Page 89 of Forever Enough
Laughing, I pulled her to me and hugged her one more time before we walked back toward the rental SUV.
“Yes, his parents’ house. Michael, my other boss, lives down in that house. It’s a beautiful Victorian.” I pointed past the greenhouse to the white home that stood in the distance. “This part of the farm was closer to what once was strictly the Littlewood Ranch, but the ranch and farm are basically now combined.”
“It’s beautiful, Kenz, I see why you love it here.”
Doug held out his arms and I walked into them, giving him a strong hug and whispering, “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Always,” he replied with a squeeze before we broke apart. “I wish we could stay longer, but Em tells me you’ll be in New York City for a few days?”
I chuckled. “Yes, I’ll fill you both in, but let’s get your stuff and get up to my apartment. We can walk this way to the side door, so you don’t have to walk through the barn.”
“I’d love to go through the barn and meet Pickles,” Emily argued.
“Okay, then through the barn we go!”
Emily grabbed a carry-on bag and her purse, while Doug got both suitcases. I took them in through the barn so they could meet the animals. Doug instantly dropped the suitcases and went to Barkley and O’Malloy, another paint that Will had just brought back in from the pasture, where they’d been grazing all morning.
“What beautiful horses.”
“You know, I’ve never asked, do you like to ride, Doug?”
He flashed me a wide smile. “I love to, but I haven’t ridden in years.”
“We’ll have to fix that.”
The deep voice from the entrance of the barn caused the three of us to turn, only to find Bradly standing there. My entire body erupted with goose bumps at the sight of him.
“Bradly, I thought you were helping Brock set up things for the party?”
He smiled, and those dimples went on full display. I heard my sister next to me release a small gasp, and I knew how she felt. The man was breathtaking.
“It’s a good thing I’m in love with Doug,” she whispered to me, then giggled.
“Emily, Doug, this is Bradly Littlewood. Bradly, this is my sister Emily and Doug Mitchel, her fiancé.”
Doug reached his hand out to shake Bradly’s, then stepped aside so Emily could do the same. Instead, my sister hauled him in for a hug and said something to him that only he could hear. He grinned and nodded.
“I didn’t mean to intrude on you guys, I just wanted to make sure you got here okay. I’ll be back around five to pick you up for the wedding.”
“You’re sure Lily doesn’t mind two complete strangers attending her wedding?” Emily asked.
Bradly winked. “She absolutely doesn’t mind. She’s so over-the-moon happy that she’s getting married, I doubt she’ll notice any of us there. My aunt and uncle are hosting the reception and New Year’s Eve party at their house afterward.” He turned to me and added, “I figured I would pick you guys up and we’d drive over together.”
I nodded. “That sounds great.”
“I’m so, so excited!” Emily said as she clapped her hands. “I’ve never actually been to a wedding before.”
Bradly smiled at her, then focused back on me. “Do you need me to do anything or help with anything?”
With a shake of my head, I replied, “Nope. All we have to do is get these two settled and then get ready for a wedding and party to ring in the new year.”
He leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
I fought the urge to pull him back to me and deepen the kiss. “Okay.”
Bradly’s dark eyes swung over to Doug and Emily. “It was truly a pleasure meeting you. I can’t wait to get to know you both better.”
“Nice to meet you,” Doug said with a wide grin. Emily bounced on her toes and waved as she called out that we’d see Bradly later.