Jenna shot Gavin a glare. Ty smirked.
“We played basketball earlier today, so I invited Ty to dinner. You have a problem with that?”
“Why would I care who comes to dinner?” She shrugged and pushed off the couch. “I’m going to get a drink. Anyone want one?”
She left the room and her mother rose, too. “I’ll go check the roast and put the potatoes on now that Jenna’s here.”
“I’ll come help you, Mom,” Tara said.
“Me, too.” Liz got up to follow, and Ty figured that was a signal for girl talk to commence, either about him or about the wedding. Or maybe both.
“What’s going on with you and Jenna?” Gavin asked.
“Nothing. I tried to get her to go out with me. She said no.”
Mick snorted. “She hates sports and any guy who plays them. Except her brothers, of course.”
“Dude. She barely tolerates us and we’re family.”
Mick nodded at Gavin. “True.”
Ty tilted the bottle of beer to his lips and took a long swallow, then nodded. “Yeah. She made it pretty clear I didn’t stand a chance.”
“Do you like her?”
Ty shifted his gaze to Nathan. “Yeah, I like her.”
“Then go for it.”
“Kind of like beating my head against a brick wall, kid.”
Nathan dragged his gaze away from the soccer game that was on to focus his full attention on Ty. “So? Dad always tells me not to give up on something I want.”
Ty didn’t plan to give up, but he wasn’t going to have this conversation with a teenager and Jenna’s brothers. “I’ll give it some thought. Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Anytime.”
Mick grinned over Nathan’s head at Ty. “He’s right. She’s stubborn, but we kind of like you.”
“We do, though I don’t know why,” Gavin added with a wink. “And God knows she never goes out. Give it a shot.”
“She said she was seeing someone.”
“She’s lying,” Mick said. “Tara said she’s not bringing anyone to the wedding. If she had a guy, she’d have a date. As far as I know she’s going solo.”
Interesting.
JENNA HID OUT IN THE KITCHEN WITH HER MOTHER until the last item had been dragged into the dining room. Then she had no choice but to join the family—and Ty—in there.
It seemed like every time she turned around, there he was. At the bar, and now at her parents’ house. What was it going to take to get rid of this guy? It was bad enough he haunted her fantasies. Did he have to stalk her reality, too?
Of course, since everyone was paired up, and Nathan had such a fierce case of hero worship of Mick that he had to sit next to him, Tyler ended up being seated next to her. The physical attraction she felt for him was intense. She tried to focus on her food, but she had damn good peripheral vision, which meant even glancing at her plate meant she could see his hands—strong and large, with dark hairs that crept up his wrists. He’d pushed the sleeves of his Henley up so she couldn’t help but notice his muscled forearms. So instead, she focused on her lap, which meant she’d occasionally steal glances at his thighs, and then her gaze would travel inward toward his—
Stop. She would not stare at his lap, would not imagine him pushing his chair back so she could climb on and rock against him.
For God’s sake. She was in her parents’ dining room. She would not have sexual fantasies about Ty.
Her cheeks burned with the visual and her head shot up, expecting to find her entire family staring at her.
They weren’t. They were engaged in conversation, everyone ignoring her.
Everyone except Ty, of course, who glanced her way with a knowing quirk of his lips.
Bastard.
Maybe she should just have sex with him, get him out of her system, and then she’d never have to think about him again.
“Jenna.”
Grateful for the distraction, she looked to Tara. “Yes?”
“We have dress fittings on Tuesday night at seven. Can you make it?”
She relaxed and smiled at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Wouldn’t miss it. I’ve already got coverage at the bar that night, so I’m free for the evening.”
Tara wiggled in her seat. “I know I shouldn’t be this giddy, but with the wedding under two weeks away, I can’t help it.”
“We’re all excited,” Jenna’s mother said. “It’ll be here before you know it.”
Then Tara did the unthinkable. “Tyler, will you be available to come to the wedding?”
No. Please say no. Maybe he’d have a game.
“What’s the date?”
She told him and he paused, mentally calculating the date. “That’s a Friday. There’s no game that night, so yeah, I’m free.”
Tara’s eyes sparkled. “We’d love to have you come to the wedding. I know it’s last minute, but if you’re available, please say you’ll be there.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
Jenna bit her lip.
“Don’t be silly. It’s not an intrusion. You’re friends with Gavin and Mick, and Gavin says you don’t have family here. Mick and I would love to have you at our wedding.”
Mick cast a grin at Jenna before turning his gaze back to Tyler. “Sure. Come to the wedding. It’s going to be a great party.”
“Thanks. I’d love to come.”
Jenna had a feeling she’d just been set up. By her entire family.
FOUR
ON TUESDAY SHE MET TARA AND ELIZABETH AT THE bridal shop, along with Maggie, one of Tara’s best friends from her event planning business, who had flown in to spend the final week and a half with Tara before the wedding. Maggie had taken over the event planning business from Tara in San Francisco.
Maggie was Tara’s maid of honor. Liz and Jenna were bridesmaids, and they were all enjoying the final dress fitting before the big day.
“I have to say you’re being pretty cool about all this,” Elizabeth said as she watched Tara being fitted for her dress. “I’m going to be a freakin’ wreck when it’s my turn.”
Tara smiled as the bridal shop seamstresses put the finishing touches on what Jenna thought was a breathtaking gown.
“I love Mick, and I’m getting my happily ever after. Everything else is just icing on the cake. Besides, I’m an event planner. It’s in my nature to stay calm under pressure.”