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We eventually come to a stop. The people on the beach start clapping, cheering, and whistling, breaking us out of our trance. Carter and I both laugh as we stand and take our bows.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
REAGAN
On the plane ride home last night, Mom asked me to come to their house for dinner tonight. She said she wants to talk to me alone, without Carter. I have no clue what it’s about.
I arrive and see Jackson, Hayden, Brody, and Trevor watching a Phillies baseball game. “Hey, boys.” They all stand to kiss my cheek hello. “Brody, are they forcing you to watch the Phillies?”
He waves his hand. “They’re playing the Angels. It’s fine.” Brody is from Huntington Beach, California. The Angels are his hometown team.
“You know Mike Trout will be on the Phillies one day, right?” Trout is a star player for the Angels who is originally from the Philadelphia area.
Brody shakes his head. “Nope. He’ll never leave us.”
I smile. I just like to get him riled up. “Where’s Mom?”
Jackson responds, “She’s sitting out back with your sisters. She said to send you out when you arrive.” I guess Harley and Skylar are a part of this conversation too.
“Thanks. Is Aunt Cass here?”
Trevor shakes his head. “No, she’s been out with my mom all afternoon. I have no idea what they’re doing, but they’re all of a sudden hanging out all of the time.”
I smile. “That’s what you get for marrying an AARP candidate the same age as your mother.”
He scowls at me. “That’s not true. She’s a year younger than my mother.”
I laugh. I head out to the backyard and sit at the table with them. We all say our hellos and chat about nothing in particular for a while.
Mom eventually grabs my hand. “Reagan, I want to start out by telling you how much we adore Carter. You seem very happy with him and, as a mother, your happiness is what I care about the most. He seems to love you, and that makes me very happy.”
She takes a breath. “Your sisters and I are just a little confused about a few things with your relationship. We want you to help us understand.”
“Like what?”
“Well, for starters, you’re very low key about your engagement. We have no real details, Carter never spoke with me beforehand, and it feels a bit rushed and then brushed under the rug. You won’t talk about planning a wedding. We’ve had little to no contact with his family. It’s a bit confusing.”
It was only a matter of time before they caught on.
I contemplate just telling them the truth which I know is the right answer, but I’m not up for it just yet. I fear they’ll see Carter differently if they know how we started. “Well, I don’t want to step on Jess and Hayden’s toes with their wedding coming up. We’re in no rush to get married. This is Jess and Hayden’s time in the sun. We’re happy to sit on the sidelines until after their wedding.”
Mom nods in understanding. “That’s very selfless of you, Reagan.”
“As for the rest, I don’t know. You’d have to ask Carter why he didn’t talk to you. The engagement part was just very matter of fact in bed. Nothing grand and overly dramatic. And Carter doesn’t have a good relationship with his father. You know this. That’s why you’ve barely had contact with them. He prefers spending time with our family over his own.”
Harley shakes her head. “Sorry, but I call bullshit on all of this. You guys didn’t appear like a couple in love before you allegedly got engaged. You, who have always been the most liberal of all of us when it comes to intimacy, were uncomfortable with him touching you. You jumped out of your skin when he touched you in the hot tub down the shore, and then he was all of a sudden gone for the night.”
“Harley…”
She points at me. “No, I’m not done. You never mentioned your sex life with Carter to Skylar and me until after you got engaged. You, wholovestalking about sex. You, who overshares constantly. You, who happily announced when you lost your virginity at sixteen and has since slept withseveraldozens of guys and even a few girls.” She turns to my mother. “Sorry Mom.” Mom rolls her eyes. “For many weeks, you never once mentioned your sex life with Carter.”
She continues, “Then, just a few weeks later, you’re allegedly engaged and all of a sudden you can’t keep your hands, or anything else, off each other. I’ve thought about it and I’ve realized that I never once saw you touch one another until after you were engaged. And then when Skylar and I came to his place to check out where we assumed you’ll be living, you clearly hadn’t had a single conversation about your living situation. This whole situation stinks. I want answers.”
Mom puts her hand up. “Okay, Harley. Enough.” She turns back to me. “Cassandra seems to know that something is going on with you but told us to talk to you about it. Honey, we’re just worried about you. Talk to us. We’re concerned because we love you so much.”
I swallow. “I know you do.” I have tears welling in my eyes which automatically make tears well in those of my mother.
There’s no getting around this now. “I’m going to tell you everything, but please try not to judge. And please know that no matter how we started, or how messed up it was, Carter and I are very much in love now. He told me he loves me for the first time in Mexico.”
