We talked about our families, our dream vacation, the plant we’d choose to be if we had to be one. That was her question, obviously. She wanted to be aMonstera deliciosa, and I chose an apple tree. That way, I could always eat them.
Conversation flowed as we ate, and it was just as I started cleaning up the dishes that my phone rang. My first thought was the café guy, and I jumped up with a half smile on my face. Maybe he already talked my finance guy, and it went through. It’d be a hell of a Sunday morning to hear good news.
But it was mymom.Opposite of good news.
Shit.
“Gotta take this. Give me a moment, would you?” I asked Nora, admiring how my shirt rode up the back of her thighs as she leaned into the sink. God, I could spend hours touching and licking her skin.Not now. You need to talk to your mom.
“Sure. I’ll clean up.” She winked at me over her shoulder, and fuck, if it wasn’t the cutest and self-confident thing I’d see her do. Seeing her go back to her mansion would really suck.
I went into my room and shut the bedroom door before I answered. “Hey, Mom.”
“Anthony,” she said, the background noise almost too loud to hear her clearly. “—you doing?”
“What?”
“Sorry. Traffic is horrible here.” She cleared her throat, and the noise quieted down. “Ah, better. I asked how you’re doing? How’s your sister? And we must talk about Nora Atwood.”
“That’s a lot in one question, Mom.” I sighed and fell onto my back on the bed.
“Don’t sass me, young man.”
I rolled my eyes. Young man. I was almost thirty, but okay. “I’m fine. Gilly’s doing well. And why must we talk about Nora?”
“Your sister found her dress and didn’t FaceTalk me.”
Ah, that was the reason for the call. My gut tightened with a fierce need to protect my sister. We were beyond thankful for growing up without lacking anything besides parents who wanted to be involved in our lives. We had zero complaints, but this was the issue. “It’s a beautiful dress.”
“Is she mad at me? Did she intentionally try to leave me out of the process?”
“First off, you should call her if you want to talk about this. She’s not the one who hopped on a plane to go abroad. You did. Her plans never changed or went off course, yours did.”
“Anthony Carter.”
Oh shit. I gotfull-named.“I can tell you’re hurt, Mom, and I’m sorry you are, but…this one is on you. Not Gilly.”
Silence. My skin tingled, and a knot formed in my throat with regret. Had I gone too far? Would Gilly be pissed at me? I made a fist and hit my forehead twice before saying, “You should talk to her, really. You’ve given very little indication that you’re interested in the process.”
“She’s my daughter! Of course I’m interested!”
“Wouldn’t hurt to say that or back the sentiment up with action.”
What was wrong with me? I was spewing out truth bombs like there weren’t repercussions, and the irony wasn’t lost on me. Sure, I was keeping something major from Nora, but at least I was unfiltered with my mom. “What about Nora Atwood?”
“Right.”
She sniffed, but I refused to feel bad for sticking up for Gilly. Grace and I did our best to have as much fun as we could, but I could see the little bit of sadness in her eyes about our mom. She’d never admit it though.
“Well?” Impatience had me tapping my foot. I wanted to end this call and get back to Nora, but at the mention of her name, I needed to know what my mom had to say.
“She reached out to meagainabout contacting you. I don’t understand why you’re avoiding her and not answering her emails. I gave her your work number. I expect you to answer. She’s my goddaughter and from what I hear, she’s doing well at the foundation.”
Why is she asking for my number?
Didn’t she just say she was having a great time here? Was that a lie and she still wanted the sham marriage? My expression hardened, and my pulse raced as I placated my mother. “Yeah, I’ll answer.”
“Great. Now, I’m going to move things around. Tell your sister I’ll be back soon.”
