Chapter 37
“I’ll explain everything,” Jessica said as they climbed the stairs at the back of the cabins. In the distance, Rafferty, Nate and Owen were huddled around one of the picnic tables. They’d never looked more like brothers with the same drawn, worried expressions.
“I can fix this.” Jessica was trying to reassure Teddy, but she was also trying to convince herself.
Because it wasn’t as simple as realising she’d completely fallen for Teddy.
Jessica had fallen for his whole family.
And now, she might lose them all.
But worse than that? She might make Teddy lose them too.
She squared her shoulders and pinched her nose. Told herself that Lulu would understand once the initial shock had passed.
“Hey.” Teddy tugged on her hand, stopping her. “This isn’t your problem.”
Jessica scoffed, but the sound was lost amidst the crunch of the gravel under their feet.
“I knew Mum would be upset if she ever found out, and I still did it. This is on me.”
Right. She could add being noble to Teddy’s long list of attributes.
He really was too kind and nice for her.
But the selfish, heart-shaped part of her didn’t want to let him go.
Because that would be the easiest solution.
Let Lulu believe that Jessica had tricked Teddy into marrying her and lending her money and taken advantage of his good nature and strong desire to help others.
She knew how to do it too. All Jessica had to do was treat Teddy the same way everyone else always had.
Like he wasn’t anything other than a good time.
But she couldn’t do that.
Not because he didn’t deserve it, but because—she opened her mouth, searching for the right words—she couldn’t do it to herself.
Honesty was what this moment needed.
“Respectfully,” Jessica lowered her voice, glancing over to where Teddy’s brothers sat, “I disagree. We’re in this together.”
“Yeah?” The caution in Teddy’s tone amplified how much he’d needed to hear that. Teddy was always showing up for her. No way was Jessica going to let him down now.
She stepped closer, into the space between his arms that had started to feel like home. “I liked it.”
Teddy placed his hands on her hips, tugging her closer, and everything slowed down.
“Liked what?” he asked.
“When you called me your wife. I know this situation we’ve found ourselves in is beyond complicated, but it was nice.”
Her hands slipped under the open sides of his puffer vest, settling against Teddy’s broad chest. Her palm was right over his heart.
“I liked saying it,” Teddy admitted in a hushed tone, his face tipping towards her.
Jessica smiled. “Good.”
“Incoming,” someone—maybe Rafferty—called.
“Theodore? A word, please,” Lulu said.
This felt like an inquisition. Everyone was crowded around one of the picnic tables, with Jessica and Teddy at one end in director’s chairs that sat slightly lower than the others.
When Teddy opened his mouth to speak, Jessica shook her head and nudged his knee under the table.
“Can I?” she asked quietly.
Teddy squeezed her hand. “Sure.”
“I know this is a shock,” she started, her voice cracking. “And I’m sorry about that. We never meant for you all to find out like that.”
“Or find out at all?” Lulu scowled, and Jessica could practically see the righteous speech forming in her mind. “You had a different upbringing, Jessica, I get that, but how would you feel if Sam got married in secret?”
“We did this for Sam.” Jessica lifted her hand when Lulu started to say something else. “That doesn’t make sense right now, but it will.”
Teddy squeezed her hand again and she continued.
“When my father died, he left me a sizeable inheritance.” Jessica winced. “And it came with certain conditions.”
“Ahh,” Owen said, understanding dawning on his face as he leant back.
“Like what?” Alice asked, her tone kind.
“If I didn’t fulfil the conditions, then I wouldn’t be able to access the money before I was thirty.
” Jessica tried to keep her shoulders straight, but they curled forward, the embarrassment she was so used to returning in full force.
Her breath rattled in her chest, and she kept her gaze fixed firmly on where Teddy held her hand.
“And someone was trying to buy Joan’s house, and Rob wanted to move us to Sydney and then Melbourne.
He was putting pressure on me to give him another chance.
Arguing that the best thing for Sam would be growing up with both parents.
Having a childhood different from ours. When Rob proposed, Teddy stepped in and said we were together.
That was right before I knew about the money.
Then the lawyer said I could access the inheritance early if I was married … ”
She bit her lip, unable to continue.
“So, that’s when you and Teddy got married,” Lulu asked.
“No. We had to wait for the pre-nup to be drawn up and signed and for all the other paperwork to go through.”
“When then?” Lulu’s eyes brimmed with tears.
“On Friday.”
Lulu pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes. “Last Friday? Two days ago Friday?”
“Yes,” Teddy said quietly, pain weighing down his voice.
We made his mum cry.
“Getting married would mean I could secure the home and stability I always wanted for Sam. We were going to get divorced once the money came through. It was supposed to be a simple plan,” Jessica explained.
“And what was in it for Teddy?”
“You know I’ve been trying to get on Dr Nolan’s good side so I can do his orthodontic course in time. Then his niece reappeared and she and I have”—Teddy frowned at the trees in the distance—“a history.”
“I told you sleeping around would bite you on the ass one day, didn’t I?” Lulu said to Teddy before turning to face Wilbur and hissing, “Didn’t I say that?”
Teddy’s father pursed his lips together, but Jessica got the impression that he wasn’t angry. More taking everything in with a quiet and discerning eye.
“And you told Kylee that you had a girlfriend that night at the pub.” Rafferty rubbed the bridge of his nose. “So, to summarise, Jessica needed a fake husband and Teddy needed a fake girlfriend.”
“And the obvious solution was to get married?” Lulu cried.
“Yes.”
“So, what is all this then?” Wilbur gestured at Jessica and Teddy. “Because this doesn’t seem fake?”
“It’s not.” Teddy’s voice was strong and clear.
Jessica’s was softer but still determined. Even if they couldn’t understand why she and Teddy had done what they had, it was essential that the Jameses believed this bit. “It stopped being fake a while ago.”
Teddy rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand, and she leant against his shoulder.
“What happens next?” Nate asked. “Are you going to date?”
“Yes,” Teddy said.
“But you’re married?” Lulu’s lips were pursed so tightly they’d practically disappeared.
Teddy sighed next to her. “Yes.”
“What are we supposed to tell people?” Lulu swiped at the fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.
Jessica’s eyes widened, her head snapping towards Teddy. It wouldn’t matter if they were on the same page about what this was. If word got out in Wattle Junction that they were actually married, this would become so much more.
“Nothing,” Teddy said, scratching his beard.
“Why not?” Lulu pressed. Was she being deliberately obtuse?
“Because that puts a lot of pressure on us.”
“But what if people find out? Look at you. It’s only been two days and you’ve already let the secret slip.”
“We won’t,” Jessica said, sensing Teddy’s frustration from the firm set of his shoulders and his long, slow exhale.
Lulu crossed her arms. “Seems like you will. Considering you already have.”
Okay. So, Lulu was pissed. Jessica had never seen this side of the James family matriarch before. It shouldn’t have surprised her. Lulu’s love for her children was well known.
“Mum,” Teddy snapped. “Can you please not do that.”
“No, Teddy. I can’t. I’m sorry, but what were you thinking? What sort of an example are you really setting for Sam? That it’s okay to lie?”
Jessica sucked in a breath. That was hitting below the belt.
“Mum.” There was no missing the warning in Teddy’s tone now.
Somehow, Jessica managed to say in an almost normal tone, “Everything I do is for Sam. It always has been.”
“I fancy a walk,” Wilbur said, rising to his feet. “Come on, Lu. Let’s go get some fresh air.”
“Oh, because there’s none of that where we currently are? I know what you’re doing, Wilbur, and it won’t work. Someone has to say this.”
“Mum—” Owen said.
“What if it doesn’t work? I don’t want Teddy to be a young divorcee.”
That stung more than Jessica expected it to.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a young divorcee,” Owen said sternly, his arm wrapped firmly around Alice. Shit. Jessica had forgotten she wasn’t the only young divorcee at the table.
I’m sorry, Jessica mouthed at the redhead, her regret at inadvertently dragging Alice into this messy situation landing with a thump in her chest.
“I’m glad I was a young divorcee,” Alice said, smiling kindly at Jessica. “If I hadn’t needed a divorce lawyer, I wouldn’t have met Owen. And everything in my life has been better since we got together.”
Owen kissed her cheek. “Right back at you, honey.”
“Well, you’re the exception. What do you think people are going to say when they find out that Teddy’s divorced?
How’s he going to explain this to future partners?
At what point can you no longer get an annulment?
Owen? Is it a real rule that marriages can’t be consummated to get an annulment?
Have you two had sex? I mean, of course, you have. It’s Teddy—”
“That’s enough.” Jessica slapped her hands on the table. “Don’t speak about Teddy like that.”
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Lulu would react like this.
Sure, she could understand that her feelings were hurt and that this was a shock.
But she’d thought once they’d explained everything, it would be okay.
It was a weird circumstance, but they were both consenting adults.
She’d been up-front with Teddy from the start about all the ways her inheritance could help her and Sam.
Although, no one else knew she’d borrowed money from Teddy yet. That was going to go over like a lead balloon.
“You need to think about what you’re doing, Teddy. This is your future. An annulment isn’t the end of the world. Right, Owen?”
“Mum. Stop!” Teddy yelled.
“Now’s not the time. Let’s go, Lu.” Wilbur tugged on her hand, but she shook him off.
“No. This isn’t how Jameses behave!” Lulu said, and oof. What a way to make it clear that Jessica was never going to fit in, not properly. She was too damaged, too different.
“I think we’re going to …” Nate didn’t bother finishing his sentence.
He stood, helped Eloise to her feet and jerked his head to one side as he looked at Rafferty, Owen and Alice.
Ah, the universal ‘let’s get the hell away from this shitshow gesture’.
God, this was a disaster. Jessica had ruined everything.
Alice squeezed Jessica’s shoulder as she walked past, and Eloise sent her an encouraging smile.
“I never thought you’d be so reckless, Teddy. A marriage is supposed to be forever.”
“Well, maybe ours will be!” Teddy erupted next to Jessica, his hands flying upwards. “You haven’t even given us a chance to figure this out in our own way.”
Lulu sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Perhaps that’s something you should’ve considered before you got married, Theodore?”