The minister went through the vows quickly, garnering an “I will” from both the bride and the groom. And while it wasn’t easy for me to take my eyes off the beautiful couple in front of me, I simply could not keep from staring at my husband. I had never seen anything so stunning. His dark skin in stark contrast to the white stiff collar beneath his jaw. His fresh haircut. His cleanly shaven jaw. Although I loved the scruffy Reyes more than pumpkin pie with whipped cream, this one was breathtaking. He was like Tarzan, Clark Kent, and James Bond all rolled into one. I half expected an Aston Martin to be sitting in our drive.

After being given the go-ahead, Uncle Bob wrapped one arm around Cookie’s waist and lifted her chin. Only then did I realize she’d been crying. He gave her the gentlest of kisses, the kind that attested to the immense love and respect he had for the woman he’d just married, and the crowd erupted in celebration. It was over. After all the preparation, all the work, all the anxiety, it was over. Fast. Much too fast. We still had the reception, of course, and then I would get to work on the case while Cookie enjoyed her pre-honeymoon honeymoon. It would consist of only one night at Buffalo Thunder, a stunning resort and spa in the Pojoaque valley north of Santa Fe.

Cookie had insisted they hold off on their real honeymoon until after Beep arrived. Odd how Beep had changed all our lives so implicitly. She even added her own little kink in the wedding when the guests started giggling because my dress was moving. I couldn’t tell if she was just trying to get comfortable or hosting a kegger. Either way, she was already stealing the show, trying to upstage.

I looked down at her with an attagirl grin.

The moment the crowd erupted, Uncle Bob whisked Cookie back down the aisle, which worked for me, as that was where the food sat.

“I have to admit,” I said to Gemma as we loaded our plates, “you did good.” I chose a kale salad with grilled salmon and an elegant cup filled with macaroni and cheese. I’d definitely be hitting that again, though I needed to leave room for pumpkin mousse, tiramisu, and chocolate truffles. And wedding cake! Couldn’t forget the wedding cake!

Gemma had decided on much of the wedding’s fanfare. The decorations. The type of food. All the extra stuff that made Cookie’s day so special. I owed her. There’d be no living with her now.

“Thanks, sis.” She shouldered me playfully.

Wyatt, her beau, asked, “How are you feeling?”

Reyes was close, as in right next to me, so I had to make it good. “Oh, it’s awful. I have to pee every thirty seconds. My ankles are swollen. I drool when I least expect it. And I keep getting this weird craving for sardines and green chile on melba toast.”

Wyatt had the decency to look aghast, but Reyes just grinned, focusing on the food instead of my suffering. The scoundrel.

“You hate sardines,” Gemma said to me.

“Exactly. It’s like I’m not me anymore and someone—or something—has taken over my body.” I gasped. “It’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers!”

Gemma giggled. “I think it’s called being pregnant.”

“Nobody cares about my suffering,” I said as Reyes took both our plates to a table.

Gemma and Wyatt followed us. “We care,” Gemma said. “Just not a lot.”

She was so sweet.

As the afternoon wore on, Reyes and I got to sit back and watch Cookie in action. For once in her life, my very best friend was the absolute center of attention. And she glowed.

“She’s really something,” Reyes said to me.

I turned to him, his eyes sparkling with appreciation as he watched her and Ubie. “You know, every time you say something like that, I fall a little more in love with you.”

His shimmering gaze landed on me in surprise. But he recovered quickly, his expression intensifying as he took me in. It made my insides tighten.

“I wanted to thank you for being Uncle Bob’s best man.”

He didn’t respond. His gaze dropped to my mouth and lingered there as his heat feathered over my skin. He let one finger slide under the hem of my dress and up over a knee. His touch sent a shiver of delight racing up my thigh to settle in my nether regions. He was so darkly sensual, the moment didn’t last long. There were too many other women clamoring for his attention, and I sat floored at their brazenness. No idea why. It was like that everywhere we went. Well, when we went places. One actually asked him if he could go out front to check her tires.

Man, Cookie had a fertile set of relatives.

Most people stayed outside to mingle. Fortunately, there weren’t many departed in the back. They were mostly on the front lawn. As Reyes helped pull tables together, I chatted with Swopes and Osh, much to the chagrin of Cookie’s second cousins, who were vying for their attention at the time, then with my good friend Pari and her beau, Tre. Then I sought out Quentin and Amber after Cookie and Uncle Bob cut the cake. We’d asked Quentin beforehand if he’d wanted an interpreter and he said no, informing us that nobody listened to the words anyway. He just wanted to enjoy the ceremony. What he’d really wanted was to whisper—aka, sign small where no one else could see—back and forth with Amber through the whole thing. They were absolutely adorable together.

The next obstacle I faced that afternoon was of the four-legged variety. Thrilled that Reyes and I were outside, and taking that as her cue to get her freak on, Artemis ran around like a gerbil on meth, turning occasionally to make sure we were still watching. And God help us if we weren’t. Every time we turned away, she charged. That was fine for most involved, but she was solid to Reyes, Osh, and me. So while she flew through the guests with the greatest of ease, she’d almost taken me out. Twice. Fearing for my and Beep’s safety, Reyes escorted me inside, where more food awaited and guests stood around chatting and eating and generally enjoying the afternoon. But we weren’t in there long before he was needed elsewhere.

Turned out, Cookie had a whole plethora of family that I didn’t know about. They were all aunts, uncles, and cousins. No siblings and her parents had passed away years ago, but she still had family showing up to represent like true homies. She even had that gaggle of second cousins. Five young women who had decided that Reyes, Osh, and Garrett were the most delicious beings they’d ever seen. Even Quentin and Pari’s tall drink of water, Tre, weren’t exempt from the Flirtatious Five. I was right there with them, but I did fear for one’s life when she made googly eyes at Quentin. Amber’s hackles rose to needlelike points, and I was afraid the other girl would not make it home with all her hair. Or all her limbs. Or both eyes. Or a full set of teeth. So many body parts could go missing in such a scenario.

Thankfully, Reyes headed that confrontation off at the pass, and Amber led Quentin to a quiet little table away from most of the guests. But that put Reyes back in the fray. I watched as the five practically assaulted him, each trying to get closer than the next. He took it all in stride, not that I was surprised. He’d been getting that kind of attention his entire life.

And he knew I was watching from inside. I sat at a window as he endured their attention, but the more I watched, the more flirtatious glances he shot my way. The more winks he offered. The more lopsided grins he wore. It was all quite enchanting, but the one that got me, the killer movement that almost sent me into orgasmic bliss, was when he glanced at me from across the sea of guests, gave me a long, languid once-over, then pulled his lower lip in through his teeth. To say the move was sexy would have been like calling a tsunami a ripple in the ocean.

I stood and walked to the door that led outside, about five seconds away from ordering him in, when I heard a female voice.