Namely, her walking in on him fucking his assistant.
“But, actually, that brings up a good point,” Will said. “Does this mean that neither of y’all will date anyone?Ever? That’s more than just givin’ up travelin’ all over the world, Nat. That’s givin’ up any hope of a future with anyone else.”
They hadn’t discussed that yet, but that thought hadn’t even entered her mind. Maybe because when she thought about a future, it was always her by herself. It was never with regard to anyone else. Sure, Nat enjoyed sex as much as the next girl, but she’d never seen herself getting into a committed relationship, much less a marriage. And the thought of being locked to only Asher that way hadn’t even registered as a concern.
“She has a point,” Mac said. “I think if you do agree to this, there need to be some sort of stipulations about how y’all would proceed. You might not ever want to get married—”
“But you might,” Rory cut in. “You’re so young—you never know how things will change.”
“As I was sayin’…” Mac rolled her eyes. “But I can’t imagine you’re ready to give up sex for the rest of…however long this will last. Are you?”
God, no. As previously mentioned, Nat loved sex as much as the next girl, but what would the option be in this instance? She hummed as her thoughts spun through every possible scenario, her mind automatically flicking away any thought, no matter how brief it was, of either she or Asher with anyone else. Probably because it would put the guardianship at risk. In a town as small as Havenbrook, they couldn’t afford to have rumors flying around about their marriage being a sham.
By the time Nat refocused, her sisters were staring at her, each with a different expression on her face. Rory’s was skeptical. Mac looked contemplative. And Will…well, Will looked downright giddy.
“What’s with your face?” Nat asked, eyes narrowed.
Will’s smile only grew, and she shrugged a single shoulder. “Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that. You’ve got your gross schmoopy face on. What exactly is goin’ through your mind right now?”
“Nothing, just…” She folded her hands on the table and leaned forward, no longer trying to tamp down her smile. “Wouldn’t it be great if y’all really got together? Then you could stay here, and we’d get to see you a lot more.”
Nat scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’d never stay in Havenbrook.”
The room fell silent, as if everyone were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Finally, Mac cleared her throat and said, “But that’s exactly what this would mean…”
That thought was a weight around Nat’s ankle, dragging her down to the bottom of the ocean. She was trapped. Suffocated. But it wouldn’t be forever. Right? It wouldn’thaveto be forever. If they got married and the judge saw that Asher could provide a stable home enough to get custody of the kids, then their farce could be up and Nat could go back to the life she loved. In her mind, the shackle crumbled and she floated to the top, breaking the surface with a gasp.
“The look on your face tells me you’ve already made up your mind,” Rory said.
God, how things had changed in the past year. That Rory somehow knew her well enough to be able to discern her expressions. And not only that, but she could read them correctly.
When Nat didn’t respond or rebuke Rory, Will’s smile split her face. “Wow. I can’t believe you’re gonna be the first one of us to get married.”
“Um, I beg your pardon,” Rory said, sounding affronted. “I got married almost fifteen years ago, remember?”
Will waved her off. “Please, we’re not countin’ that. As far as I’m concerned, my nieces arrived by immaculate conception.”
Mac cleared her throat. “Well, actually…” she said and then just let that hang in the air as the rest of them stared at her, brows raised, waiting for her to continue.
When she said nothing more, Nat slapped a hand on the table. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Spit it out already. I’ve sorta got someone waitin’ for an answer, and I need to run.”
Mac reached up and pulled something from the neck of her shirt and placed it on top of the material. There, hanging from a delicate silver chain, was a ring. All three sisters gasped in unison, but it was Rory who yanked Mac toward her, close enough to get a better look at the piece of jewelry around her neck.
“What the hell is this?” Rory asked.
“Oh myword!” Will said. “You’remarried?”
Will and Nat stood, their elbows braced on the table as they leaned closer to Mac, getting a glimpse of the simple, thin band with a row of diamonds encased in silver.
“Are y’all done mauling me?” Mac asked.
“Are you done keepin’ this huge secret from your sisters?” Nat shot back.
Mac tucked the necklace back beneath her shirt and shrugged, as if it weren’t a big deal to have gotten married and not told anyone. “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I didn’t want to tell anyone and take away from Will’s big day comin’ up.”
