Love? Hardly. Shawn didn’t even believe in love at first sight. Her triumph at besting Eve’s argument was short-lived.
Charity answered before she could. “Of course not! There’s no way. It’s lust, pure and simple. He must be hung like an ox.”
Well, now that was slightly insulting. The assumption that she would get married based purely on the size of a man’s penis made her seem profoundly shallow. She might get married for business reasons, but not for penile size. Sheesh. Give a girl some credit.
“We are in love. Desperate, maddening, cannot-be-explained love. I mean, seriously, ladies, he is seven years younger than me and not my type at all, but sometimes, you just get swept up off your feet.” And hand her a f**king Oscar, thank you very much.
“Yeah, and onto your back,” Charity insisted.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” was Eve’s opinion. “My mother-in-law is going to shart herself. Both her precious sons eloping in the same year. I hope like hell you and Rhett know what you’re doing.”
Not a clue. But fake it till you make it. “I’m not going to worry about it. None of it. People’s opinions don’t matter when you’re happy.” She almost choked on her own cheesiness, but she forced it out.
“And when it all goes south, you just get divorced. No biggie,” Charity said cheerfully.
Her thought exactly, which suddenly made her sad. Was she cynical about relationships? She hadn’t thought so, but maybe she was. Her own father was a douchebag, and her flaky mother had run through a string of lousy boyfriends over the years, so maybe Shawn had gotten used to looking at relationships with expiration dates on them. Was it so impossible to think that marriage could last? Eve and Nolan had started off with an impulsive and improbable beginning, and they seemed quite happy.
“Don’t be a Debbie Downer,” Harley told her twin.
Eve looked torn. “I want to be supportive. I do. I mean, damn it, you’re right. Was it really that different with me and Nolan? But . . . you and Rhett? For real? He’s such a demanding brat.” She leaned forward on her elbows, studying Shawn carefully. “Are you happy?”
“Yes,” she said truthfully, because she was. She was scared. Nervous. But she was happy. Hamby Speedway was still hers and she was going to make a success out of it. That was all she had ever wanted. She was also going to have an orgasm, or multiple ones, in a week or so. Rhett looked like he could put some air in her tires, and she was looking forward to that. So, yeah. She was actually good, now that she thought about it, even as fears and moral implications stewed in the back of her brain. “And I don’t think he’s a brat at all.” Demanding, perhaps. But he was always very honest and straightforward, and she respected that.
“Rhett looks pretty damn happy, too,” Charity said, pointing to the doorway. “Here he comes with Nolan.”
What? Shawn twisted toward where Charity was gesturing. Yep. That was Rhett, looking sexy as hell in his wedding jeans, which cupped his buns quite nicely, she might add. Nolan, whose nostrils were flaring in agitation, walked in behind him. What the hell were they doing there?
“I would say ‘smug’ is a better word for it,” Eve said. “Rhett does smug well.”
That he did. Shawn felt the now-familiar rapid heartbeat and hardening of the ni**les she experienced whenever Rhett was around her. It was something about that expression he wore . . . not just the confidence he exhibited, but the way he made her feel, that he was looking at her, and only her, that made smug sexy.
But what he was doing strolling into La Ranchita was a mystery. She should have known he had a reason for asking specifically where she was going.
It made her uneasy.
Yet he was giving her a smile. He raised his hand in greeting and peeled off his coat as he approached their table. He leaned over and kissed her possessively on the mouth. Without missing a beat, he turned and asked the table at large, “Did Shawn tell y’all the news?”
Nolan was shaking his head as he gestured for the hostess to bring them two more chairs. “I would say so, given the looks on their faces.”
“Did you seriously marry my oldest friend in the middle of a Friday afternoon six days after meeting her?” Eve asked. “Because I just want to be clear about what I’m hearing.”
“I did.” With a smile for her, Rhett took the chair the hostess brought over. “Thank you, ma’am, appreciate it.” He nudged it in alongside Shawn, so that when he sat down, his leg was nice and snug against hers. “And there wasn’t even any alcohol involved.”
Just a legal contract and serious greenbacks. But never mind that. Shawn took another swallow of her margarita, then instantly regretted it, remembering the saying about tequila and clothes falling off. She didn’t need to lose her drawers and the bet tonight. It was a situation she had very little control over, this whole business with the track. So the bottom line was, she wanted to delude herself into thinking she had some kind of control over Rhett. By proving she could hold out on sex.
Yeah. This was all just brilliant.
“For the first time in her life, my wife is speechless,” Nolan said wryly as he sat down next to Eve on her free side. “But I guess congratulations are in order, Shawn. I have to say I’m more than a little surprised, but who am I to stand in the way of true love?”
There might be more than a little sarcasm in his voice, but Shawn chose to ignore it. If Charity or Harley had strolled in and announced they were married to a man they had just met, she was sure her reaction would be similar to the ones they were being given.
“Thanks, bro,” Rhett said. “Now I think you should buy me a drink.”
“I can do that. Anyone else?” Nolan asked. “This round is on me.”
“That’s it?” Eve asked. “That’s all you’re going to say? Your brother marries a total stranger, and you offer to buy him a drink?”
“I’m a total stranger?” Shawn asked, indignant at Eve’s choice of words.
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t. It’s not like you don’t know I’m a decent person. What do you need to protect Rhett from, exactly?”
“Yeah, it’s not like she’s a gold digger,” Nolan joked. “Rhett doesn’t have a pot to piss in.”
Next to her, she felt Rhett shift uncomfortably. “Way to sell me, Nolan, thanks.”