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“I am.”
“I believe you.”
“I need her to believe me.”
“She loves you. And my guess is that once she calms down, she’ll see that although stupid, you did what you did out of love.”
“Today is our wedding day.”
“I can go talk to her.”
“My brothers are with her. They were with me when I made my decision, and they know why I chose to do it. They asked me to leave them alone with her. If that doesn’t work, you’re next in line,” I tell her.
She smiles sadly. “Even if you don’t go through with the wedding today, I have a good feeling about the two of you. Sure, you made a mistake, but it was one done out of love. I don’t know what woman wouldn’t forgive that.”
“I hope you’re right.” I look down at Madeline. “I’m sorry, baby girl. I made Mommy upset. I was wrong. But I promise I’m going to fix it. I promise.” I kiss the top of her head and close my eyes, breathing her in. I have to fix this. I can’t lose them.
Chapter 28
Wren
“You look beautiful,” Conrad speaks first.
I smile at him. “Thanks,” I mumble.
Conrad gives me a sad smile. “I thought we should get that out of the way right off the bat.” He shrugs.
“Wren, tell us what you’re thinking.” This comes from Owen.
“I’m thinking that my entire relationship is a lie. I’m thinking that I fell for a man who pulled blinders over my eyes.”
“Now, that’s what your head is telling you,” Grant chimes in. “Now, tell us what your heart is telling you.”
“My heart is telling me that he’s a good man, and he had his reasons.”
“I agree that he made a mistake. I tried to tell him both times, but he was convinced that he could give you more. He wanted you to be able to follow your dreams,” Royce says.
“I know he lied, Wren, and there is no excuse for that, but when you think about his reasoning, it’s all for the greater good, right?” Conrad asks.
“Put yourself in his shoes, Wren. What if you had a strong support system? What if you never had to worry about money or childcare, or cars?” Owen says. “What if you were in his shoes and he was in yours? What if he had big dreams, but life kept kicking him down? What would you do?”
“I’d do anything I could to help him achieve them,” I tell him honestly. “But I would have been honest about it.”
“Would you, though? From what I hear, Marshall, and in case you’re wondering, that really means you, is rather stubborn.”
“Ha ha,” I deadpan. “I never want him to think I’m with him for his money. He told me once that the five of you never really knew who was nice to you for your name and money and who was nice to you for who you were.”
“He’s right. We did have that issue more often than not. However, we all found our magic. We all found that one person out there who’s meant for us. That one person who will love us unconditionally regardless of the zeros in our bank account or the celebrity of our last name,” Royce explains.
“Marshall has always been the happy-go-lucky guy. He’s fun to be around, and if you need him, there’s no doubt he’s going to be there. No questions asked,” Grant says.
“He’s proven that to us over and over again,” Conrad adds.
“Why do you think Marshall was the last to fall? Why do you think he was the last one to find his magic?” Royce asks.
“Because he’s the youngest and was too busy partying to take the time to settle down?” I offer. I say the words but I don’t mean them. I think he was hiding behind the magic their family is always talking about. I think that Marshall wanted the magic but was fearful he would never find it.
“Nah, sis,” Owen says, making my heart squeeze. “He was waiting for you. You might not see it, but we do. We see the change in him. His happiness is off the charts, and that heart of his, which he wears on his sleeve, is bursting with love for you and your daughter.”
My teeth connect with my inside cheek as I bite down to keep my sob from escaping my lips. The guilt of this entire situation sits heavy on my chest. I love Marshall with everything that I am, and I know he loves us the same. “I believe that he loves us. I just… I want him to include me in his life. In his choices.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not always going to happen,” Royce tells me. “You see, when we, and by we, I mean the Riggins family, when we love, we love hard. I can guarantee that he’s going to mess up again.”
