Blake steps up behind Loren and places a comforting hand on her back. “Hey, it’s okay,” he says softly. “Maybe you should hear him out.”
“No,” Loren holds. “He’s been horrible to you since we were kids, and from the second he found out about us, he tried to convince me that you were only out to prey on me. Yet, here he is, the guy who swears all relationships are doomed, tricking someone as unsuspecting and innocent as Daisy into marrying him.”
Landry clenches his jaw so hard that I can see the muscles contracting beneath his beard. But he doesn’t reply. I imagine he’s probably weighing what he wants to say first, and I’m struck with a sense of pride again.
“For what it’s worth, Landry didn’t trick me,” I chime in. “If anything, I’m the one who trapped him.”
“Let me guess,” Loren begins, handing Penny off to Blake. “He found out you weren’t in the habit of giving away your milk for free, so he figured he’d get around that by buying the cow while it was convenient?”
Landry swallows hard. “I’m sorry for giving you and Blake a hard time, Lo. I really am. But I’m not going to stand here and let you talk about my wife like that.”
My lips part in an audible gasp, but I do my best to hide my reaction to Landry calling me his wife and defending me in front of Loren. I’m sure it was only a knee-jerk response, and I shouldn’t read that much into it. Still, I can’t help the small thrill it sends through me.
Everyone else seems to brush right over the comment, and Loren crosses her arms, her frown growing deeper. “Oh, so you can say whatever horrible things you want about my husband, on a freaking microphone in front of all of our closest friends and family, no less, but I’m not allowed to use a harmless euphemism in front of yourwife?” she rants bitterly. Then she turns to me and softens her expression. “No offense, Daisy. I didn’t mean the cow part literally. And even if you were a cow, you’d be a very lovely one—the prettiest and friendliest heifer there ever was, I’m sure.”
“Um, thanks, I think,” I offer quietly, but it falls on deaf ears.
Landry’s chest heaves as he continues staring Loren down. “You are a piece of work, you know that? I have spent the majority of my life taking care of you and trying to keep you out of trouble, while you’ve always gone out of your way to make my job harder.” He pauses and lets go of me to gesture in the direction of Blake before he continues. “Do you want to know why I’ve always hated him? It’s because Dad liked him more than he loved me, because even my own father recognized that I’d never measure up to the freaking Bourgeois brothers. Coach Reed only trusted me with two things as a kid: to play quarterback and to protect you. But as hard as I tried, I failed at both. And Blake just had to make sure everyone knew he could do it better. So where does that leave me, Lo? What use am I to the rest of you now that Mom doesn’t need me to babysit her, and you don’t need me to keep her away from you?”
The room falls silent except for the sound of Landry’s labored breathing. I reach out to take his hand again, but he pulls his arm away, and I feel my shoulders droop. Charley cries off in the distance, breaking the awkward silence.
“We’ll get that,” JD says flatly before shoving Ethan forward. Tenley and Caidence go with them, leaving the rest of us alone in the kitchen.
“What do you mean you had to keep Mom away from me?” Loren asks quietly.
Landry licks his lips and looks away. “Dad was always worried about her embarrassing you in public.”
“So you took it upon yourselves to stop her from being there for me, especially when I needed her the most?”
“It was for the best, trust me,” he mutters.
Loren shakes her head. “You didn’t have the right to?—”
“No, it was worse,” Landry says, cutting her off. “Dad made it my responsibility.”
“Am I supposed to thank you for that?” she continues. Then her expression hardens, and her chin trembles as she chokes out, “Did you keep her from coming to my high school graduation?”
“No,” Landry replies. “She made that decision herself. But after the way she acted at mine the year before, you should be glad she stayed in rehab.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t get to tell people what to do and how to feel,” she says, and Blake comes up beside her. “And you don’t get to accuse others of the same shit you’re guilty of doing.”
“I’m not trying to do any of that. I just don’t know how else to show you I care,” Landry replies, already sounding defeated.
“It sounds like you’re just butthurt because we chose someone else to be the twins’ godfather and we didn’t get your permission to get married,” Loren mutters, and Landry scoffs.
“Lo, babe,” Blake finally speaks up, his voice thick. “I know you’re upset, but you’re saying some hurtful things—things you’ll probably regret later, when you know the whole truth.”
“What else don’t I know?” Loren demands.
“Do you really want me to say this now, in front of everyone?” Blake asks, lowering his voice. And I have to admit, I’m getting a bit curious myself. Loren nods, and he sighs. “I didn’t ask for your brother’s permission, but I did get his blessing before I proposed to you. And I’m pretty sure he married Daisy because she needed his help.” He turns to Landry. “Right?”
I cross my arms over my middle and look away, feeling embarrassed.
“How do you know that?” Landry asks.
“I work at the courthouse, remember? The clerks that filed your marriage license told me as soon as it happened,” Blake explains. “I already knew about Daisy’s epilepsy, and I noticed that she never drives herself anywhere, so I figured she needed you to be her emergency medical contact or something, maybe to bypass her family. Although I never understood why you had to get married for that. I could have just helped you with the power of attorney paperwork, had you asked.”
“Wait, you knew they were married this whole time, and you never told me?” Loren rears back.
