“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, I loved sex as much as the next girl, but what would the option be in this instance? I hummed as my thoughts spun through every possible scenario, my mind automatically flicking away any thought, no matter how brief it was, of either me or Asher with anyone else.
Probably because it would put the guardianship at risk. In a town as small as Havenbrook, we couldn’t afford to have rumors flying around about our marriage being a sham.
By the time I refocused, my sisters were staring at me, each with a different expression. Rory was skeptical. Mac looked contemplative. And Will…well, Will looked downright giddy.
“What’s with your face?” I 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.”
I scoffed and rolled my 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 my ankle, dragging me down to the bottom of the ocean.
I was trapped. Suffocated.
But it wouldn’t be forever. Right? It wouldn’thaveto be forever. If we got married and the judge saw that Asher could provide a stable home enough to get custody of the kids, then our farce could be up and I could go back to the life I loved.
In my mind, the shackle crumbled and I 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 me well enough to be able to discern my expressions. And not only that, but she could read them correctly.
When I 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 us stared at her, brows raised, waiting for her to continue.
When she said nothing more, I 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. The rest of us all 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 I stood, our elbows braced on the table as we leaned closer to Mac, getting a glimpse of the simple, thin band with a row of diamonds encased in white gold.
“Are y’all done mauling me?” Mac asked.
“Are you done keepin’ this huge secret from your sisters?” I 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.”
“Mac…” Will said, her voice soft. “I haven’t been that much of a bridezilla, have I? You didn’t have to keep this from everyone.”
