My money is on Carol. She’s hovering in the corner, trying (and failing) to look innocent, her phone half hidden behind her clipboard while she taps out a message. My guess is she spilled the beans when we stopped by for our marriage certificate yesterday, and she’s giving whoever she told the latest update as we speak. And in Bluebell, when you tell one person, it spreads faster than wildfire.
“Told you it wasn’t just a rumor,” Walker whispers to Jensen. “You owe me twenty bucks.”
“Oh, come on, that’s unfair. How was I supposed to know they were secretly in love when they act like they can’t stand each other?” he grunts, pulling out his wallet and slapping a crisp twenty into Walker’s hand. “Should have known secretly dating one of Briar’s friends runs in the family.”
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” Walker winks.
Birdie swats his arm. “Seriously?”
He shrugs. “What did I do?”
She levels him with a pointed glare. “I can’t believe you bet on whether your brother and my friend were getting hitched. We almost missed the ceremony.”
“Thank god we didn’t,” Julie interjects, turning back to Heath and me. “How on earth did you think this would go—getting married without inviting your own mother, for heaven’s sake?”
I wince, bracing for the reprimand, but freeze when I realize what she said.
“Wait,” I say, holding up a hand. “You’re not upset?”
She lets out a short laugh. “Oh, I’m definitely not pleased my son kept an entire relationship secret.” She shoots Heath a disapproving stare. “But his choice of bride? I’m thrilled, honey. I love having you and Birdie around, and nothing makes me happier than gaining you both as daughters-in-law.”
I’m stunned speechless as she pulls me in for a hug, too dazed to correct her assumption that we’ve been together all along. Despite my past differences with Heath, Julie has always been warm, welcoming, and kind. She used to check in on Grams’s and me regularly to make sure we had everything we needed, and when Grams’s health started to decline, she often stopped by with meals and took her to doctor’s appointments when I couldn’t.
The last thing I want to do is disappoint her—not when I’ve dreamed of being part of the Halstead family since I was a kid. Even if this is only temporary.
“So are we pretending this has nothing to do with the baby?” Briar chimes in from where she’s tucked under Jensen’s arm.
The whole room goes deadly silent as Julie pulls back, eyes darting between Briar and my stomach. “Baby? What baby?”
“Really, Briar?” Heath mutters. “You had to bring that upnow?”
She raises her hands. “How was I supposed to know you hadn’t told her yet? Guess I should have figured if you kept a whole wedding from Mama Julie, you’d keep the pregnancy a secret too.”
I don’t think Heath was actively hiding it from his mom as much as he was too preoccupied with getting me to accept his proposal to figure out how to break the news.
Heath rakes a hand through his hair. “Charlie’s pregnant, Ma.”
“Really?” Her eyes fill with tears when I nod, and she throws her arms back around me. “This is the best news. I’m so happy for you two.” She hiccups softly.
My vision blurs as she holds me, warmth blooming in my chest. Her reaction is more than I could ever have asked for and gives me hope that this baby will be surrounded by nothing but love from the moment it’s born.
Heath’s dad rests a hand on Julie’s shoulder. “Love, let’s give Charlie some room to breathe, yeah?”
She gives me a sheepish smile as she lets go. “Right, sorry. I’m just so happy I’m going to be a grandma of two and got carried away.”
I give her arm a reassuring squeeze. “That’s all right. I’m glad you’re excited.”
“I hate to interrupt, but I have another appointment in thirty minutes,” Judge Clark says, pointing at his watch. “So, if you two are set on getting married, let’s move things along.”
Heath meets my gaze as he holds out his hand. “Charlie? You ready?”
It might sound like a simple question, but it’s much more than that. He’s giving me an out in front of his whole family if I want one. A chance to do this on my own if that’s what I decide.
Even if I didn’t have the added incentive to say yes because it means I’ll have stability and support I wouldn’t have otherwise, I can’t help but wonder if I’d still want this regardless—a chance to be part of a family who loves unconditionally and shows up when it matters most. And to belong to a man who’s looking at me like I’m the only person in the room, making me forget for a moment that this is nothing more than a beautiful facade.
I smile as I slip my hand into his. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”
Strip For The Stray
