Silence blankets the kitchen until I slam the knife through a cucumber.
“Mistakes were made,” Rose admits. “On all our parts.” He eyes me, but I silently dare him to say a word. “That doesn’t mean you cut your mother off.”
“I didn’t. I told her I needed space, and she doesn’t respect that.”
“Dandy, I do.”
I roll my eyes. If she did, she would not be here now. She would have waited for her daughter to reach out.
“And I was going to call you tomorrow and ask you to meet me somewhere to talk,” Eden says.
Serena takes Eden’s hand again. “Why not come to the house?”
“I’m not going anywhere near Sylvie .”
“It’s your home, Eden. Sylvie doesn’t own the house.” Serena waves her hand. “Let’s put this past us. You’re married to Ripley, and he’s now part of our family. We want to let you know that we are welcoming him.”
“Oh, Lord,” I say with a half-laugh, half snort. I quickly sober up, go to the fridge, and grab the homemade dressing I made the night before.
“Really? Why now?” Eden is as skeptical as I am. “Because he got the kids back?”
“Not just that,” her father says, but he doesn’t offer any other reasons.
“Let me get this straight.” Eden takes her hand from her mother. “You want to accept Ripley now?”
Both of her parents nod.
“Now? Not when we were dating and he was giving me the princess treatment. Not when I told you I was in love with him. Not when he encouraged me to go after the managerial position at work. Not when he sat by my hospital bedside for ten days. Not when we got married, and not when he nursed me back to health. Not when he was cooking all my meals, taking me to my medical appointments, and making sure I got enough rest. But now that he’s done something for Sylvie, you want to welcome him. Is he my man or Sylvie’s? He shouldn’t have to rescue yourdamsel-in-distress daughter for your approval. What about all the things he’s done for me?”
“Dandy!” Serena gasps. She puts a hand to her chest in shock.
“And it’s not only about the stuff with Sylvie, Mom.”
“Then what? I supported your relationship with Ripley. I never tried to stop it.”
I’d laugh at that, but don’t because I don’t want to upset Eden, but I can’t let the moment pass.
“You had no choice.” My voice is firm.
“Telling me you’ll wait until this blows up in my face is not support. What about offering to pay for my birth control so I can walk away free and clear after he dumps me?”
“Oh, really?” I ask now that I’m hearing this for the first time. I hold Serena’s stare before I look toward her husband.
“Is that your idea of support?” Eden continues. “And let’s not forget how you wept at my wedding. You acted like it was my funeral, and you almost ruined the day for me.”
She turns her back to them, but I can see tears in her eyes. I leave my salad and pull her into my arms. Eden rests her face in my chest while I rub her back.
‘Enough,’ I mouth to her parents.
I cup her cheeks and look down. “I’m your man, baby. From now until forever.” I rest my forehead on hers. “Let’s calm down. All of us. How about the four of us sit down and have dinner together? I’ll cook for everyone.”
Without a word to her parents, I take her to the other side of the room. “I don’t want you estranged from your parents. Not on my behalf, even though I love how you have my back. But I know you love them and they love you.” A tear slips down her cheek, and I wipe it. “And if you don’t make up, they will come over too often, and I might have to shoot them.”
That gets a laugh out of her. She wraps her arms around me, and I hold her close. “I want everyone to know how amazing my husband is.”
“The only person who needs to know that already does. One of my jobs as your amazing husband is to eliminate stress from your life. Do something for your king.”
“I’ll do anything for my king.”
