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“A meeting?” she repeated. “She seems to be as busy as you are.”
“She’s been a Godsend,” I said. “She’s really helped relieve my workload.”
“And, she doesn’t mind the hours you have to work?”
“She understands completely,” I said. “She’s been really supportive. And I’ve tried to balance things out now… I want to be there for her.”
“I have to be honest,” Mom said, shaking her head at me. “I never thought I’d see this day. I honestly thought you’d never get married. You were so much like your father.”
“Dad got married,” I reminded her.
“Sure, but he was never any good at it,” she said. “We had an engagement party, too, right after he proposed to me. Except he was so busy that he made me plan the whole thing. He showed up late because he had meetings all day, and he answered every call he received that night.”
“Wow,” I said, seeing my mother’s perspective for the first time in a long time. “That can’t have been easy.”
Mom sighed. “I was young and naïve. I thought at the time that it was only temporary, until he got his feet on the ground. I never imagined that my whole married life would consist of playing second fiddle to his empire.”
“I don’t intend for that to be the case for me,” I assured her. “Dad ended up losing you because he didn’t have his priorities in order. But I want to learn from his mistakes. I don’t intend to lose Molly to my career. No empire is that important.”
I could see the pride in her eyes as Mom smiled at me. “I’m glad, son,” she said fondly.
At that moment, Molly walked into the lounge. She looked like she had hurried to get here. I noticed she was a little out of breath as she approached. She was wearing long white pants, a tight white shirt, and a black blazer. She looked like some chic professional out of the pages of French Vogue.
“Mrs. Larson,” Molly said, giving my mother a hug. “It’s so nice to see you after so long.”
“Please, dear,” Mom replied. “You have to start calling me Anita. Mrs. Larson is far too formal for my intended daughter-in-law.”
“Daughter-in-law,” Molly repeated, giving me a smile. “I’m going to have to get used to that.”
I laughed. “You’ve got quite a few new titles to get used to,” I said. “Not least of all is wife.”
Molly laughed and slipped in beside me as I put my arm around her shoulders. She looked radiant, and I just wanted to stare at her for a moment.
“Are you excited for the party tonight, Molly?” Mom asked.
“Very much,” she nodded. “I think Tristan and I are both in need of a good party. But most importantly, we just want to celebrate our engagement with our closest friends and our family.”
“Speaking of family,” Mom said. “Where are your parents? I’d love to say hello.”
“They’re down by the beach at the moment,” Molly told her. “But don’t worry, you’ll see them tonight at the island.”
“Excellent,” she nodded. “And Jason? Where is he?”
“He’s just arrived actually,” Molly replied. “I met him just before I got here. He’s changing in his room at the moment, but I told him to meet us here.”
Molly gave me a glance and a reassuring wink. I had spoken to Jason a few times over the last three months but we had yet to meet. Jason had assured me that as long as I treated his sister well, then he and I would never have a problem. His reaction had made me realize that using him as an excuse had just been a scapegoat for my fear.
“So tell me, Molly,” Mom was saying. “How did Tristan propose to you?”
“We were on his island—”
“Our i
sland,” I corrected her.
She smiled. “Our island,” she said. “It was my twenty-fifth birthday, so he had cooked me this amazing Italian meal. It was the first night in days that we’d gotten to spend together, and I was already pretty happy. I had just put the dishes in the sink when I turned around to find Tristan on one knee.”
“Let’s take a look at that ring,” Mom said, holding out her hand.
