“Gavin and I were never meant to be,” Rachel continued as though she hadn’t seen Mom’s expression or what that meant for everyone’s evening. “We were an accident, and we became friends. I’m grateful for his friendship. Grateful we share kids. You have to know that we’re not going to get back together, though. He has Dakota.”
“Pssh.” Mom steeled her expression. “You both need to give the other another chance. It hasn’t been easy for Bob and me, either. We make it work.”
“You and Bob love each other,” Rachel said, doubling down on her willingness to stand strong against his mother. He had to give Rachel mad props. Engaging with his mother like this never went well. But Rachel was going all in.
“And you don’t love my Gavin?” Mom arched an eyebrow.
See, now that felt like a trap if a trap ever was. Mom was the queen of spinning webs, and anyone who spent time in her life had to learn to avoid them.
Travis hoped Rachel had learned how to do just that.
Rachel paused, thoughtful, clearly selecting her words carefully. She opened her mouth, shut it, opened it again, shut it, and finally said, “No, I don’t love him.”
Travis winced on behalf of his brother. Ouch.
Mom’s expression fell, and her lips slipped into a deep frown.
That frown hit Travis right in his gut.
“Well,” Mom said. “I guess that’s that.”
There was no way that was that. His mother’s traps were always incredibly inventive. The web on this one was barely a thin string, and yet Mom let Rachel bat it aside with hardly a fight. Impossible. Impossible that this was done.
Plus, he’d be sorely disappointed if they ended on that note. So dissatisfying for the bystanders.
“I really do care about you,” Rachel continued. “If you’d consider dropping this preoccupation with Gavin and me, I’d reconsider hopping on a plane to the lake house.”
Look at Rachel, manipulating her agreement in her favor.
Mom clearly thought so, too, because she stilled.
And, maybe, just maybe Travis was the only witness to the most impressive battle of wills in the history of the planet.
Although, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Probably.
Mom swallowed visibly. “That’s what keeps you away from our family functions?”
“Honestly?” Rachel asked, rocking from foot to foot ever so slightly. “Yes. It makes me uncomfortable, and Gavin and Dakota can’t possibly be comfortable with it, either. No matter what you think, they’re getting married. It’s happening. I’ve been helping her pick out mini tuxedos for the twins. So if you want me to attend these things, that type of passive-aggressive has to stop.”
Travis’s jaw slipped open. Rachel had just said…to his mother…
What world was he living in? Gavin was apologizing and not taking it back, Rachel was standing up to Mom, there were puppies… Nothing was as it should be.
CHAPTER 6
RACHEL
Negotiations were most certainly not Rachel’s strong suit. She held her own when it came to the boys, but Evelyn had her number.
To be honest, Rachel wasn’t sure who had won this round. It seemed to be a draw. Which probably meant that Evelyn won, because Evelyn always won.
Now everyone had left, and it wasn’t even eight, and Rachel was ready to collapse on the sofa and watch something mindless. Clicking on HGTV, she did just that. Her eyelids started to drift closed as Joanna Gaines helped remodel an already lovely home in Waco. Then the doorbell rang.
Because of course it did.
The only thing that had Rachel rising to see who it might be was the hope that it could be a tag team of Girl Scouts with cookies ready for purchase.
