My brother continued, “And more importantly, how do you know she wants independence? It sounds like she grew up ina pretty conservative household, where the man makes all the decisions. That might be what she wants because it’s what she knows.”
Well, fuck.
“I hadn’t considered that. I’d just assumed that once she tasted autonomy, she’d never look back.”
“Are you prepared to bethathusband, if that’s what she needs?”
Was I?
When I didn’t answer right away, Adam shook his head and muttered, “Bro, you better figure that out.Beforeyou worry about anything else.”
I sighed begrudgingly. “Yeah, I know you’re right.”
He grabbed a freshly baked cookie and took a bite with a cocky grin. “Of course I am.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Jessica
“What’d your mom say?” Alan asked when I came out of Lainey’s office.
I felt my eyebrows crease as I replayed the conversation in my head.
“She said to have fun,” which shocked the heck out of me. “And asked me to invite you and your parents to dinner on Sunday.”
“I’m sure my parents would love that.”
I slowly shook my head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. As you know, my parents have some pretty staunch beliefs.”
“I know, but they were welcoming to me last night at dinner. There’s no reason to believe they won’t be as inviting to my folks.”
“I guess…”
I still had my suspicions.
They’d almost beentooaccommodating last night. And then my mother told me to “have fun” tonight? Not to mention she’d almost sounded excited when I’d called her earlier to see if she was available to go dress shopping tomorrow.
When I’d mentioned to the ladies that my mother had been too cooperative about dress shopping, Jade offered, “Don’t go looking for problems that might not exist. Take it at face value until proven otherwise.”
I didn’t mention I’d had several years’ experience of being proven otherwise. But maybe Mama and Papa were turning over a new leaf, and I should give them the benefit of the doubt.
The anxious feeling in my stomach, however, didn’t go away.
“What time are you dress shopping tomorrow?”
“We have an appointment with a boutique in Fowlerville at one.”
“Do you think we could go look at a house in the morning then? It’s one street over from Brian’s house, where I’m staying right now. We can drive by it tonight.”
I blinked up at him. “You want me to look at a house?”
“Yeah, I told you that last night.”
“I guess I just thought you would choose something.”
He scoffed. “I’m not making a decision about where we’re going to live without your buy-in.”
Add that to the list of things I was not expecting. “O—okay. Then, yeah—I can be available tomorrow.”
