“March,” Carlotta countered.
“What?” Quinn, Trey, Tommy, and Marissa said at once in varying tones of surprise, panic, outrage, and worry.
“The more I think about it,” Carlotta said, “the more it just makes sense to go for early spring! So much happiness in the air. So much…”
“Pollen?” Quinn suggested. “Mud? And even in March, there’s almost definitely not going to be snow. Now, if we waited a whole year, we might be able to arrange a snow machine—”
“Nonsense,” Carlotta said.
“No way,” Trey muttered. “We’re gonna do this fast. I agree. March is great. Heck, let’s do February.”
Funny to see that eagerness coming from a guy who’d wanted to get all up in my fiancé’s—fake fiancé’s—business the day before, but I wasn’t going to argue. February suited my purposes even better than March.
“Grouse season,” Tommy said thoughtfully. “Could put together a hunt for the guests.”
“Maybe you could do it on Valentine’s Day?” I ventured.
Marissa clapped her hands and grinned. “Perfect! The most romantic day of the year.”
Quinn held up his hands. “Wait, wait. A cold winter wedding outside on a fallow farm in the Thicket? That we would have to plan in the next five weeks?” He laughed like it was a joke.
Marissa’s gaze turned dreamy. “It’s going to be amazing.”
“It’s going to be impossible,” Quinn said firmly. “And isn’t it a little overdone—?”
Mrs. Drakes piped up. “Benedict Cumberbatch and Salma Hayek got married on Valentine’s Day. I’ve been studying up on celebrity weddings.”
Now Quinn looked adorably confused. “Benedict Cumberbatch married Salma Hayek?”
Movement caught my attention behind the bride. Levi looked restless. “I agree with Quinn,” he said, surprising everyone. His eyes darted to his boss. “I only mean, we’ll need time to implement appropriate security precautions. Five weeks is… soon.”
Tommy smirked slightly. “Tell your father I’ll up the budget. You’d be surprised what can be done if you’re willing to grease the wheels, and I am.” He winked at his daughter. “Anything for Rissy.”
Levi looked like he was swallowing a live toad as he nodded.
I could tell by Quinn’s flaring nostrils that he wasn’t going to come around quite as easily.
I reached for his hand. “You’ll do okay, babe. I promise.”
He gave me an overwhelmed, unhappy look before he caught himself and blanked his expression. He withdrew his hand from my grasp. “I suppose I’ll have to.” The unspoken thanks to you came through loud and clear.
I grabbed his hand again, more firmly this time, and squeezed it in reassurance. “I’ll help,” I promised.
“Ohhh, no. No. You’ve done enough already, My Flower. You don’t know beans about floral inventory challenges around Valentine’s Day or the markup on labor to move supplies—not to mention electricity—out to a field,” he said firmly. “I think it’s best that you return to your work, and I’ll take care of mine.”
Unfortunately for both of us, his work was my work, at least for the foreseeable future.
“And deny your clients the benefit of my talents?” I blinked at him in confusion. “I couldn’t possibly, Lover. Besides, I have access to many muscular men,” I reminded him softly.
“Braggart,” he muttered before plastering on a pretty smile for the clients. “So, a farm wedding at Valentine’s! Sounds divine. Let’s talk about the guest list. Champ, My Lambkin, haven’t you been studying up on wedding invitations? Why not tell the folks everything you know about wrappers and belly bands and reception cards. Leave nothing out.”
I was going to kill him…. but first, I was going to prove his ass wrong.
“Well, according to the January issue of Bride Beautiful, there are Etsy sellers who make custom watercolor drawings for your invitation’s directions insert,” I began, sitting back in my chair a little smugly. “They’d capture the farm in all of its charming glory.”
The shocked look on Quinn’s face was worth all the minutes I’d spent killing time while letting him sleep.
Marissa sat up straighter. “Oh my gosh, I’ve heard of custom maps, but a watercolor would be beautiful! Champ! You and Quinn are just the dream team. I just can’t thank y’all enough!”
Trey rolled his eyes, and Tommy went back to scrolling his phone. Mrs. Drakes flipped to a fresh page in her notebook, and Levi looked at Marissa with little cartoon hearts floating around his head. But Quinn continued to stare at me like he wasn’t sure what species of person I was. Like he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to kill me with his laser eyes or throw me down on the Persian rug and ride me until we were both cross-eyed.
I knew that expression well because I was pretty sure I wore it a lot when I looked at him.
Deep in my brain, a warning bell started to chime, telling me that I was getting a little too comfortable with all the cute names and spending my nights in Quinn’s bed, but I ignored it.