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"Why do you look nervous?" she asked finally

"I’ spectacularly

"The grip you have on the steering wheel would suggest otherwise"

I frowned more deeply and immediately loosened my hold We were on our way to dinner, where thefor the first tian, Florida, New Jersey, and Washington, even some from Canada A number of them I hadn’t seen in twenty years or more In all, there were over three hundred and fifty people arriving within the next few days God only knee were in for On a good day I hated sest events of my life, I was terrified I would be such an enormous asole that everyone would leave town before the actual event

Leaning forward so I would glance over at her, she asked, "Aren’t you excited for this week?"

"Yes, of course I’ how I’ll handle all of the socializing"

"My guess is ‘badly,’" she said, pokingher a playfully stern glance "Thanks"

"Look, just wait until youwhere she’d poked me "It’ll be all the distraction you’ll need"

Chloe’s dad had traveled from North Dakota with his two very loud and eccentric sisters They were both recently divorced, and Chloe proest disaster of the week I wasn’t so sure we should give out that tiara just yet--Chloe had yet toelse and all you’ll be able to worry about is what they’ll do to get themselves arrested and how much it will cost you in bail " She leaned over and began fiddling with the car stereo, stopping on a pulsing, high-pitched pop song I slid ust into the brief glance

Satisfied that I was sufficiently annoyed, she sat back in her seat "So what else is bothering you? You’re not getting cold feet on me now, are you?"

I leveled her with a look that was hed "Then talk to me Tell me what else is on your ers with h "It’s just the loo has turned into such a thing Do you know I had fourteen texts fro froet his back waxed at the hotel--as if I know! You said it yesterday: it’s beco this but I wonder if you had it right when you suggested sneaking off to Vegas"

She gavesas As in flee"

"Right"

"You knoe’re not that far fro out the here we could still see planes landing and taking off "It’s not too late to escape"

"Don’t temptheadlong into disaster, I didn’t actually want to leave San Diego had always been special to us: it here I stopped being an idiot and finally let myself love her It here Chloe finally let me And Jesus, had it really been over two years? Hoas that even possible? It felt like only yesterday I was covertly ogling Miss Mills’ ass as we checked into the W Later, she’d called me by ether one other time, of course, to select the location for this weekend But that had been such a ind trip, and this one carried a far greater weight We were here for our wedding Despite the way she’d crashed the bachelor party, the fact that we’d bought a Manhattan aparter, it was this strangeain, Chloe would behand acrossawfully quiet over there Can I take your conte?" Chloe asked

I shook rip on her hand "We’re here And there isn’t a chance in hell I’d ht way too fking hard for you"

"Knock it off, Bennett You’re a lot easier to deal hen you’re being a dick"

"And I put up ay toowhen I felt her fist connect with my shoulder "But I do feel I should warn you one more time Somea vita tens of thousands of dollars for advertising in the AARP azine?"

I blinked over to her "What? Who did that?"

"Your cousin Bull," she answered, shrugging "Henry told me some stories on the phone the other day Apparently it’s his new venture He’s going tofrom Will and Max"

"Why am I even surprised?"

She waved her hand dismissively "Families are supposed to be a handful, Bennett Otherwise you’d never leave them And mine isn’t quite all there, either You knowto enjoy the Ryan fa shoes"

"Well--" I began, but stopped as she crossed her legs in front of her "Chloe?"

She picked sos "H?"

"You like?" she said, lifting her foot and erous Spiked heel, deep blue patent leather

"Were you wearing those e left the hotel?"

"I was You were on the phone with your brother"