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Shane was drivingher crazy with his hot looks. Faith fought the urge to fan herself and hoped that whatever words were tripping off her tongue made sense, because her brain wasn’t processing them. She was floating in the depths of his dark eyes and wondering, for the umpteenth time, what it would be like to have him look at her that way for real. It was a good thing he never dated because if she saw him gaze adoringly at another woman, she’d poison the bitch’s ice cream. But then his sons rejoined them, he blinked, and their connection was lost. She felt like he’d severed a cord between them, leaving her disconcerted and a little confused.
“Faith?” Leon asked.
With a great deal of effort, she forced herself to look at him. “What’s that?”
His brows pulled together. “You were saying something about experimenting, but you kind of drifted away.”
“Oh.” Lucky she didn’t blush easy. A fact that, considering her complexion, often surprised people. “Was I telling you about my experimental flavors?”
He snapped his fingers and grinned. “Yes, that’s it.”
She went on to explain how she rotated new flavors in and out of the parlor, but all of her focus was on Shane’s conversation with her father. She couldn’t believe her parents had actually brought Leon on their lunch date. When she’d arrived and seen him there, she’d been horrified. They were trying to be nice and include him, she understood that, but surely they could see how inappropriate it was.
A warm palm settled on Faith’s leg, and her breath seized in her lungs. She stole a peek down, and now she was officially blushing. Shane’s thumbs drew small circles on her inner thigh, and her body wanted to open up to him in a way that definitely wasn’t appropriate when his sons and her parents were around the table. She glanced at him, but he was speaking to Dylan and didn’t look her way. Was he trying to turn her on, or was this all for show?
All for show.
It must be. But dang, it was hard to remember that when his hand curved around her knee. Who the heck knew a knee could be an erogenous zone? Not her, that’s for sure, and she barely refrained from moaning. With an act of willpower she didn’t know she possessed, she shot to her feet. Everyone stared.
“I, uh, need to use the ladies’ room,” she said.
Her mother stood. “I’ll join you.”
Faith marched to the toilets, but before they entered, Katherine stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“Honey, there’s something you need to know.”
Faith glanced around. No one seemed close enough to overhear them. “What’s that?” Katherine bit her lip, and Faith frowned. Her mother was rarely hesitant to say anything. “Mum, whatever it is, I can handle it.”
She sighed. “We didn’t only bring Leon because we thought you might get on well. We brought him because Mason is going to be at the wedding, and we didn’t want you to be blindsided.”
“Oh, fuck.” Her heart thumped erratically, and her legs turned weak.
“Language!”
“Sorry.” No, she wasn’t. The situation warranted a curse word or two. Maybe even ten.
Mason.
She hadn’t heard that name in years. No one was cruel enough to say it to her face, although the few people who knew what had happened no doubt gossiped behind her back. But why would Erica invite Mason to the wedding? She and her cousin had gone to school together. Erica knew what Mason had done to her. How he’d broken her heart and decimated her self-esteem all at once by sharing the intimate photos she’d allowed him to take with people who in turn used them against her. She felt good about herself now, but she’d had to claw her way out of a deep pit of crappy self-esteem when, previously, her confidence had come naturally. She pursed her lips. Mason should stay in Auckland where he belonged. Why would he come back here?
“How long have you known?” she demanded.
Katherine studied her face, ignoring the question. “Are you okay, honey? I know this must be a shock.”
She could say that again.
“I’m okay. Promise.” Faith gave a tremulous smile. “It was a long time ago, and I’ve grown up since then. I can deal with him. But why is he invited?”
Katherine grimaced. “Turns out he’s the groom’s cousin.”
“Oh.” So he had as much right to be there as she did. “What luck, huh?”
“We’ll be with you. Your father and I may not approve of the decisions you made when you were younger, but we’ll stand by you through anything.”
Tears burned Faith’s eyes, and she removed her glasses and carefully wiped them away so as not to smudge her eyeliner. Then she placed them back and yanked Katherine into a hug. “Thanks, Mum. Love you lots.”
