This Changes Everything by Jennifer Ashley Page 0,1
the McLaughlin brothers doing prank poses until Calandra threatens to bean us with her bouquet.
Abby remains poised through it all, far above the rest of us. I get to stand next to her in some pics, and the two of us flank Calandra and Ryan in others. Then the group, with my parents, two people still very much in love.
Calandra and Ryan chose a hiking trip in in northern Arizona for their honeymoon. Whatever floats their boat. I’m betting it isn’t so much hiking they have in mind as being alone, far from brothers, parents, and friends.
After photos we zoom off to the resort hotel in north Phoenix we’ll all spend the night in. The reception dinner is held in a huge tent outside with a band, food, and plenty of booze. The only flaw is that I have to make a speech.
Abby sits next to me at a long table across the back of the tent, the bride, groom, and wedding party on display. Abby’s arms and shoulders are bare, her dress showing a bit of cleavage. Not that I’m looking.
Okay, I’m looking, but I’m keeping my eyes polite. No gaping, gawping, or drooling. I’m a gentleman.
Abby notices my nervousness and puts it down to speech jitters. “Here.” She pours her untouched drink into my empty glass. “Courage.”
I take a gulp, and cough, my eyes watering. “What is this?”
“Single malt Scotch, no mixer.”
“Nice.” I venture another sip, savoring this time. “You into whisky?”
Abby shrugs. She has light brown eyes that go well with her dark hair, her irises ringed with gray. I’ve never seen that in eyes before, and I study them with interest.
“I’m not into tastings and writing stuff in a notebook,” she says. “I just like it.”
I make a mental note to casually mention Dad’s collection of Glenfiddich at some point.
“It’s not bad,” I say, hefting the glass.
“It’s what the bar is serving. Drink it,” Abby advises. “Get you over the jitters.”
“Or make me so drunk I forget the speech.”
She’s laughing at me now. “Not if you wrote it down.”
“Why would I do that?” I nod at the waiter who’s circulating and order Abby another Scotch. “I’m going to wing it.”
The corners of Abby’s eyes go all crinkly. “Oh, great idea.”
“I know. I’m screwed. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to say.”
The waiter brings the Scotch, which Abby sips. “Don’t worry about it. Just say what’s in your heart.”
“You mean—I wish I was doing anything but standing up in front of you all making a speech?”
“You could go with that.” Abby nods gravely. “Why don’t you? I’d love to see that.”
“Heart of gold, that’s you.”
She laughs. “Well, you suck at kissing, so I want to see if you suck at speeches.”
My whole body gets hot, and my face must be red as a brick. “I didn’t suck. I was thirteen. What did I know?”
Abby leans closer, and I start getting lightheaded. I shouldn’t drink single malt so fast. “Are you saying I was your first kiss?” she asks.
“Yep.” I clear my throat. “One I hoped you’d forgotten.”
“How could I? It was my first kiss too.”
I hadn’t known that. I’d gone through puberty thinking I’d made a huge fool of myself with a sophisticated woman. Now I find out, twenty years later, that I worried for nothing.
I raise my glass in salute, and Abby clicks hers against mine. “In that case,” I say, “I think we both sucked.”
“There might have been sucking. I’m not really sure.”
I lapse into laughter. It had been a stupid moment of my life, and I’m glad she can make fun of it without malice. We’ll joke—we’ll move on.
Except I suddenly don’t want to move on. What has Abby been doing all this time, and what kind of woman has she turned out to be?
A beautiful one with a smattering of freckles on her lightly tanned skin, fascinating eyes, and full-lipped mouth. Plus a hot body, which I am definitely not checking out.
My father, Alan McLaughlin, starts tinking his spoon against his glass. The waiters hurriedly finish pouring champagne into flutes and set them down on the tables.
Ryan leans around Calandra to eye me. “You’re on, dude.”
Shit. I take a gulp of the Scotch and stand up.
“Here’s goes nothing,” I whisper to Abby, and raise my waiting glass of champagne.
Chapter Two
Abby
All attention turns to Zach, who can command a room with his blue eyes alone. Dark blue, lined with sexy black lashes that go with his dark hair. The entire family has