Page 79 of Breaking Bristol
I was almost too stunned to speak. Almost. “Are you serious?”
“Why do you think I’ve been asking stupid questions about fixtures and flooring?”
“You told me you were redoing your condo!” I exclaimed.
“Sweetheart, I lied.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How many bedrooms?”
A cocky smile made my panties wet. “Five.”
“Jeez. How many kids do you want to have?”
“However many you want,” he answered.
“Not five.”
He chuckled. “Let’s focus on this one right now.”
“At least we’ll have spare rooms for when my parents come.”
“They won’t be staying with us.”
My head reared back, and I pulled my hands out of his. “Excuse me?”
“They’ll be staying in the guesthouse.”
“Knock, knock.” My mother poked her head in and gasped. “What are you doing? You can’t see her before the wedding!”
“Too late now,” he mumbled.
“Go, shoo.” She stepped between us and herded him to the door. “We’ll be down in five minutes.”
He winked at me before she whipped the door shut, then pointed at me. “Y’all don’t need any more bad luck.”
“He built me a house with five bedrooms and a guesthouse for you and Dad to stay in.” Her lip quivered. “And I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, Bristol, my baby.” She dissolved into tears, and I sat next to her on the couch.
“So we don’t need luck, Mama. We’ve got love.”
I was reaching for a tissue when the door flew open again, and Matthew came right to me. “This generation, so impatient,” my mom muttered.
Matthew crouched down and held my face, then kissed me. With tongue. Right next to my mother! He pressed a final smack to my lips but kept them close. “You saved a seat for Mikey.”
“He’s got one at your family’s table, too,” I murmured softly.
His eyes glimmered, and a grin played on his lips. “Hurry up so we can get married.”
I sighed dramatically. “Thanks to you, I’ve gotta fix my lipstick first.”
“You don’t have to fix anything, baby. You’re perfect just as you are.” He brushed his thumb across my empty ring finger before he left.
My mom was dabbing her eyes and handed me the tissue I’d dropped. “You heard the man, let’s go.”
“One second.” Rushing to the mirror, I did a quick swipe of a dewy pink gloss on top of a darker pink that was supposed to be kiss-proof, but clearly, they didn’t include Matthew in their tests.
Mom and I finally descended the stairs to where Scotty, my dad, Susie, and Lucy stood. “My stars,” Daddy said before his face fell, and he started crying. I’d never seen my father break down, but I knew he needed me to do something, so I rushed to him, and before I reached him, he swooped me up in a bear hug. The only other place besides Matthew’s arms I felt safe. “Aside from your mama on our wedding day, I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you are right now.”