Page 19 of Married at Midnight

“Dad is still an engineer, building planes. Mom changed jobs a few years ago and now works as an accountant with a firm downtown.” They were not wealthy by any means, but they were comfortable.

“Why will your parents be disappointed?” Connor asked as they heard footsteps approaching the door.

“I’ve never felt like I was enough,” Ellie said, leaving her explanation at that. Connor would learn the truth soon enough.

The door opened, revealing her mother. Julie Hawthorne looked at the two of them in surprise at first; then her sharp, hazel-brown eyes shifted from Ellie to Connor and back again. “Ellie, sweetie, so good to see you.” Her mother came forward to greet her with a kiss on the cheek. “And Connor Grayson.” She turned to him. “You’ve definitely changed for the better over the years.”

“Mom,” Ellie groaned.

Her mother relaxed. “I must say this is a surprise, even though we already read about your marriage in this morning’s newspaper.”

Ellie felt the blood rush from her face. They were too late. “I can explain.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” her mother asked, stepping aside for the two of them to enter. Surprisingly, there was no judgment in her voice.

“It happened so quickly—”

“Not the marriage, dear. Why didn’t you tell us you were dating Connor?”

Ellie was momentarily taken aback; her mother seemed less disturbed about the marriage than the details of her dating life.

Connor stepped forward and took Julie’s hands in his. “We didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up in case things didn’t work out between us again,” he said with his most charming smile. “My grandmother felt the same way—a little surprised but ultimately happy Ellie and I found each other again after all these years.”

Her mother blushed. “Ellie always said you were a charmer.”

“Mother!” Ellie groaned again. She didn’t need to tell him that detail from the past.

“Don’t ‘Mother’ me. It’s true, and you know it.” Her mother hooked her arm through Connor’s and led him farther into the house, toward the family room, where they would no doubt find her dad. “James, look who stopped by,” she called as they walked.

Ellie followed along. At least her mother wasn’t angry with her about their secret wedding. Instead, she seemed enchanted by her charming son-in-law. He was charming when he wanted to be, Ellie conceded, but her parents also knew he was the boy who’d broken her heart.

They entered the family room, and her father was just where she suspected he’d be—sitting at his hobby table, tying flies along a mechanical arm for his next fishing trip. He stopped and regarded Connor with a great deal of interest.

“Dad, do you remember Connor Grayson?”

He left his hobby table to come around and shake Connor’s hand. “Nice to see you again, son. It’s been a long time.”

“That was entirely my fault, I’m afraid,” Connor said without looking at Ellie. “You know teenage boys. They get their priorities all wrong.”

Her father’s laugh grated over her as she stood frozen, unable to dredge up a coherent thought. Had Connor just apologized for abandoning her? Or was he making excuses? If only he would look at her. And then he did.

In his eyes she saw the truth. He was sorry for leaving her alone.

Pain snagged her heart and tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back, refusing to let her emotions get the best of her in front of him, in front of her parents. She focused on her mother, who scooped up the morning’s newspaper from the coffee table. It was open to the announcements page. She’d circled the news about Ellie and Connor in red pen.

“Oh, Ellie. This is the best news we’ve had in a long time.” Her mother thrust the paper into Ellie’s hands. “We couldn’t be happier.”

Ellie clutched the paper, scanning the announcement. Her parents’ reaction wasn’t what she’d imagined at all. “I don’t understand. I thought you’d be angry I got married without telling you, without you even being there.”

Her dad patted her arm. “Sweetheart, don’t take this the wrong way, but ever since you started that event-planning business of yours, where you’ve planned such extravagant weddings for others, I’ve lived in terror of how your mother and I would ever afford any wedding you wanted to have. You did want something on a grand scale, right?”

He didn’t wait for her answer as he plowed right on. “By getting married in Las Vegas, you just saved us thousands of dollars. We were so excited to read your announcement in this morning’s paper that we booked a cruise with the money we’d saved. We’re finally going to one of the places on our bucket list.”

On wooden legs, Ellie moved to the couch to sink into the plush cushions. She took a deep breath, then another, with an exaggerated calm she didn’t feel. What was happening? Who had swapped her parents with aliens?

The realization hit as she watched her dad not only lead Connor over to his hobby table but sit him down in front of his latest creation and encourage him to try his hand at tying a fly. Her father now had the son he’d always wanted.

“I’m calling this one a pinkie,” James said. “It’s a combination of bucktail and pink ostrich feathers. The fish will love it.” Her dad bent over and showed his new son-in-law how to wrap the ostrich feathers around the hook shank. “Do you fish, son?”