“Have you guys set a date yet?” Caroline asked, her gaze bouncing between Finn and Macy. She set two beers on the coffee table for them then took a seat in an adjacent chair.
Macy looked up from little Penny who she held snugly in her arms. “There’s no rush.” She then glanced at Finn as if to ask for confirmation.
Finn frowned as he cracked open his beer. “When I make up my mind to do something I don’t like to procrastinate.” The truth was he was afraid that his fiancée might change her mind. It had been more than a month now since she’d said she wanted to marry him but she was always too busy to make a plan. Yes, he understood she was getting her new TV show—local TV show—off the ground. Dress for Pennies was designed to teach women and men how to dress with style while on a budget. Macy was very excited about it.
“There is nothing wrong with long engagements,” Dev Talwar chimed in. “I have been engaged for nearly three years now.”
Finn stared at the man like he was crazy. “Three years? That’s ridiculous. Who gets engaged for three years?”
“My parents chose my wife for me. Kumari and I met when I was fourteen and she was eight. When she turned twenty-one we became officially engaged, but Kumari’s family wants her to finish her degree before marrying. I am quite excited. I have not seen her since she was sixteen.”
“Your parents chose an eight-year-old girl and decided she was the one for you?” Finn shook his head in disbelief. He didn’t know there were still cultures that did things like that. But apparently he was wrong.
“Yes,” Dev said.
“But what if she’s ugly? Or obese?”
Dev shrugged. “It does not matter. I will love her forever.”
Finn swore under his breath and Macy elbowed him. “I think it’s sweet and very romantic. I would trust my parents to pick a mate for me.”
Finn jerked his head to study her. “Baby, I’ve met your parents and I don’t think they would have chosen me for you.”
The room erupted in laughter. Dev, Ryder, Caroline, Luke Remington, Caroline’s brother Jared and his wife Lorraine were all there at the Ryder home enjoying pizza and wings.
Macy smiled sweetly and touched Finn’s arm. “If they knew you the way I know you, they would have.”
Her comment made him feel better, a little more secure. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. He could wait a little while longer to get married. Macy was right. There was no rush. Besides, they were already sharing a house. And a bed. What more could he possibly ask for? Except for a few kids running around.
And then it hit him. No wonder he was so impatient and didn’t want a long engagement. He wanted what Ryder and Caroline had. A perfect family. He leaned into Macy and whispered in her ear. “Let’s get out of here and go make a baby.”
He watched as her face and neck warmed with color. Almost immediately she stood and placed Penny in Caroline’s arms. “I just remembered I have something to do. Finn and I are going to leave if you don’t mind.”
“So soon?” Caroline asked. “What’s so important that you can’t stay for a while longer?”
Macy glanced at Finn and then back at Caroline. “We have a wedding to plan.”
THE END