To Have And To Hold: The Wedding Belles Book 1 by Lauren Layne

typing distractedly on his phone while Maya quietly conceded that maybe they needed to call it a day.
    Brooke walked Maya and Neil through the lobby of the lavish Biltmore Hotel that had been one of the front-runners for a possible reception site, assuring the distraught bride that it was only the first day and that they would of course find the perfect venue.
    She didn’t add that they’d need to leave the overbearing big brother behind in order to do so, but that wasn’t Maya’s problem to deal with. People like the Tylers paid companies like the Wedding Belles a premium not only to identify problems such as this one but to solve them.
    Although, Brooke had to admit, this particular problem was trickier than most—that the person who was paying her to solve problems
was
, in fact, the problem.
    But she wasn’t worried. She wasn’t one of the best wedding planners in the country for nothing.
    It was time to prove herself worthy of that title.
    The dejected group filed outside and prepared to separate, Seth staying behind in the lobby to finish up whatever apparently super-important call had his phone attached to him like a third ear. Acting on instinct, Brooke pulled Maya into a quick hug beforethe other woman could slip into her waiting town car. “I’ll talk to him,” she whispered.
    Maya didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “He means well,” she said to Brooke in a hushed tone. “Seth’s just so used to controlling everything, and now that Daddy’s not here, he thinks he has to be my protector and my brain, and . . . I love him to death, but he’s driving me crazy.”
    Brooke squeezed her tighter before pulling back and giving Maya a reassuring smile. “He loves you to death, too. But maybe I can convince him to show his love in other ways than all this hovering.”
    “Yes, please,” Maya said gratefully, grabbing Brooke’s hands. “Let’s find a way to make him feel involved without having him be so . . .”
    “Involved?” Brooke rejoined with a knowing smile.
    Maya nodded. “Exactly.”
    Neil came up beside them, sliding an arm around Maya’s waist and kissing the side of her head tenderly. “Let me take you to an early dinner?”
    Maya smiled up at him gratefully and nodded, and Brooke’s heart twisted just a little in jealousy. Yes, she was a very self-assured woman. Yes, she could take care of herself, support herself, the whole enchilada, but sometimes after a long day when you were aching, it was nice to know that someone else was there. To share a cocktail with and let the day’s tensions fade away.
    She missed that.
    “Maya!”
    Brooke glanced over to see an unfamiliar manheaded their way, but from the way Maya’s face lit up, it was obvious she knew him.
    “Grant!” She rushed toward the man and wrapped both arms around his waist in a friendly hug. Brooke appraised the man with interest—he was handsome, in an easy, likable sort of way. He was unusually tall, but carried his height well, his movements smooth and easy as though he was accustomed to maneuvering all six-plus feet in whichever way he pleased. He had medium-brown hair that Brooke imagined would glint a bit red in the sunlight, warm whisky-colored eyes with thick lashes, and a good smile.
    A
great
smile, Brooke amended as he grinned down at Maya.
    Maya returned the happy smile. “What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in weeks, and I see you outside a hotel of all places.”
    “I was just on my way home from the office,” he said. “What’s your excuse?”
    “Oh my gosh,” she said, laying a hand on his chest as though it was second nature. “I haven’t seen you in so long, you might not have heard.” Maya reached for Neil’s hand, tugging him forward. “I’m getting married!”
    It was hard to say which man disliked the other more. Neil, for his part, clearly hadn’t missed the easy familiarity with which Grant and Maya greeted one another, and it didn’t seem to be sitting well. And there was no