Chapter 41
Isit in my truck, staring up the driveway at my parents” house. A familiar feeling of panic washes over me. I know that I have to tell my mom and Sam that my engagement is off. But damn, I don”t want to see the disappointment in their eyes.
Still, I”ve been putting off my mom”s insistence of a family dinner for almost a week now. I have to face reality.
I fucked around with Pearl and her family and now I”m firmly in the finding out phase. The sad, lonely part of this journey.
Ifell in love with her. I messed it all up.
Ihave to get her back. But to do so, I think I must eat crow.
There is a rap on my window and I nearly jump out of my skin. It”s Rex. He opens the door to the truck. ”How long are you going to sit here?” he asks.
I slide out of my truck and hit the lock on my keychain. ”Just gathering my thoughts.”
”Uh huh.” He gives me a skeptical look and leans against my truck. ”I hear you and Pearl called off the wedding.”
I make a face. ”You could say that. She dumped me like a sack of potatoes.”
He winces. ”Ah. I assume that she found out about your plans for the Jackson land?”
I look down at my feet and kick a little gravel pile. The rocks scatter everywhere. ”She did. Bishop told her about my plan. I”m going to sue him into the next century, but that won”t undo what has already been done. Pearl knows everything now.”
Rex folds his arms across his chest. His eyes scan my face. ”Be honest with me. Did you two date in secret for two years before you got engaged? Or was that just a lie to fool Sarah and Dad?”
I rub the back of my neck. ”It was for show. At least, it started that way... but I caught feelings for Pearl almost right away.” I”m quiet for a beat. ”I really fucked up, Rex.”
His expression tightens for a moment and then he steps closer, pulling me into a one-armed hug. ”Sorry, little brother.” He turns me loose and sighs. ”I have your back when we get inside. Telling Sarah and Dad about all of this won”t be easy. But it has to be done. Just get through it.”
He squeezes my arm brusquely and pulls an Atlanta Kings hat from his back pocket. My heart feels leaden as I watch him put it on. I nod.
”Thanks,” I say. I start trudging toward the house. ”Let”s get this over with.”
When we get inside, we find the family already at the dining room table, waiting for dinner to be served. They were clearly talking about me because they all fall silent when I step into the room.
I sweep my gaze around, taking in all the faces; evidently my mom has called everyone to be here, since all my siblings and their various partners are present. That can”t be a good sign.
My mom looks at me, not smiling at all or even getting up to greet us. That”s totally unlike her and I cringe internally.
Rex claps me on the back as we say our hellos and sit down in the last two available seats.
My mom looks down at her empty plate, her expression pinched. Sam glares at me from the other end of the long dining room table.
”River, you have some explaining to do,” he says. ”I had to hear about your breakup from Savannah.”
Savannah looks annoyed. “I am here to give you a piece of my mind, River. What the hell were you thinking? You’re a complete idiot for messing thing up to this level.”
Cole puts his arm around her shoulders, wordlessly letting us all know that he has her back. It”s sweet, but ultimately works against me.
Clearing my throat, I look at my mother. ”I was processing what happened. But I should have called you and talked to you about it.” I cut my eyes at Cole and Savannah. ”I didn”t realize that word of my broken engagement would spread so fast.”
Cole grunts. ”News flash, River. You”re not the only person in the universe. Your little break up affected a lot of people. Savannah cried about Pearl being hurt. I don”t like it when you make my fiancée cry.”
My brows rise and my neck gets hot. ”I”m sorry if the end of my relationship had a profound effect on you,” I say, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
”River, be serious,” my mom growls. Everyone looks at her with shock. But her eyes are narrowed on my face. ”You have really screwed up this time. How could you break up with Pearl? She”s perfect for you!”
Her words knock the breath out of me. ”Mom, I didn”t break up with Pearl. She dumped me.”
”And why did she do that? Hm? She doesn”t seem like she does things just because she has a whim.”
”I”ll tell you what I reckon,” Sam says. He glares at me. ”I think River wasn”t honest with Pearl about his scheme to buy her family”s land and she found out. Am I close?”
My face contorts. He”s dead on the money, which irks me. I hate when Sam is right about any damn thing. So I change the subject very slightly.
”Look, Pearl and I want different things from life. It happens to everyone.”
Cole shakes him head, glowering at me. Savannah”s shoulders tense up. It was a low blow mentioning Cole”s first wife Holly, but I feel like everyone is making a mountain out of a molehill over here.
Am I devastated about Pearl”s decision to end things? Yes. Absolutely. But I know when I”ve been rejected.
I need to lick my wounds and bide my time while I figure out a new way to approach Pearl.