“If we have children—” it would mean we had sex, which I can’t think about right now “—we’ll split holidays so you don’t have to pass a Gamble any mashed potatoes.”
She gives me one of those maternal looks that says she’d like to throw a shoe at my head right about now, but my focus shifts to Aaron. My brother hasn’t said a word, and the husband of an orthodontist should know better than to clench his jaw that hard.
The eye contact with him seems to shake words loose. “I know you can be ruthless when it comes to business, but this is… I didn’t think you’d sink this low.”
The disgust in my brother’s voice is reflected in his eyes, and I’m tempted to break my own rule right off the bat and tell him what’s actually going on. But I made Cara swear she wouldn’t tell anybody the truth—not even her sister or best friend—so I have to stick by the story.
“This isn’t about business. You know we dated in high school.”
“You did?” Colleen throws her hands up. “What the hell is going on?”
“Yes, we dated for a few months in high school.” Then I was forced to break up with Cara and I handled it poorly, but I don’t want to get into it. “We crossed paths online recently and started talking. Since I’ve been back, we’ve spent some time together, and we don’t want to be apart again.”
“Is this a joke? Did you hide cameras somewhere?” She looks around as though she might spot a lens. “It’s not funny, Hayden.”
“It’s not a joke, Mom. Cara and I are getting married, and we really hope our families will be happy for us.”
She stares at me, her eyes narrowed and her breath coming fast, and then she spins and storms out of the room. I hear a cupboard door slam in the kitchen and then the clanking of ice cubes tumbling into a glass. Whether she’s adding water or vodka to the ice is anybody’s guess.
Now I’m alone with Aaron, and he stands, folding his arms across his chest. “You reconnected online? Funny how you didn’t mention that when we talked about there being no way Gin will sell you that house, or after I told you I knew you’d gone to dinner.”
“We were keeping it low-key. You know how this town is.”
“I’m your brother.”
“And our mother, who works for your wife, is the primary person I didn’t want in the loop.” He snorts, but doesn’t deny it would have been a tough thing to keep from Hope. And from there, it would have spread.
“You being Cara’s husband, which means Gin selling you the house keeps it in her family, doesn’t factor into it at all, huh?”
I hate lying to my brother, but luckily I have years of hiding my thoughts during business discussions. “The feelings between Cara and I rekindling is the important part, but yes, it will enable Gin to sell the house to me—for Cara and me to live in—without breaking her deathbed promise to her husband.”
I know Aaron wants to push harder, but Colleen reenters the room. “When is this wedding supposed to happen?”
And now for round two. “The twenty-ninth.”
She blinks. “Of?”
“June.” I watch her struggling, and then do the math for her. “Nine days.”
I’m horrified to see tears welling in her eyes. “This has to be a joke. If you’re pranking me, Hayden, please stop now. It’s not funny.”
I expected my mother to be angry and to yell—and maybe actually throw a shoe at me—but I didn’t want to make her cry. I can’t cave, though. There’s no going back now. I can’t put Cara in that position. “Mom, please be happy for me. You’ve been after me to get married for years.”
“Not to a Gamble!” She’s mad again, and the tears are angrily swiped away.
Penny’s nails clack on the stairs as she joins the party. I thought she’d avoid the noise, but maybe she doesn’t want to miss her human getting lectured by his mother. She looks around, taking in the situation, and then curls up in the furry bed kept tucked in the corner whenever we’re here.
“That’s not fair,” I say quietly. “Whatever’s gone on between this family and hers, she’s never done anything wrong. She’s a good daughter, and a local business owner. She’s smart and funny and kind, and—in a week and a half—she’s going to be my wife.”
“I have to go,” Aaron says, heading for the door. “Congratulations, I guess.”
“Wait,” I call after him, just as he opens the door. “You’re going to be my best man, right?”
“Of course I am, you asshole. I’m your brother.” He slams the door closed behind him.
My mom sinks onto the couch, then lowers her face to her hands for a moment. “I left my water in the kitchen.”
“I’ll get it.”
