Page 28 of Love Unbound
Kasey snickered, “Back not even a week and you’re already in trouble.” Taking a deep, steadying breath, Kasey asked, “Is that the girl you’re hung up on? The Kendall woman?”
Free rolled his eyes and slapped Kasey on the back, laughing, “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
Kasey bobbed his dark blonde eyebrows comically. “Damn straight, I can’t wait to meet the chick that stole Freeman Thorp’s heart.”
Free took another drink of his beer, falling silent. Had Jodi stolen his heart?
Glancing down the bar, Free noticed that Kale, Kasey’s younger brother, was starting to look a little green around the gills, so Free excused himself from Kasey and helped the younger man out the back so he could empty his stomach in private. The bushes behind the bar were a haven for drunk patrons, and Free admittedly had used them a handful of times.
Chuckling, Free patted his younger cousin on the back and said, “First time?”
Kale groaned miserably and Free chuckled again. Jordan, Shane’s best friend and one of the groomsmen, found them inthe back. “Want me to have your uncle take him home?”
Free nodded, still smiling. “Probably should,” Free murmured, then helped Kale to his feet and headed to the dark parking lot while Jordan found Adam Corcoran, Kale and Kasey’s dad. He had volunteered to be their designated driver for the evening, wanting to make sure everyone got home safely, which they all appreciated greatly. Free was certain this wouldn’t be the first trip home Uncle Adam would make.
Waving goodbye as Adam drove away with a miserable Kale in the passenger seat, Free turned to head back into the bar, but was brought up short when a man with dark blonde hair stepped out of a black Lincoln parked several vehicles away.
“You Freeman?” the man asked, walking toward him slowly. He seemed out of place, his nice jeans and button-down shirt not the normal attire you’d find at the dive bar. Free stayed where he was, raising his chin slightly. The man was a couple inches shorter than him, but the glint in the stranger’s eyes made Free wary.
“Depends. Who’s asking?” Free muttered, eyeing the stranger up and down, as the other man was doing the same to him.
The stranger finished looking him up and down and snorted a derisive laugh. “Of course she didn’t tell you.”
Free rolled his eyes then, not in the mood to play games in a dark parking lot with a complete stranger, one who obviously knew who he was. “I’m not interested in riddles, man. What are you talking about?”
Stepping forward until only a few feet separated them, the stranger raised his eyes to Free’s, and said coolly, “I’m Josh, Jodi’s husband. Or didn’t she mention that she’s married?”
Chapter 19
Stretching languidly, Jodi yawned broadly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her foot bumped another, and she turned her head and a smile tugged at her lips. Shaun was sound asleep, her curly hair spread out across the pillow next to Jodi. Rolling out of the queen-sized bed, she was careful not to wake her sister. Pulling on a light robe, she left the bedroom and padded down the hallway quietly. Entering the kitchen, she prepped a large pot of coffee to brew.
The margarita night-bachelorette party had gone off wonderfully. It had turned into a slumber party, something Jodi hadn’t done since she was in college. It had been a night full of stiffly poured margaritas, hordes of chips and salsa, and an abundance of laughter. Shaun had fashioned a bridal sash for Cassie to wear for the evening in honor of her upcoming nuptials. They’d playedCards Against Humanity, and Jodi had laughed until her sides and cheeks ached. It had been a houseful of giggling women. To Jodi’s relief, Shaun had not scheduled any strippers, though she had insisted they watchMagic Mikewhile munching on buckets filled with buttery popcorn.
Jodi had enjoyed having all of them over, she hadn’t had that much fun or laughed that hard in years, Josh would have never allowed a gathering such as that to occur while they’d been married.
The large, U-shaped couch in the living room had the pull out drawn, and somehow Cassie and her three bridesmaids had all slept on it together. All she could see was a pile of blanketsand heads from where she stood in the kitchen, and she smiled. Tessa and Kit had taken the guest room, and Jodi had made up an extra bed in her writing office for Zoey, who had brought her two month old daughter with her. The baby had been passed from woman to woman the night before, each woman’s ovaries exploding at the precious, golden-haired newborn.
Zoey Chandler had been Shaun’s best friend since kindergarten, which Jodi attributed to the reason Shaun started dating Tommy, who was Zoey’s older brother. Tommy adored Shaun, but Jodi couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Shaun needed someone who would challenge her a little more than Tommy did. Her sister was pure fire; she needed someone that was going to nurture the flame without letting it turn into a wildfire, or smothering it completely.
Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she took it with her into the bathroom, starting a hot shower. She showered quickly, an idea forming. Stepping out, she towel dried, walking to the closet to pull on clothes hastily. It was one of the last hot days of autumn, the humidity stifling. She chose a pair of old, comfortably soft cutoff jean shorts that left her legs bare to high thigh, and then pulled on a racerback style tank top. Loathing to leave her heavy hair down in the heat, she piled it high on her head and secured it with a twist, though with the humidity in the air, tendrils curled around her face almost immediately. Sliding her feet into comfortable sandals, she exited the bedroom.
Calling ahead, she placed an order from a local bagel and donut shop nearby, then climbed into the Jeep. Within minutes she was at the small cafe, picking up several large bags laden with assorted bagels, cream cheeses, and donuts. Pulling back into the driveway, she carried two of the bags into the house, saying a quiet good morning to Cassie and the other two bridesmaids, who had awoken and were sipping coffee on the couch. The others were not out of bed yet.
“I brought breakfast,” Jodi said softly, setting the bags on the counter. “Cassie, did the guys say where they were staying last night?”
Cassie stretched and yawned broadly, nodding around her yawn. “Shane messaged me last night that they were all back home safe.”
“Good,” Jodi said and smiled widely. “I’m going to run food over to the guys, I’m sure they’re all much more hungover than they expected, and I doubt any of them will be in any shape to make breakfast.”
“You’re so sweet,” Cassie said and smiled. She took another sip of coffee. “And thank you for breakfast and coffee. It smells delicious.”
“You’re welcome, take your time. I’m just going to run this over and then I’ll be back!” Jodi called softly as she headed back out the door. Driving the short way to Shane and Cassie’s home, Jodi pulled in and parked, glad to see a plethora of cars were still parked in the driveway. Picking the remaining bags up by the handles, Jodi slid out of the Jeep and climbed the few steps up to the front door.
Before she could knock, the door opened and Shane stepped halfway out, scratching his bare chest and yawning loudly.
“Hi,” she said cheerily.
He groaned and clapped one hand to his head, massaging his temples dramatically. “Hiya, JoJo.”
