“At least you came to your senses,” Jack muttered.
“You being so fucking sensible, after all, before you met Rory.”
“Ophelia’s favorite date would be hiking over the beautiful mountains of our home, with a picnic by the falls to finish.”
“All those raw carrots would get stuck in the teeth.”
“Peas be kind, Pip,” Rory said.
“She does look radishing,” Joe added.
Luke refused to laugh. Ophelia sent him a smoldering look.
“Seems you’re forgiven for the pumpkin rolling,” Pip whispered.
“Oh, yay.”
“Six hundred dollars!” Mayor Gripper said.
“‘I believe and therefore anything is possible’ is something Ophelia lives by,” Mayor Gripper added.
“I passed a billboard once with those words on it,” Dylan said.
“Eight hundred dollars!” Major Gripper smashed down his gavel when no more bids were forthcoming.
Luke tried to see who had won but couldn’t.
Bailey gave him the nod to say they’d made enough, so he didn’t need to pull on his uniform, much to Luke’s relief.
“My wife gets more beautiful every time I look at her,” Joe said, smiling at her.
“And still she blushes when you look at her like that,” Luke said, noticing his sister-in-law’s pink cheeks.
“I love that woman so much.”
“I know, bro.”
“I want that for you, Luke.” Joe’s green eyes locked on Luke’s. “I don’t want you to be scared of commitment anymore.”
“I’m trying not to be.”
“Well that’s a start. Usually you’d tell me to fuck off if I spoke to you like that.”
A few more came and went, and then Mayor Gripper announced the last bachelorette. Luke tensed.
“Showtime,” Joe said.
“She didn’t want to do this, but after Bailey rang her, she said she would to help the kids,” Pip said in his ear. “She called me to help her get ready.”
“Ready how?”
“Quinn just wanted to run her outfit by me. I helped a little with makeup, but she had it covered. Plus, she’s beautiful without any paint.”
“She is…” His words fell away as Quinn walked onto the stage. “Well, fuck me.”
“Right? How good does she look?” Pip said.
“She looked good before,” Luke said. But makeup changed her face. Not more beautiful, just different. Her eyes had a sparkling gray shadow, and Pip had made them seem bigger. Her lips were slicked with a soft pink, as were her cheekbones.