Chapter 7
SEVEN
SADIE
The drive to Etta’s house was silent, giving me ample time to work myself up into a tizzy. Would they like me? Would I make a fool of myself? Would I remember anyone’s name?
Finally, we arrived. Tall, wrought-iron gates were open to allow us entrance onto a long, tree-lined drive that opened onto a perfectly manicured lawn.
A gigantic house stood guard over the land.
The colonial mansion had a dramatic white colonnade framing the brick structure, with wide white window sashes. It was gorgeous. And huge.
Gideon turned off to the side and parked in one of the massive garages.
He got out of the car and opened my door, then stalked beside me like a silent, looming bodyguard as we headed for the front entrance.
This time, there was no hand on my back.
No touch at all. He didn’t knock when we got there; he just pressed the lever on the handle and walked in.
The foyer was grand, with two sweeping staircases covered in plush red Turkish rugs. A round table bearing a vase of flowers gave the entryway a burst of fresh scent and color. The sound of chatter and peals of laughter guided us to a big living room at the back of the house.
The room had various sofas and chairs arranged in two conversation areas, with French doors thrown open to reveal a plant-filled solarium beyond.
All along our walk to the big living room, I gaped, suddenly realizing just how much money Etta Mars must’ve had. Her house was gorgeous.
Two dozen or more people sat on various sofas, chairs, or on the floor, and all of them turned to look when we walked in. A cheer went up.
“The newlyweds!” one of Gideon’s brothers said—the youngest, whose name I’d learned was Bennett. “We weren’t sure if you’d show up today.”
“It was touch and go for a minute there,” I admitted, then flushed when loud hooting sounded in response. Gideon threw me a dark look as one of his cousins clapped him on the back, congratulating him on a successful wedding night.
When my embarrassment faded, I realized that meant none of them knew where he’d been last night, either. They all thought he’d been with me.
Where had Gideon gone?
“Here,” Jack said to me as he handed me a crystal glass full of fizzy water. A juicy wedge of lime balanced on the thin edge. “Don’t mind them,” he said, tilting his head to the crowd. “They mean well.”
“Do they?” Gideon answered darkly. His gaze swept over the room. I saw him glance at an antique mirror in a gilded frame beside us, then quickly away. He scowled. Because he’d seen his reflection?
“Cheerful as usual,” I quipped.
Jack barked a laugh. “She’s got you figured out already.” He threw his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. “You’ll fit in just fine, Sadie,” he said.
Gideon’s gaze lingered on his brother’s hand on my shoulder for a moment, and then he sneered, “Date didn’t go well last night?”
Jack dropped his hand from my shoulder, his gaze sharpening. “My date was great.” He glanced at me, then away, and took a step to put some distance between us.
I glanced up in time to see Gideon’s jaw clench and release as he glared at his brother. Jack snorted and rolled his eyes.
Some unknown communication had just happened between them. I frowned, wondering what it was. Gideon was angry at his brother?
Jealous?
Surely not. He’d made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want me in that way.
“Are you not participating in the marriage scheme?” I asked Jack.
He gave me a tight smile that had none of the warmth he’d had a moment ago. “No. Grandma Mars knows I have a daughter to take care of.” He motioned to his daughter reading in the corner, under the leaves of a big plant. “I’ve already done my part in repopulating the town.”
“Any news on Mr. Titty?” Gideon asked, evidently wanting to change the subject.
“Nothing. And no sign of whoever punctured Sadie’s tire.” Jack nodded at me when he said my name. “The Blanchard mansion had an alert last night. Knox checked it out.” He tilted his head toward their other brother, the big, broad, silent one who reminded me of a bear.
Gideon touched my elbow and told me he’d be right back, and he and Jack went to the other side of the room to confer with Bennett and Knox.
I watched the way they spoke to each other, and could tell by their body language that they were utterly comfortable with each other.
Knox was a quiet presence, and Bennett was all quick smiles and sarcastic quips.
At first glance, Jack seemed like the leader.
He took control of the conversation, and the others nodded at his words.
He was the face of the company—professional, charming, and put together.
He was the one who was plastered all over their website photos.
But Gideon was the eldest. When he spoke, the others listened and deferred to his judgment.
“They’re somethin’ else, huh,” a woman said to me. I turned to see a brown-haired woman with a kind smile standing next to me. She wore a plain white tee and jeans, and in her arms was the cutest, chubbiest baby I’d ever seen. “Wendy,” she introduced herself.
“Sadie,” I replied. “Your baby is adorable.”
“Do you want to hold him?” she asked, and she didn’t wait for an answer before passing the bundle of baby rolls into my arms.
I spluttered, heart taking off, and settled the baby in my arms after a moment of pure panic. He looked at me with big blue Mars eyes, then reached up to touch my mouth. Laughing, I gently moved his hand away. “Hi, buddy.”
My sister had two kids, but she’d never let anyone but my mom hold them when they were babies. Certainly not me, who wasn’t considered a fully functional human in the family. And after all my breakups, I’d mostly resigned myself to never being a mom.
Now, after last night, I was almost sure that was still the case. As I held the baby, my heart ached for what I would never have.
Wendy smiled. “He’s such a Velcro baby that I’ll take any chance I can get to have a minute to myself,” she explained, but her eyes stayed on her son.
Then she looked at me. “I’m married to Gideon’s cousin, Ben.
” She nodded at a slight, tall man who sat talking to another, older Mars man.
One of the uncles, I remembered. Wendy touched her baby’s head, stroking his downy hair.
“Sorry I couldn’t come to the wedding yesterday.
Ollie lost it in the car on the way over and I had to bail. ”
“That’s all right,” I said, not wanting to admit I hadn’t noticed her absence.
She kept her eyes on her baby and said, “Ollie is only the second baby born in town this year,” she said, then glanced at me. “Are you and Gideon thinking about kids yet?”
I blinked. We weren’t even thinking about friendship, let alone children.
“I mean, we got married yesterday,” I replied with a laugh.
“We haven’t gotten that far.” But then I looked down at the warm bundle in my arms, and my heart went all gooey and soft.
Baby Ollie had spotted my necklace and was busy grabbing and tugging at it.
I pried his surprisingly strong grip open and distracted him with babbles.
“I always thought Gideon would make a great dad,” Wendy said as she watched me play with her son.
“Oh yeah?” I asked, flicking my glance from her to my new husband. He was frowning at something Knox said, shaking his head in response.
“He’s so reliable,” she replied, and a pain went through my heart. He hadn’t been reliable last night, when he’d taken off after rejecting me.
But he’d given me his jacket and taken care of the tire. He’d asked about my ankle and got me my favorite drink in apology.
Complicated, confusing man.
Wendy went on: “I was stranded twenty miles away when I ran out of gas.” She shot me a self-deprecating glance. “I called Gideon because I knew he’d at least wait twenty-four hours before giving me shit about it.”
I laughed. “How generous of him.”
“Right? But no matter what, with Gideon, you just know that he’ll have your back.”
My throat was tight. I wasn’t sure Gideon felt that way about me. One matcha latte did not a marriage make. But when I glanced up again, Gideon was watching me.
There was an intensity in his gaze. I moved baby Ollie’s fingers away from my mouth again—he really wanted to stick them in there for some reason—and glanced down to smile at him. He cooed, then suddenly remembered I wasn’t his mother. His face went red, and a silent scream shaped his mouth.
“Oops! Time’s up,” Wendy said, and took him out of my arms just in time for an ear-splitting shriek to rend the air. She settled her baby, murmuring soft words, then excused herself to feed him. I watched her go, feeling oddly emotional, like I had to grieve something I’d never realized I wanted.
I shook the feeling off as someone else swept me up into conversation.
Two of Gideon’s aunts, Susan and Angela, came up to talk about the wedding.
Jennifer (she was Lola, Connor, and Glenn’s mom, I confirmed with subtle questioning) joined the conversation and complimented my dress and hair.
Then the ladies were called away and I met Luca, who informed me my car would be ready in the morning.
I was pretty sure he was Susan’s youngest son, but I was having a hard time keeping all the names and family connections straight. I needed Gideon to draw me a diagram.
Then Luca’s older brother, Fletcher, came by to pepper me with questions.
I learned he was a furniture maker with his own workshop in town.
He had incredible green eyes and the kind of biceps that made me sweat.
Another brother existed, apparently, and he lived in Chicago and only came back to Marswood Harbor very rarely.
Too big for his britches, Fletcher said with a grin, nudging Luca.
“How could he resist, what with all the beautiful breasts on display everywhere?” I asked, laughing.