Jasper lifted a brow at me, but there was approval in his eyes. Van was a good one. He wasn’t mine, but he would make someone happy someday.
In the shop, relatives, in-laws, and relatives of my in-laws roamed around. I smiled and said hi to everyone on my way to the buffet line. Van dug out my dish and placed it in the middle with the salads instead of at the end with the desserts. No one in this crowd was going to argue.
“Grab a bite to eat,” he said, folding the tote and finding a spot to stuff it under the table. “I’ll go with your brother and learn my way around GD Pumpkins.”
“Thank you. Remember—any time you’re ready.”
Jasper hovered nearby. When Van joined him, Jasper slapped him on the back. “So, you said you were a computer guy.”
My brother used to be in IT before he ranched. Would he return to that career? He’d been lost when he’d gotten laid off until Eliot offered him a job. I hoped the same didn’t happen.
Mom appeared at my side. “How are you feeling?”
I grinned. “Let me get a bite to eat, and then I’ll show you some pictures.”
Her face lit up, and once I nibbled on some crackers and cheese, I was surrounded as everyone in the shop or who swung through stopped to see pictures of Bean.
Once they were all gone, Violet pulled out a chair, dropped into it, and pushed another one out with her foot. “Evander started calling Willa ‘Bud’ when I was pregnant. Bean is cute.”
“It just happened.” I sat and adjusted my bra strap. “Where can I get good maternity clothes?”
“I’ll go to Bismarck with you. Tell me when.”
I nodded. Right. I had all my sisters close by. “Yes, thank you.”
I had been thinking of calling Poppy, but it was the middle of soccer season for her. She’d been busy in the best ways since she’d moved back to Coal Haven. I had several other sisters in town, and I could do it myself, but Poppy and I were the closest in age and best friends. I kind of missed her. But I was a big girl and starting a family of my own. Poppy was still around. It wasn’t like she left me at the altar.
One of Emery’s older girls came into the shop with Willa in tow. “Do you have some Band-Aids? She fell running across the lawn.”
“I-I told her”—Willa hiccupped—“where they at.”
Violet jumped up. “No worries. I’ll get her cleaned up. Thank you, Afton.”
Dad took Violet’s vacated spot. “Thanks for bringing those pictures.”
“I liked showing everyone.” It was nice to share my growing excitement. Any other situation, I would’ve been thrilled. Now I could be again.
He angled his chair to face me, propping his elbows on his knees, and tapped his fingertips together. I stiffened. He was in CEO mode. “I know we didn’t talk much about the end of the three months, but have you and Van discussed whether you’re going to attempt an annulment or go for a divorce?”
“Oh, uh…” We hadn’t discussed it. Tension returned in my shoulders. The three-month deadline loomed over my head, and I had yet to look for apartments or think about the logistics of going our separate ways. “Divorce, maybe? Isn’t an annulment harder to get?”
“Depends on how contentious a divorce would get.”
“He would get half of nothing, and from what I understand, I would get half of nothing. I don’t think it’ll be an issue.”
“You have to prepare, Clover.”
I scowled, hating that I should’ve been prepared, unlike I was in Las Vegas. “Van isn’t like that, Dad.”
Dad pressed his fingertips together. “You know that for sure?”
“Yes. Besides, why would he marry me if he was going to be worth millions before our time was up?”
Dad dipped his head. He must’ve thought the same thing. “I have a friend who can draw up the papers. All you two would need to do is sign them.”
My mouth went dry. The three months felt like three years, but I only had two months of it left. “I should talk to Van.”
His gaze sharpened. “Do you plan to stay married longer?”
