She watched as Rosie crouched down to make a fuss of Percy. It felt surreal, to be standing around a fireplace with thisperfect family. But of course she was the outsider. No matter how welcoming they were, she was always the outsider. Would she ever feel comfortable here?
She glanced at Declan, wondering if he felt the same way but he was watching Rosie.
“And now, I cannot wait a moment longer.” Jenny looked expectantly at her son. “I’ve ordered the drink and invited the guests. The food is all planned and the celebration is tomorrow. The only thing left is for you to tell us what we’re celebrating.”
Jamie put his glass down on the nearest surface and reached for Hayley’s hand.
His fingers were warm and the strength of his grip was the only thing preventing her from bolting from the room.
“Hayley and I have something to tell you.”
“And we can’t wait to hear what it is!” Jenny glanced at Martin and back at Jamie. “Although we’ve already guessed, obviously.”
Jamie paused. “You have?”
“Of course. You’re going to tell us you’re engaged.” She looked at Hayley’s finger. “Or getting engaged. That’s what this party is, I assume? A celebration of your engagement?”
If she hadn’t been clamped by Jamie’s side, Hayley definitely would have run.
“Well, you’re on the right track, but we sort of skipped the engagement stage.” Jamie drew Hayley closer. “The party is a wedding celebration. Hayley and I are married. We got married a few weeks ago.”
Chapter10
Jenny
Married!And he didn’t tell any of us. Not even his sisters?” Jenny paced across the room and back again. Emotion was coiled inside her, desperate to escape.
“Keep your voice down, Jen.” Martin glanced at the bedroom door. “Hold it together.”
“I’ve been holding it together all evening. I feel as if I’m going to burst. Why didn’t he tell us? Warn us? She wasn’t even wearing a ring so there was no way we would have guessed.” She sat down hard on the edge of the bed, trying to calm herself. She didn’t want to feel this way. “Our Jamie. He got married and he didn’t even tell us and maybe that shouldn’t upset me, but it does.” She felt the bed dip as Martin sat down next to her.
“Of course it does. But the reality is he’s not a child anymore. He’s a grown man able to make his own decisions.”
“I know. And I don’t want to influence his decisions. But who decides to get married without telling his family?” She was upset and hurt. And she didn’t understand. Couldn’t make sense of it. This was Jamie. Jamie, who had always been so thoughtful. Who had talked to them about anything and everything. “Didwe do something? Say something? We’ve always been supportive and accepting of his choices. I thought we were close. We’ve always made it clear that he can talk to us about anything, so why wouldn’t he have shared this with us?”
“I don’t think this is about us.” Martin put his arm around her. “It’s about him.”
“And her. Do you think Hayley is the reason he did it this way? Do you think she insisted?” There had to be something, because this wasn’t like Jamie.
“I don’t know, but he doesn’t seem like a man being coerced. He seems happy.”
She thought about the way Jamie had been since he arrived home. Yes, happy, but also relaxed and with a definite bounce in his step. She thought about the smile and the way he’d looked at Hayley. The way he’d gripped her hand. The gesture hadn’t just been loving, it had been protective. It had saidI’m right here and I’ve got your back.And she thought of the way Hayley looked at him. As if her world began and ended with Jamie.
“He did seem happy,” she said. “And so did she. They seemed happy together.”
“And that’s good. In the end, that’s all that matters.”
“It is.” She turned to look at him, her vision blurred with tears. “So why do I feel so bad?”
He took her hand. “Probably because the news was unexpected. You need time to get used to it, that’s all. Time to adjust.”
His words made her feel a little better. “It’s not that I don’t want him to be with her, just that I would have liked him to have shared it with us. Is that wrong?”
“No. It’s human. I suspect a small part of you is worried because this is his first serious relationship since Poppy. It’s natural to be concerned about the speed of it.”
She nodded. “I don’t want to see him hurt again.”
“I know—” his fingers tightened on hers “—and the twoof you have always been close, so the fact that he didn’t share this with you is bound to sting a little.”
