“Yeah,” I agreed, then sighed. I fiddled with the glass. “Been an eventful few weeks, you know. My mom had an NSTEMI—”
“Which I’ve recovered from,” she interjected firmly.
“—my twin sister got married. Lots of people around. It’ll be nice when it’s just the regular horde of people here.”
She nodded, turned a little more in her seat, and put a hand on my shoulder. “And Ville?”
“Mom, I don’t want to—”
“Yes, I know,” she cut me off before I could get the words out. “I know you don’t want to talk about it. Because from the moment he set foot on this ranch, the two of you picked right up where you left off, and we’ve all just gone with it. Not said a word to each other.”
I choked on air, glad I hadn’t been drinking any more water, and Mom just laughed.
“You knew?”
She arched an eyebrow for me. “Emery, do not try to tell me you’ve been trying to hide it, because that’s just sad if that was your attempt.”
She was teasing me, because clearly we hadn’t been. I’d never wanted to. I shook my head. “I meant about, you know, um, before?”
Mom hummed and took my water from me, drinking it herself since I clearly wasn’t. “I may have a lot of children, and it may take a lot of work to keep up with all of them, but I put in that work. I always know what’s going on.”
I knew she did. And honestly, I’d always been impressed as hell with her. She never pushed too hard, never inserted herself in our lives too much. She walked that line like a pro, from the very beginning, being utterly involved while also allowing us to make our own choices. To try and fail and try again. To succeed.
“How?” I asked, not sure I really wanted to know. Ville and I had only gotten together a handful of times, and always on the road.
“It was in the way you said his name,” she confided after a moment. She looked around, saw Judson was engrossed in his phone, and turned back to me. “When you told me about the concerts, the way you said his name showed me very clearly that something was going on. Oh, you raved about Wren, and his talent, and the show, but when you mentioned Ville? I know you, love. I could hear it.”
Huh. Well then. I didn’t know what to do with that information.
Mom’s smile softened, turned a little sad, and she slid her hand into my hair, scratching my scalp. After a second, she put her arm around me and tugged me into her.
“And I’ve seen how you are together. The connection. The spark from the moment you walked in the door and saw him sitting at the table. If I wasn’t already sure, that would have sealed it.” She rested her forehead against my temple. “Which is why I also know that in a week from now, it’s gonna hurt.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. She wasn’t wrong.
“So,” she said softly, “I don’t like to meddle—”
I snorted. “Liar.”
“Much,” she amended. “But just know that what I see? The way he looks at you? Is the way your dad still looks at me. The way Crew looks at Mal. The way—”
“I get it,” I cut her off, not wanting her to list everybody in our lives. There were a lot of people solidly and happily in love, and I didn’t need to hear it.
“I just wanted you to know.” She kissed my cheek and pulled back. “Do with that information what you will. Now, grab that pan and follow me outside.”
Because she’d given me a directive, I hopped up to do her bidding. But my mind was swirling. We had a week left. And that was it. Ville and I both knew that. The way our lives were right now, it would be impossible to try for anything else.
But when I stepped outside, following Mom, my gaze immediately found Ville. Even though Wren was at his side and talking, it was as though just my presence called to him, and he lifted his head, finding me too. And yes, I saw it. The way he looked at me like I was his true north.
One more week. I’d have to make it the best week possible. It was all we had.
Chapter 21
Ville
Waking up next to Emery was the best way to start any day. I watched him sleep like a creep, smiling at the way his curls were mussed and he had drooled on the pillow. His alarm would go off in a few minutes, so I had some more time to admire him. Because I did, and not just because of how he looked or how he felt around my cock.
Emery Harrington was a good man. Someone who genuinely cared about people and wanted to do what was right. He loved big, like all the Harringtons, and he had the same magnetism as the rest of his family, which made us strays flock to them. Jenn and Mike had started with pulling Russ into the fold, and then they’d just continued to take in people who needed them the most. No matter what would happen between Emery and me, I would forever be grateful for his family for taking care of Wren before I could come into his life.
