AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rachel did not stop smiling. “Nice.”
“Huh?” Nathan stopped munching but didn’t bother to swallow before talking. “What engagement?”
Elisa had hoped to keep him out of this for as long as possible. Explaining one of Uncle Josh’s missing fiancées was tough enough. “Nathan—”
“Rachel and I are getting married.”
“Oh, cool.” Nathan sounded more excited about the doughnut.
Elisa wanted this topic to peter out. She didn’t want to invite more questions, though she knew Nathan would remember this part of the conversation at some odd time in the future and then engage in a thousand questions about the wedding.
“Maybe the celebration dinner should be a party.” Josh lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of Rachel’s. “I have some friends I’d like you to meet.”
Elisa tried to block most of the conversation, but she heard that. “Have you met any of each other’s friends?”
“What?” Josh asked.
Before she could answer, Harris shot her the side eye and jumped in. “Where are you going on this trip?”
Josh’s smile grew even wider. “That’s a surprise, but I’ll text you from the road.”
The chitchat made Elisa’s head pound. She needed answers. Now. “Rachel, could I—”
“These are so good.” Nathan climbed up until all of his upper body pressed close to the doughnut box.
Harris shoved the box away from Nathan. “Your mom said half of one doughnut and you’ve already gone over that.”
Elisa felt the day imploding. She’d stayed up for hours, running through every fact she knew and the million things she didn’t. She’d worked out what to ask Rachel, and now none of that mattered. “I feel sorry for Titan’s mom.”
“Oh, right. Nathan is supposed to be at a friend’s house.” Rachel pulled Josh away from the kitchen island. “We should go and let them get moving.”
Anxiety ramped up inside of Elisa. She needed Rachel here. Safe. “That’s not necessary.”
“I don’t want to go to Titan’s,” Nathan whined.
Harris snorted. “You’re going.”
“But Mooom.” Nathan’s whining shifted to expert level as he shifted targets. “Please.”
The one thing she and Harris still did well was provide a united front. Elisa fell back on that skill now. “You promised your friend.”
“But Uncle Josh is here.” Nathan managed to look sad despite having chocolate icing on his cheek.
“You visit your friend,” Josh said as he dropped that piece of doughnut he’d been holding. “We have to go. We just wanted to stop by before we headed out.”
“Are you coming back?” Elisa blurted out the question and ignored Harris’s confused expression in response.
Rachel hesitated before answering. When she did, she used a tone that suggested she found all of this chaos amusing. “Of course.”
Too soon. They were leaving, possibly the state, and Elisa hadn’t gotten one answer to her many questions. Worse, she didn’t understand Rachel’s choices or if she’d even be safe.
“Rachel, let me make sure I have your contact numbers.” Elisa gestured for Rachel to step into the family room with her. “Take pity on me. I’m a mom. I’ll worry without it.”
“Of course.”
As soon as the men started joking with Nathan and she had a bit of breathing room between Rachel and Josh, Elisa asked in the simplest way she could. “What’s going on?”
Rachel glanced at Josh as he joked with Nathan about how few doughnuts were left in the box. She smiled then looked at Elisa again. “What do you mean?”
