“You’ve warned me,” Liam said.

Reed patted Liam on the back. “Well, now that we got that little tantrum out of the way, how about a drink before we take off?”

“Beer is fine.”

Liam did a complete turn and took in the space.

It wasn’t the largest private jet Avery had been on, nor the smallest. There were half a dozen executive chairs that reclined into a comfortable sleeping position, a sofa, a TV, a bar, and of course, a bathroom.

“Do you guys always travel like this?”

“Every weekend,” Avery exaggerated.

Shannon sat back down. “Don’t listen to her. No. We don’t. Trina insisted.”

“The bride.”

“Yes.”

“This is pretty spectacular. Who is she marrying?”

The cabin went silent. All eyes traveled to Avery.

“Did you tell him anything?”

“I told him what time to be here.”

Reed chuckled and handed Liam a beer. “Do you listen to country music?”

Chapter Fifteen

Liam really thought that Avery’s strong protest of him not knowing what he was getting into had been nothing but smoke.

He was wrong.

Private planes and rubbing elbows with political wives . . . okay, ex-wife. Still, he didn’t think he had more room for new experiences until Reed informed him that he’d be attending the Texas wedding of the century. That might be an exaggeration, but Wade Thomas? His face, and that of his bride, had been pasted all over the tabloids at the checkout stands for weeks.

For once he was bummed he hadn’t picked up the magazine his sister had sitting on the end table in his living room to check it out. He might have put a few dots together if he had. Trina wasn’t a common name, and a wedding in Texas . . . Who was he kidding? He wouldn’t have figured it out.

It became painfully clear that this was not the first time this gaggle of friends had been on a private jet. Not every time, Shannon had said. But oftentimes. It appeared that Avery had been known to pay for the things. Who did that?

Who was she really? He started to wonder if his blowing off her telling him she’d married for money was a mistake.

If money made her tick, then why was she wasting her time with him? He did okay, moderately better than okay, but he hadn’t so much as sprung for a first-class ticket, let alone a private jet.

When the jet landed and they were picked up by a stretch limo and carted off the tarmac like the president, Liam ditched all hope of paying his way for any of this.

They arrived at Wade Thomas’s ranch, where the roads leading to it were lined with media and photographers wanting pictures of the bride and groom.

Their party was escorted beyond the gates and down the tree-lined road.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” Reed offered.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Today is about immediate family and friends. The rehearsal and the dinner . . . and then we’re taking Trina into one of the guesthouses for the night,” Avery reminded him.

“Down-to-earth people with money. Don’t let it get to you,” Reed told him.

Too late.

As he thought the words, Avery, who was sitting next to him in the limo, reached out and placed her hand over his.

His world, which had started to tilt off-kilter, began to settle.

He turned his eyes to hers, squeezed her hand, and smiled.

They pulled up to the main house and climbed out one at a time. “Holy wow.” He’d have to be blind not to be impressed. Massive beams spanned a front porch that you could put his entire home under.

“Don’t let me drool,” he whispered to Avery.

He loved hearing her laugh.

“You’re here!” A woman’s voice echoed through the open front doors.

“Did you think we would miss it?” Shannon asked.

Liam stood back while Trina hugged and giggled and smiled more than any woman he’d ever seen. When her attention landed on him, she pulled in a quick breath. “Oh my God, you’re Liam.”

“I am.” He put his hand out, which she ignored, pulling him into a hug. “I can’t believe she let you come.”

“Me either,” he confessed.

“Oh, good Lord,” Avery sighed. “I’m not that bad.”

A chorus of “Yes, you are” ensued.

Trina walked them into the foyer, and once again Liam was lost in the architecture.

“Sounds like the wedding party has arrived.”

Liam turned to find a living, breathing celebrity walking down the stairs to greet them.

Play it cool.

Wade shook Reed’s hand and hugged the women before offering a smile to Liam.

“Look who Avery brought,” Trina told her fiancé. “Liam, this is Wade.”

“I can’t believe the blonde pit bull caved,” he said, grinning as he shook Liam’s hand. The handshake said a lot.

“Blonde pit bull?” Liam questioned.

“Long story,” Avery offered.

“Not that long. She hated me,” Wade told him. “Said I wasn’t good enough for Trina. Which might be true, but that didn’t stop me.”

“He exaggerates.”

Wade lifted a hand in the air. “Can I have a witness?”

Shannon, Lori, and Trina joined the hand waving.

“Good thing I like you now, Cowboy.”

Wade dropped a hand over Avery’s shoulders and pulled them into the great room.

Avery had to admit, even to herself, that she was a little unnerved by how well Liam adapted to the group. They’d been placed in different parts of the house, mainly because Trina, Shannon, Lori, and Avery had already planned on spending the two days leading up to the wedding doing all the girl things that needed one more round before Trina took the plunge . . . again.

Within an hour of arriving, the four of them were whisked off for some spa time.

While sitting in crisp white spa robes with their feet soaking, they sipped wine and gossiped.

“Is Vicki behaving?” Avery asked Trina about her soon to be mother-in-law.

“She’s been quiet.”

“Is that good?” Shannon asked.

Trina shrugged. “I’m tired of trying to figure that woman out. One minute I think things are fine, and the next I swear she’s powdering my sugar cookies with arsenic.”

“Let it go. She’ll come around when she realizes there isn’t any going back,” Lori advised.

“So, Sunday?”

They all laughed.

Avery pulled her foot out of the pulsating water so the woman doing her pedicure could make her toes shine.

“Liam seems like a really nice guy,” Trina told Avery.

“Which begs the question what he wants with me.”

“Where did all this negativity come from?” Lori asked. “What happened to the self-assured woman who marched into my office before Bernie and said, and I quote, ‘He’s lucky to have me. Let’s do this.’?”

“That was different.”

“How?”

“It had an end date,” Avery said without thinking.

“And Liam doesn’t?” Shannon prompted.

“Of course he does. I just don’t know when that is.” She switched feet for the technician. “Saturday night dates end on Sunday . . . weekend dates end Monday morning. Liam isn’t shaking.”

“That’s a good thing,” Trina said.

“It’s because we haven’t had sex.”

“What?” Lori asked.

Avery glanced at the three sets of eyes on her. “I know, right? He’s kissed me three times, and that’s it. It’s not like I haven’t encouraged it.”

“He’s into you.” The technician, who Avery didn’t think was listening, added her two cents.

“I think she’s right.”

“Or he’s gay. Could go either way.”

“He’s not gay,” Avery told the virtual stranger.

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Shannon said. “The way he looks at you is anything but platonic.”

“You’ve known him for what, five hours?”

“Which is the normal time span of your dates, Avery. Maybe you should try and stop worrying about when it will end and enjoy what you have going on now.”

Avery glared at Lori. “He’s here, isn’t he?”

“Bridesmaids always get lucky. I bet he doesn’t bolt after.”

Avery didn’t offer a comment.

“I didn’t get lucky at Lori’s wedding,” Shannon said.

“Let’s try and fix that this weekend.” Avery leaned back to enjoy her foot massage.

“This I want to see,” Lori added.

Chapter Sixteen

Avery said he wouldn’t see her . . . and she wasn’t kidding.

Liam found his time filled with Reed, Wade, and two of the guys from Wade’s band. There were plenty of marital tips offered, a lot of beer, and food. So much food. Liam wondered how the men in Texas stayed in their Levi’s.

The ranch was a massive venue setting up for a colossal wedding.

On Friday, during the rehearsal, Liam stood back and watched as the wedding coordinator directed Avery and the others in their duties.

Wade made time with his future wife when they pretended that the minister had announced them husband and wife.