CHAPTER 30 Tatum Barker #2
I saw it all go down. I saw the rejection. I remember how distraught she was, and I remember talking to her—like she was my own little sister. I told her how it was just a crush for her, but for him, it was illegal.
Archer and I had been together for two years at that point. I thought we’d be together forever. And now I’m here engaged to a different member of the same family.
It feels weird. It feels like I don’t know my place.
So I sit quietly as I listen to the conversation around me.
Ainsley and Ivy are close, and they bend their heads together every so often.
Everleigh is next to me, and the man who just proposed to her is on her other side.
I glance over at him. We’re sort of in the same boat along with Kennedy.
We’re all engaged to siblings, but none of us are members. Yet.
And then there’s Archer, an outsider in his own right because he wanted it that way.
“Did anyone ever realize our first initials spell MED FAIL?” Liam asks out of the blue.
Everyone turns to look at him.
“Huh?” Dex asks.
“Madden, Everleigh, Dex, Ford, Archer, Ivy, Liam. MED FAIL,” he says. “I’m guessing that’s why none of us became doctors.”
“Or mathematicians,” Madden says. “It also spells FAILED M, and I figured M meant math. Or MAD LIFE, which is me. My life. The Mad Life.”
“You guys are weird,” Everleigh says. “Everyone knows it’s MAID ELF.”
Laughter erupts around the table, and it’s reminiscent of days gone by.
Days when I was here for Monday night dinners and the brothers would tease each other while Everleigh bossed them around, when they’d all gang up on Liam because he was the youngest, when they’d prank each other with silly things like replacing the sugar with salt or hiding the best cookies and pretending like they ate the last one.
I wonder how many of those memories include Vivienne Bradley, or if she was just a shadow who was here but never really present. Sort of like Thomas Bradley now, whose head is bent closely to the man beside him as they partake in their own whispered conversation.
I glance across the table at Archer, and his eyes are on me. At the same moment, the man on my right reaches down to squeeze my knee.
I feel a bit torn. They all seem to be dealing with their mother’s death in much the same way—except for Ivy, who’s quiet as she picks at the food on her plate.
Madden brings up last weekend’s games, and the men gathered around the table—except for Archer—all join in on the conversation.
Everleigh is beside me on my left, and she leans in toward me. “It’s good to see you. How are you doing?”
I nod. “All right. You?”
“It’s weird being here, even weirder seeing you with Ford. But weird in a good way, you know?”
“Yeah. He told me he’s felt this way a while.”
“A long while, Tate. He and I are close, you know.”
“I know. I feel bad, though.” I’m whispering as I glance over at Archer again.
“About Arch?” she correctly guesses, and I twirl some spaghetti around my fork as I nod. “He’ll be okay.”
“I know he will.” I glance down as something glints and catches my eye, and I see the rather large engagement ring on her finger. I nod toward it. “Congratulations, by the way.”
She stares at it, too, a goofy grin on her face. “Thanks.”
“Have you made any plans yet?”
She shakes her head. “It’s all brand new.”
“I’m happy to help.” I glance around the dining room, and I decide to take my chance. “Actually, I have this wild dream to create a brand of luxury destination wedding venues, and I just invested in a property in Tampa.”
Her brows rise. “You did? That’s amazing! And I love the offer, but I’m really looking to get married here.”
I glance around the dining room again. “Here, here?” I ask.
She twists her lips. “I mean, ideally, yes. I always wanted to get married here at the mansion. The views of the city, the gorgeous backyard. Perfect for a May wedding, or, oh God, imagine the snow in a winter wedding. But Mav’s in season, so likely April, May, or June.
But with Mom gone and who knows what’s going on with Dad…
and Ford’s selling it, anyway.” She winces a little as she says the words, and it makes me want to confess my dream to her.
“Can I tell you a secret?” I whisper.
Her eyes light up. “Always.”
“I want to buy it.”
She gasps a little. “The mansion?”
I nod. “I want to buy it and gut the first floor to create the wedding venue of every bride’s dreams. A gorgeous ballroom, maybe even a smaller room for ceremonies.
The bedrooms could be converted to bridal suites for the wedding party to gather and get ready before the event.
” I sigh. “I just have this clear vision of what I can do with this place, but I can’t afford it.
Fifteen mil plus the reno work is too far outside of my budget. ”
“Damn,” she murmurs. “Well, maybe we’ll move up the wedding and have it here anyway before Ford closes on it, but only if you promise to help.”
“Excuse me?” her fiancé beside her asks. “What’s this about moving up the wedding?”
I giggle. It seems like a point they haven’t discussed quite yet.
“Oh, that’s right,” Madden says across the table. “When’s the big day, Ev? Congrats, by the way.”
“You guys, he literally proposed two days ago. We haven’t even gotten engagement portraits done yet. Give a girl a break,” Everleigh huffs.
“As if you don’t have the entire thing planned already,” Dex teases. He glances at Ford. “What about you, Sunshine?”
“Sunshine?” Madden asks.
“Yeah. You know, because he lives in Florida,” Dex explains, and we all laugh again.
Ford glances at me.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Everleigh says. “Don’t you dare say you’re getting married before me.”
“Um,” Ford says, and he clears his throat. Are we doing this? I think we might be doing this. “We, uh, decided to make it quick.”
“How quick?” Liam asks.
“New Year’s Eve,” Ford murmurs.
The table goes silent.
Like…completely silent. I think I actually hear a pin drop.
Except for one noise.
The sharp intake of breath across the table from Archer.
“New Year’s Eve?” Everleigh echoes. “Like…as in ten days?”
I bite my lip as Ford nods.
“Why the rush?” Liam asks at the same time Everleigh asks, “Were you planning to invite your family?”
Ford clears his throat again, clearly feeling awkward about having this conversation. We never exactly decided if we were going to be honest about our reasons for a quick wedding or not.
“It’s just what we decided,” he says quietly.
Archer stands up and quietly walks out of the room, and tears pinch behind my eyes. I wasn’t expecting to have to deal with all of this. I thought we’d just quietly get married and surprise everyone with it.
But I guess fate had other plans.