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She held up her fingers to count my mother’s grievances, ticking them off like a list. “She said that I was going to ruin your life if I stayed with you. She said you were dating me just to spite her. She said that our children would practically be famous, and everyone would find out about my past. And that the kids would have to live with the fact that their mother used to be a whore.”
“Audrey,” I said, “we already discussed this.”
She looked up at me and let out a shaky breath. “It’s a little different when you hear it from a third party.”
“She’s not just any third party—she has an agenda.”
“She told me her agenda was to protect her family. That’s the only motivation she has, James.”
“That’s bullshit. She doesn’t know anything about family. All she cares about is the image of family.” I stopped her from pacing and pulled her to me. Her skin felt hot to my touch. “I told you she was never going to accept us. What does this change?”
She looked up at me. “She threatened me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked her what she would do if I said no. If I stayed. She said that she would think of something.” Audrey pressed her face against my chest. “She…she was a little scary, James.”
I stroked her hair. “She can’t do anything to you, babe. I won’t let her.”
Audrey looked back up at me. “What exactly do you think she’s capable of?”
“I wouldn’t put too much past her. But what do you mean? What are you worried about?”
“I’m not sure.” She paused for a second. “But I know I don’t want to tear your family apart.”
“You can’t tear my family apart—there is no together in my family. My mother is a nightmare; my father does nothing to rein her in. That leaves Todd and Evie. Todd already cares about you. Once he knows I love you, he’ll welcome you into the family with open arms. Evie will follow suit. And that’s enough for me, Audrey. I don’t care about my mother. The worst thing she can do is disinherit me. You know what? I don’t even care if she does. I went out and made my own fortune. I don’t need her money, and I don’t need her. I don’t need anyone except for you.”
I just held her for a second. “Can you live with that, Audrey?” I asked.
“I want to,” she said.
“That’s all I’m asking,” I said, smoothing her hair. “But I think maybe it’s time we scared her a little. She’s past due.”
* * *
The valet knocked on our door the following morning at seven a.m. I gave him six crisp five-hundred-dollar bills. “Please tell Mrs. Preston that Miss Reynolds left as expected,” I said, nodding at him. “Off you go.”
“Why’d you do that?” Audrey asked, padding out to the kitchen in my T-shirt. She turned the coffeemaker on and squinted at me, clearly still half-asleep. “I’m so confused.”
“I’m just looking for the element of surprise,” I said. “It’ll be fun to see my mother’s expression at breakfast.”
“You have a weird idea of fun,” Audrey said and yawned. “You want some coffee? You’re gonna need it.”
My mother’s face at breakfast wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped. Unfortunately, she’d injected so much filler into it before the wedding it couldn’t move that much. “Good morning,” I said to her at the buffet. I pulled out a chair for Audrey at her table, and I sat down in between them.
“Ah,” she said, looking pointedly at Audrey. “I see you’re determined to enjoy the rest of your vacation.”
“We’re planning on enjoying lots of things. And she’s not going anywhere, Mother,” I said, spearing a piece of cantaloupe off her plate. “Audrey’s agreed to move to California with me after this.”
“Is that so?” my mother asked benignly.
“Yes, that’s so.” Audrey was tense beside me, but I refused to let my mother get under my skin. I wanted to see her crack, just a little, but that was going to take patience. My mother was the Ice Queen. It was going to take a blowtorch to get her to melt.
And even the blowtorch method would require some patience.
“What are you going to do for work out there, Audrey?”
Audrey looked pale. “I haven’t decided yet, Mrs. Preston.”
“I’m sure you have quite a resume. You’ll find lots of willing, ready, and able employers in California.” She gave her an in ice-pick smile.
“That is enough,” I snapped, furious. “The only reason we’re still here is for Todd. I want you to know that Audrey told me everything you’ve said. You can be as horrible as you like. But you need to know from me—your son, who you claim to care so much about—that your behavior will change nothing. Audrey and I will simply cut you out of our lives and our future. That’s your choice, Mother.”
