“Are you fucking kidding me? That bitch ruined your proposal plans!” Kathy rages. “Send her straight to jail!”
“Man,did you see the size of his TV?” Dad is marveling at Fitz’s penthouse.
“He certainly has a lot of knickknacks.” Mom picks up a soapstone cat.
“Do you swim naked in this pool?” Gran asks.
“Not often.” Fitz looks up from where he’s carefully slicing up watermelon rind because that’s supposed to help with hydration.
“Mom! Dad! Leave his stuff alone! You really didn’t need to bring my parents here.” I’m freshly showered andtucked in on Fitz’s couch in a mound of blankets. Fidget is curled up next to me.
“Stop giving her snacks,” I tell one of Fitz’s multitude of brothers.
“She saved your life,” Fitz’s brother Faulkner says, offended. “She deserves a doughnut.”
“Yeah,” Whitman adds. “Without Fidget, you’d still be locked up in that house.”
“You can’t get engaged anytime soon,” my mom tuts. “I mean, look at you, Winnie. You’re a mess.” She goes after me with a comb.
“Yeah, how long will it take for those bruises to fade?” Kathy dabs my face with ice. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”
“Don’t kink shame,” Fitz jokes.
Dad frets. “Those dark circles under her eyes could be cranial bleeding.”
“No, she always has dark circles under her eyes,” Carolina states.
“Now, which one of you is single?” Gran demands.
Several of Fitz’s brothers raise their hands, including Crawford.
“Go for the hot one.” Gran shoves Kathy toward him.
“He’s not rich,” Fitz warns.
“I’m not dating,” Kathy says, dusting her hands. “I’m done with that. I want to run one of Winnie’s cafés.”
My mom sighs heavily. “You want to open a café instead of having a husband and children?”
Kathy nods. “I have plans for the Summit Square location. I already told Fitz we want a better lease agreement. And you’re going to be too busy being a wife and mother. It’s a perfect arrangement.”
Brinley bounces around. “I’m done with men too. I’m going to help Kathy in the café.”
“Theyarekilling it on Instagram,” Carolina tells me.
“I need a minute to process.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “What happened to the house Fitz is buying you?”
“He says you’re moving in with him, so we had him cancel the sale,” Dad says simply.
“It doesn’t make sense for your house to stay empty, Winnie,” Mom tells me.
“Ugh.” I slap my forehead
“You’re not leaving my sight,” Fitz says simply.
“Well.” Gran huffs. “I guess it’s all on me to find a man to support us.”
“Winnie’s doing a great job of supporting us. We should adopt a dog and give Fidget a friend,” my dad says earnestly.
