When his sister Kristen got married, they’d had close to a hundred guests. And if his sister Jen and her boyfriend, Brett, who happened to be a longtime friend of his from the army, ever found themselves at the altar, the guest list would be close to three times as many, considering the family Brett belonged to. But, honestly, he saw no need to have that many people on hand for something so personal.
“I second that. When my brother Tucker got married, it was one of those over-the-top affairs. My sister-in-law even had two different wedding dresses, one for the ceremony and another for the reception. I adore Brittany, but let’s just say money has never been an issue for her family, and her parents spoil her even now.”
Although Maddie’s parents and three siblings lived in Virginia, he’d never met her eldest brother, Tucker, or her younger sister, Autumn. But, assuming he didn’t accidentally do something to fuck up their relationship, he saw that changing in the near future.
“Each to their own, I guess.” Maddie shrugged before taking a drink. “Where is your friend getting married?”
“Up in Maine.”
“Maine?”
It might not be Hawaii, but the state had a lot to offer, including a gorgeous coastline and terrific skiing. “What’s wrong with Maine?”
“Nothing. But I thought he still lived in Rhode Island, so I expected you to say Newport or maybe Providence.”
“He does live there, but only because the company he works for is located in Warwick. He goes up to Maine as often as possible and uses his grandparents’ cottage. That’s probably why he’s getting married up there. Anyway, how do you feel about coming with me?” If Maddie came with him, it’d be the first time he attended a wedding with a date. “If we fly into Providence instead of Boston or Manchester, we can visit my parents before we drive up to Maine.”
Introducing Maddie to his parents would be another in what was becoming a long list of firsts.
“Sure. Lady Haverston and Violet should be back on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean by then.”
“Should? I thought they were leaving on the twentieth.”
“As far as I know, they still are. But I overheard Violet asking her grandmother if they could spend another week here the other night. I didn’t hear Lady Haverston answer.”
It must be nice to not only go on vacation for six weeks but then be able to extend it an extra week if you wanted. The longest vacation he’d ever gone on had been for ten days.
“Since I’ve heard nothing from Ax yet, I’m guessing they’re still leaving on the twentieth, so let’s plan on me coming with you. Hopefully, your mom will have some nice embarrassing pictures of you to show me when we visit.”
He didn’t think Mom would pull out the family photo albums and embarrass the hell out of him, but a polite request asking her not to might not be a bad idea.
“Maybe we should stop and visit Kristen and Jen while we’re in the area. As younger sisters, I’m sure they’d be happy to tell me some interesting stories about you.”
Maddie’s comment reminded Keith that he still needed to let Jen know if they could get together this weekend. “You might not need to wait even that long. A buddy Brett went to West Point with is getting married tomorrow, so he and Jen arrived in DC tonight. My sister wants to meet you before they go home.”
“Your sister said she wants to meet me?” Maddie crossed her arms and gave him an I’m-not-buying-that expression.
He could read between the lines. “Her exact words were more like, ‘let’s get together.’ But it’s what she meant. I know my sister. Jen saw me a few weeks ago, so she didn’t ask because she misses me and can’t wait until Thanksgiving to see me again. So, what do you say?”
“Hey, I’ve subjected you to my brother Spencer enough times that meeting Jen is the least I can do.”