Tangled Vows (Willow Brook Falls #3)

29. Shayla

29

SHAYLA

“ Y ou did what!” my mom screeched, and I winced.

“We got married while in Vegas,” I repeated, holding out my hand to show her the ring. As if that would help ease the blow.

Her mouth fell open as she glanced from me to Easton and back again. Easton wrapped an arm around my waist in silent support and pulled me into his side. His hand splayed possessively over my hip, and it didn’t matter that it was all for show. The contact set my skin ablaze.

“It was kind of spur of the moment,” Easton explained, this time sticking to the script. “We just didn’t want to wait any longer. Neither of us wanted a big wedding, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity.”

My mother’s face softened as some of the shock fell away.

“So, you’re happy? This is what you want?” she asked, and I nodded.

“It is,” I replied, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. It wasn’t at all what I wanted, but what I wanted was irrelevant. I did what I had to do.

“Well, then, I guess congratulations are in order.”

“Thank you,” Easton and I said in unison. A dreamy look overtook her features.

“You two are already so in sync.” I wanted to gag. She was reading too much into this, but I wouldn’t burst her bubble. We needed her to believe we were in love, even though we most definitely were not. Though I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t imagine falling for him. After everything he did to make our wedding special—like getting us rings when the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind, then making sure I had a pretty white dress—I guessed he wasn’t so bad. He could be sweet and thoughtful when he wanted to. He was unbelievably attractive and could even be funny at times. It would be easy to let myself get caught up in this fake marriage with him. But I had to remind myself not to let my heart get involved. If I did, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he would break it.

“So that’s the good news,” I said, steering the conversation in a new direction.

“What’s the bad news?” she asked, her face falling. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“What?” I shrieked.

“I mean, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. You are married now, and I always wanted grandchildren.”

“No,” I rushed to assure her, my panicked gaze shooting to Easton. His face had paled, and he looked a little green around the gills as though the thought terrified him. “I’m not pregnant.” It never crossed my mind that she’d think that was the reason for our shotgun wedding.

“Okay…” she drew out, brows lifted in inquiry.

The words stuck in my throat. I needed to tell her about the change in our living situation, but I worried this would crush her. It had always been the three of us together, and now I was flying the nest, and she’d had no warning.

“She’s moving in with me,” Easton responded, sensing my hesitation.

A look of resignation settled on her face, and she nodded somberly.

“Of course. You’re newlyweds. I would expect you’re ready to start your lives together.”

“I’ll still be over often, and I’ll take you to your treatments whenever I can,” I assured her.

“And you’re welcome to visit us any time. We’re only ten minutes away,” Easton added, and I shot him a grateful look.

Her brows shot to her hairline. “You are?”

“I have a house on the lake,” he replied, and her eyes brightened.

“That’s wonderful. The homes up there are beautiful,” she mused, stars practically shining in her eyes. She was just as smitten with Easton as everyone else seemed to be.

“I should probably start packing,” I said, and she nodded.

“Do you need any help?” Easton asked, but I shook my head. I hadn’t had a moment to myself since getting married, and I needed some space to clear my head.

I trudged upstairs, leaving my mom and Easton behind to chat. She would surely want to get to know him better since he was her new son-in-law. That thought gave me pause. Would she get attached to him? Would it break her heart when we inevitably went our separate ways?

Shoving those thoughts aside, I began packing up my belongings. It didn’t take long since I didn’t plan on taking everything I owned with me. I wouldn’t be gone for more than a year before Easton and I dissolved our marriage and I was back under my mother’s roof. An unexpected ache settled in my chest at that thought, and I stubbornly rubbed at my sternum to make it go away. There was no reason to get emotional. It was a marriage in name only, nothing more.

When I came downstairs a half hour later with the first box, Easton and my mom were deep in conversation at the kitchen table. He stood and took the box from my hands, motioning me to take his seat. He insisted on getting the rest of the boxes so Mom and I could have a moment to ourselves.

Mom asked me about the wedding, and I showed her some photos Claire had sent me. She gushed over my dress and got all starry eyed over Easton picking it out for me.

“All done,” Easton announced as he entered the kitchen.

“I’ll help you carry everything to the car,” I offered.

“No need. I’ve already loaded it all up,” he said with a self-satisfied grin.

Well, okay then. He must’ve been in a hurry to get home. It was his last night of freedom before I moved in tomorrow. We’d agreed I’d stay here tonight to give my mom a chance to come to terms with this sudden change in our living arrangement. It was the least I could do after blindsiding her by getting married. She put up a fight, claiming she was fine with me leaving, but her eyes were misty and her voice shook when she said it. Ultimately, she gave in and pulled Easton in for a long embrace as he prepared to leave.

“Welcome to the family,” she said, patting his cheek affectionately.

“Thank you.” He gave her one of his signature dazzling grins, and I nearly rolled my eyes at the way she swooned.

“I’ll walk you out,” I offered, and followed him out the door. Once we reached his SUV, he turned to face me. I crossed my arms over my chest and rubbed my hands up and down my arms to ward off the chill in the air.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at work,” I said, and he nodded. “Can you send me your address? I want to make sure I get the right house.” I planned to head to his lake house after work, and although I was familiar with the area, I didn’t actually know where he lived. And I should probably know my new address even though it was temporary.

“I was actually going to wait for you to get off work and drive you there myself.” My eyes widened in surprise.

“What about my car? I don’t want to leave it there. How will I get back in the morning?” I usually started my day an hour or two before Easton, and I didn’t expect him to get out of bed early just to drive me to work.

“About that…” he began nervously, his hand going to the back of his neck as his gaze darted away. Shit. What had he done? “Your new car is already at the house.”

My mouth fell open in surprise, and I blinked up at him. He’d warned me he was buying me a car, but I hadn’t expected him to do it so soon. He must’ve arranged it before we even got married.

“It was delivered before we left for Vegas,” he admitted sheepishly, confirming my suspicions.

“Well,” I huffed, “how am I supposed to get the old one home?” He hesitated, and unease pricked my skin.

“You aren’t,” he replied, and I cocked an eyebrow, silently asking him to elaborate. “It will be gone by the time you get out of work.”

“What?” I hissed, trying to keep my voice down so my mom didn’t hear.

“It’ll be at the shop. It needs a few repairs before it goes to its new owner.”

“You sold my car?!”

He winced and took a step toward me, his arms raised in a placating gesture.

“No, that’s not?—”

I interrupted him, poking him in the chest as I growled, “That’s my car. You had no right?—”

My words cut off abruptly as Easton gripped my hand and tugged me toward him. He pinned my flattened palm to his chest and curled his free hand around the back of my neck. Then he was kissing me. The shock of it stole my breath. I tried to pull away, but he held me tighter, one arm dropping to my waist to pull me closer. The hands that had been pushing against his chest were suddenly fisted in his shirt. I melted into him as his tongue dove inside my mouth, skimming over my parted lips.

He pulled back and pressed his forehead to mine, and I suddenly couldn’t remember what I’d been mad about.

“Your mom is watching,” he whispered, and it took a second for his meaning to break through the fog. I tried to turn to peer over my shoulder at the big bay window, but Easton stopped me. “Don’t. It’ll look suspicious."

“Okay,” I breathed, wishing I didn’t sound so needy. I wanted to kiss him again. Despite knowing it was just for show, I craved more.

“I’m not selling your car,” he admitted, his eyes flicking toward the house at my back as he tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear. He only did it because we had an audience, but still, it sent tingles coursing down my spine. My brows furrowed in confusion. “I’m having it fixed up so you can give it to your sister.”

Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Neither my mother nor myself had the money to buy Makenna a car. She would need one next year to get back and forth to college once she was allowed to have a vehicle on campus. I thought I had time to save up, but then Mom’s cancer came back.

“How did you know?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Your mom told me.”

“That is…” I began, but couldn’t find the right words. It was sweet and thoughtful, and completely unexpected. “Thank you, Easton,” I said, my voice catching. His eyes closed briefly at the sound of his name on my lips.

“It was nothing,” he said, downplaying the kind gesture. But to me, it was everything.