I fantasized about flicking the back of his ear and blaming it on Tyler.

“Are you nervous?” Abby asked, turning around to face me. She looked me directly in the eye, beautiful and confident. Her caramel hair was long and effortlessly beautiful, her gray eyes so intense anyone else would have squirmed under her stare. I wondered if it was because her husband was the most intimidating person I’d ever met, or that she had her own badassery to offer.

“No. Should I be?” I asked.

“I was a little nervous at my first Maddox Thanksgiving.”

Tyler punched the back of her seat. “That’s because you were pretending to still be with Travis.”

“Hey!” Travis said, reaching back to swat at his brother.

“Quit! Stop! Now!” Abby commanded. She reminded me of me at the barracks with twenty misbehaving boys.

“Oh, you weren’t together last year?” I asked. “I thought you were married this past March.”

“We were,” Travis said, a ridiculous grin on his face.

Abby smirked, inviting me to judge them. “We got in a huge fight—a lot of huge fights, actually—broke up, and then eloped to Vegas. We’re renewing our vows in St. Thomas in March on our anniversary.”

“Ellie’s coming to that, too,” Tyler said. “She’s my plus one.”

“We talked about it,” I said quickly. “I don’t think I’ve RSVP’d just yet.”

“Is that a camera?” Abby asked, looking down at the bag in my lap.

“It is.”

“So are you a professional photographer, or is that just to capture the Maddox family Thanksgiving shenanigans?”

“She’s the photographer for the magazine in Estes Park. She follows the local hotshots around—did a whole write-up.”

“I’d like to see your work,” Abby said. “We need a photographer for the wedding. What do you charge?”

“I don’t,” I said.

“You don’t charge?” Travis asked. “You’re hired!”

“She’s really good,” Tyler said.

“Now you have to come,” Abby said.

Tyler elbowed me, satisfied.

Abby narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law. “How did you two meet?”

“At a party,” Tyler said, clearing his throat.

“What kind of party?”

“My party,” I said.

“So you live in Estes Park?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you graduate from there?”

“Abby, for fuck’s sake. What’s with the third degree?” Tyler asked.

“I’m just making conversation,” Abby said with a relaxed smile. She was very good at something. I just wasn’t sure what.

I lifted my chin. “My parents have a house there. I lived there until recently. Now I work at the magazine and have an apartment in Estes Park.”

“How did you end up at her parents’ house for a party, Tyler? Are they clients of yours?” Abby asked.

“Nope,” Tyler said, staring out the window.

Abby glanced over at Travis. “He’s lying.”

Tyler shot her a look.

“Okay, Pidge,” Travis said, amused. “Enough detective work for one day.”