This time, Aurelie was included in the telling glances, the stares that set Jace apart from the group of friends that knew the couple.
“What?”Jace asked when no one answered his question.Realization dawned on his features.“No.No, you can’t be serious.Shewouldn’t, would she?Give up her life for a baby that will have to grow up without her?”
Instead of sharing glances, everyone’s eyes fell to the floor.Only Aurelie met Jace’s gaze, the answer written on her face.
“Of course she would refuse surgery, Jace.She’s wanted this forever.Haven’t you ever wanted anything so badly you’d risk everything to get it?”
Her pulse raced with the look he shot her.It was a potent blend of lust and something more, something she dared not examine too closely.Her cheeks burned, and her stomach flipped over itself, making her feel uneasy.
“You can’t let her do this,” Jace said, a determination in his voice Aurelie had never heard.“If you love this woman and her husband, you have to talk her out of killing herself to save an infant that isn’t even alive yet.”
The anger that wafted off of Jace didn’t surprise Aurelie, not really.His mom had died in childbirth, leaving him to be raised by a single father.Given Jace’s emotional response, it must’ve been a horrible upbringing.He’d only ever been the picture of calm, of strength, until now.
This was a different man who stood, paced the length of the living room, running his hands through his hair as if doing so might give some clarity to the situation.A storm raged in his eyes, turning them a deeper blue than they’d been minutes earlier.He was a hurricane instead of a safe harbor, and the shift frightened her.
No matter his own history, he didn’t get a say in this.She got up and took his hand.
“This isn’t about your opinion of what Jackie should do, Jace.You know absolutely nothing about her or why she’s made her choice.She’s not your mother.”
“If she’s made her choice, what did her husband have to say about it?Was he supportive of her decision to die, to let a baby kill his wife?Because he’ll be the one left behind to pick up the pieces when she’s six feet under.”
Sophie gasped, then let out a sob.
“That wasn’t called for, man,” Brad said, his voice even, but firm.
“So none of you agree?Would you all stand aside and let your wives wither away in front of you?So you could be left with a fragment of her that looks so much like her you can’t help but blame the kid who didn’t have a choice in the matter for killing his mom?Because that doesn’t seem called for, either.”
Aurelie stood there, stunned.His anger was so palpable, so dramatic a shift, that it rocked her to her core.No wonder he didn’t want a wife or a child.He couldn’t handle anything awful happening to them.
This new knowledge did exactly what it was supposed to: It reminded her of the fragility of what they’d signed on for.Her marriage wasn’t real, and therefore, neither were her feelings for her fake husband.They were built on a lie.
“Is this about Hank’s wife?She was your mom, then?”Brad asked.“The one who died the year Hank bought the ranch?I guess I never put that together.I’m so sorry, Jace.Hank never mentioned her.”
“Let’s just say I know what it feels like to be blamed for something as simple as being born.I didn’t have a choice in the matter, and no one ever let me forget the sacrifice that made it possible for me to be here.I wouldn’t wish that kind of pressure on any child.”
Aurelie’s heart ached for Jace.She wanted to reach out, hold him, help him through whatever hurt he was reliving, but ring on her finger or not, it wasn’t her place.And besides, she needed to be there for her friends.Jackie’s diagnosis was sure to throw everyone off of their schedules for some time.If she could be there to help—while she was still a Banberry resident anyway—she would be.In between helping at the clinic and court issues, that was.
“I understand your reasoning, Jace, and your, um, passion is honorable, but the fact of the matter is, this is between Steve and Jackie.I think as friends to them both, we need to figure out how we support them while honoring their decision.They’re gonna need us to be on the same team,” Owen said, his presence a beacon of calm in the rough seas they all navigated.
What was implied in Owen’s message was that Jace, despite being from Banberry, was new to the group and should defer to those who knew the couple to decide how to proceed.Aurelie didn’t disagree.
Jace seemed to hear the unspoken words as well.His mouth pressed into a thin line that went white.His bottom jaw trembled, belying his anger.
“I see.Well, welcome back.Good luck with your friend.Aurelie?We should go.”
Aurelie froze.She didn’t want to go; shecouldn’tgo.She needed to help support Jackie and Steve as their friend, their neighbor.But she was also a wife—Jace’s wife.For now, anyway.The problem was, no one in the room knew that except for her and Jace.It added to the weights around her neck like a noose.
Her heart split into two.One side ached to talk to Jace, to get him to see their side of things and curl up against his chest as she had every night for over a week.
The other side wanted to tell him off right then and there.She had a commandeering father, asshole brothers.She didn’t need a husband—a fake one at that—dictating her every move as well.
She avoided looking into Paige’s eyes, the lies too big to hide anymore.She’d gotten married to a man she’d known less than two days.Her father was out of prison.Her visa had been denied.Even though her chains were fancier, gilded, they still shackled her to someone who didn’t want her.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she looked up and met Paige’s gaze.
“What does he meanwe should go?”Paige asked, her mouth pulled tight.“Since when are you two awe?You said you weren’t dating.”
Aurelie fumbled for an explanation that wouldn’t sound as crazy as the truth, but nothing came.Jace chimed in.
