”

“Just now, sweet cheeks. What’s all the hubbub about?”

“Cookie got married today.”

“Cookie?”

I nodded. “She married Uncle Bob.”

Aunt Lil cackled with delight at the thought. “’Bout time that boy got hitched. I been worried about him ever since that yogurt incident when he was seven.”

I didn’t dare ask. “So, how long are you staying?”

“Until you pop, I suppose. I got to see this girl everyone is raving about. Whole place is jumping. Nobody will stop talking about her. Even had to call in the riot police, just in case.”

No idea.

“That’s so great, Aunt Lil. I’m thrilled you’ll be here when Beep arrives.”