She gave me a knowing look. “I didn’t realize it was such big news.”
“They’re single, Mama. And he looks like that.” My cheeks warmed.
Gideon’s fork paused over his potatoes. He had toknow how good he looked. Women probably told him all the time. Gushing about it to my mother right in front of him seemed juvenile, and I’d seen firsthand that he preferred sophisticated women.
My stomach growled. I was starving and Mama’s fried chicken was one of my favorites. “So, anyway,” I said, stabbing my fork into a thigh. “They went into a club and I was hanging out outside...” I swallowed as the heat in my face bloomed.Thanks a lot, embarrassment. “Gideon happened to walk by.”
“You go to the club?” Mama asked Gideon like she was getting to know my husband, but I could tell the question for what it was. A subtle interrogation.Do you go to the club and party? Do you go often? Are you a party boy?
“I was meeting an associate.” He took a bite of chicken after neatly sawing a chunk off.
The image of Taya walking in when I was denied entry flashed through my head. I blinked at him. “Taya.”
He slid his gaze toward mine, his jaw flexing with each chew. A small dip of his head was my answer.
I had cockblocked him.
Then she’d shown up the next morning. With a key to his place.
Acid churned in my gut, and the back of my neck heated to nuclear levels. He’d been planning a booty call that night with a gorgeous woman, and then he’d been waylaid by my dejected ass and opportunity.
Gideon set his fork down and swallowed. He rubbed my back. “Autumn saved me from another mundane night. Talking with her was refreshing.”
Some of my humiliation evaporated. He almost sounded believable. I didn’t want to miss out on Mama’s food, so I’d take it. I’d let myself believe he was tellingthe truth just this once. I smiled at him, startled to see a pinch of concern at the corners of his eyes like he was asking if I was okay.
“The club has good bourbon,” I said. “He got me Pappy.”
Mama chuckled. “That’s one point in your corner.” She set her silverware down. A small furrow formed between her brows. “You’ll have to excuse me. You married my daughter after knowing her for one day, and Bailey Beef just so happens to be buying your family land? The deal with which you’ve openly made your displeasure known? I’m an old country girl. I was born and raised in Bourbon Canyon, but I’m not naive.”
Gideon didn’t pick up his fork. “I didn’t think you were, Mrs.—Mae.”
“Autumn’s special,” Mama said, her tone hard. “She’s also not a naive country girl.”
“Believe me, I’ve been made aware,” he said wryly.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
“I don’t like sharing my personal life with anyone,” Gideon said. “Autumn is officially part of my personal life. I can promise you that I’ll do my best to make sure I live up to what she expects of me, and I’ll treat her with the same respect and honesty she’s shown me.”
I stared at him. He wasn’t looking at me. Was he uncomfortable with what he’d said? Was he lying?
No, he’d been careful about how he worded his statement. Gideon didn’t seem like a guy who made promises he didn’t expect to be able to keep.
“I’m glad to hear,” Mama said after a moment. “We’re a large family, Gideon. It’s going to be hard to keep others from wanting to intrude, but I’ll respect itas much as possible. I can’t speak for my kids. But I want you to know—you’re part of this family now.”
Gideon stiffened next to me.
Mama picked her utensils back up. “Let’s eat before this chicken gets cold. It’ll be easier for you two to do dishes before everything hardens on the pans.”
CHAPTER TEN
Gideon
You’re part of this family now.
Mae’s frank statement echoed through my head all the way back to Autumn’s house. Our house? Fuck, I didn’t know. This day had been confusing, and I wanted it to be over.
I stopped inside the door from the garage and frowned at the dark little box of a house. The day was over. It was time for bed. She didn’t remember me lying next to her last night.
