CHAPTER 23 KAYLEE
“What should I expect?” I’m curious about his mom. He’s told me very little about her, and I get the definite sense they’re not close.
“Better to go in blind,” he says with a laugh, and then he exits the car. We walk up to the front door, and Ben rings the bell.
“Did you grow up here?” I ask.
He nods. “My mom took everything she could when she and my dad got divorced.”
“He was her first husband?”
He raises his brows and nods.
“And how many times has she done this?” I ask.
“This will be her fifth wedding.”
A woman who could pass for Ben’s sister opens the door. “Benny Boy!” she exclaims, and she wraps Ben into a hug. “With a girl?” she asks, shifting heavily made-up, judgmental eyes to me.
I’m not getting the warm fuzzies from her as she eyes me up and down.
She has hair that looks to be dyed a nearly white platinum blonde and dark eyes that match Ben’s.
There’s not a single wrinkle on her face, and her lips are a little unnaturally plump.
No judgment here, but first glance tells me she puts a huge priority on appearances and on trying to appear younger than she is.
“This is Kaylee,” Ben says. “My fiancée. And Kaylee, this is my mom, Darlene.”
Her eyes bug out and she grabs my hand in hers, searching for the ring. She finds it there. “I saw the gossip but figured it was fake news,” she says. She shakes her head as she looks at her son. “When were you going to tell your dear mother?”
He glances at his watch. “One-forty-seven today, apparently.” His tone is dry.
There’s no fanfare or congratulations to her only son and his fiancée at the news.
“Well come in, come in. You just missed Jerry, but he should be back by dinnertime.” She leads us through the house that looks like it was decorated in the nineties and hasn’t shifted style since.
There’s lots of animal print accents and hunter green fabric.
She pats the couch and looks at Ben. “Come sit and let’s catch up,” she says.
She doesn’t really look at me as she addresses her son.
In fact, she sort of acts like I don’t exist at all.
She picks up her phone and taps around while Ben and I both stare at her, waiting for some form of conversation.
She finally sets her phone down and looks at us.
“Just letting Tate know you’re here,” she says. She still doesn’t look at me.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” Ben asks.
“You know you two belong together,” she says, pursing her lips. “I’m just helping nudge it along.”
Ben blows out a breath as anger radiates through my blood.
Whether or not we’re faking it doesn’t matter. Ben just introduced me as his fiancée, and she’s being downright disrespectful to me.
But I was raised with the type of manners that force me to sit still with my jaw clenched.
“This is why I stay out of Great Falls,” Ben mutters.
“Excuse me?” his mother says.
“Tatum and I do not belong together,” he hisses. “You have no idea what went down between the two of us a decade ago, and I’ve moved on with my life.”
“Tate told me what went down,” she says.
“If you’re still friends with her after what she did, then she lied to you about what really happened.” He reaches over and takes my hand in his. “You should know that I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
“That’s nice, sweetie,” she says dismissively. She picks her phone back up and sends another text. “Oh, she said she’ll stop by in a bit.”
I can’t help but wonder what she does, and as if she can read my mind, Darlene fills in the blank.
“She’s been bartending downtown at the same place for two years now.
” She says it in a way that gives off the vibe that she’s just as proud of Tatum for working the same job for two years as she is of Ben, who has played professional football for a decade and who has won two Super Bowls.
I’m not sure what Darlene’s obsession is with Tatum, but it all strikes me as a little weird.
“Are you ready for the wedding?” Ben asks, shifting topics.
“No,” she says. “We’re twenty-three days out and I still don’t have a cake or a deejay.”
“I can help with that,” Ben says quietly.
I can’t help but wonder why he’d want to help. He doesn’t know the fiancé, and I get the sense he doesn’t really know his mother anymore, either.
“Oh, Benny, you’re just the best,” she says, clapping her hands together. She pulls out a binder and starts making calls, and he pulls out a credit card as he offers to cover the costs of whatever else she needs.
Was she waiting for him to come so she could mooch off him?
It sucks. I see why he has trust issues when it comes to women.
And then the doorbell rings a little after four o’clock to drive that point home even harder.
“Be right back,” Darlene says, and she rushes out of the room.
I squeeze his hand still in mine. “You okay?”
He shrugs. “Figured I’d avoid her at least until the wedding.”
“We can go any time,” I remind him.
He nods. “I know. I always just feel this stupid obligation to spend time with my mother, and every single time, it ends with disappointment. I never learn.”
“I’m sorry,” I say softly.
He leans over and presses a soft kiss to my cheek, and then we hear voices as they approach.
Darlene walks in first, and another woman is behind her.
She has long, wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes that somehow look both innocent and cunning at the same time, and she’s clearly trying to show off her figure in dark jeans, high heels, and a tank top that’s both too tight and too low cut as her cleavages spills out everywhere.
“Ben,” she says, and the single word comes off like a breathy full sentence. She doesn’t look at me, either. “You look…” she shakes her head a little. “You look amazing, as always.”
It’s interesting to me that the first words out of her mouth to him are appearance-based. That tells me a lot about her.
He doesn’t stand even though she’s waiting for him to move across the room to hug her. “Thanks,” he says rather than returning the compliment. “This is my fiancée, Kaylee,” he says, tossing an arm around my shoulder.
I smile and wave. “Nice to meet you,” I lie.
Her eyes flick to me for a beat, and the ice in them could freeze hell over. “Fiancée?” she repeats. “When’s the wedding?” It feels like she’s asking so she can determine how much time she has left to sink her claws back into him.
“Don’t worry about it. You won’t be invited,” Ben says, and I hold back a giggle as well as the impulse to high-five him at his comment.
“I’m just surprised is all,” she says coolly, unaffected by his jab.
“Oh, you thought I’d never love again after being with you ten fucking years ago?” Ben asks.
She lifts a shoulder. “Took you long enough to find somebody.”
Ben stands and nods. “Yeah, you fucked me up pretty good, but when the woman meant for me walked into my life, I immediately learned how good it feels when you’re with the right person versus the wrong one.” He reaches out a hand to me. “Come on, Kay. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
I stand in support of whatever he wants to do. This is his circus and his monkeys. I’m just along for the ride.
“You can’t leave yet. Jer isn’t back and I want you to meet him,” Darlene complains.
“Another time. Kaylee and I have plans,” he says. He brushes past Tatum, who looks confused that he isn’t stopping to embrace her, and I walk past her without giving her a second glance. I turn toward Darlene and issue another lie. “So lovely meeting you. We’ll see you at the wedding.”
We walk out the front door, and just before it slams shut behind Ben, I hear Tatum’s voice. “He’s bringing her to your wedding?”
Ben pauses on the front porch, and I wait beside him.
And then, fuck it all, I wrap my arms around his waist. “I’m sorry she blindsided you like that,” I say.
I can see how much seeing his ex affected him, and as much as I wish he just didn’t care…
of course he does. The things she did to him set his life on a completely different path.
It killed what little trust remained after what his mother did.
But at the same time, it created the man standing in front of me today. It helped contribute to the man I’ve fallen completely head over heels in love with.
“I love you,” I say, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his cheek. The scruff there is scratchy against my lips, and I love how raw and real it feels.
“I love you, too,” he says, and he leans down to catch my lips softly for a beat. I think it might be one of the most tender moments we’ve shared.
We climb into the Scout and start heading back toward home. He’s quiet as he drives, the last words between us the shared I love yous, and I can’t help but wonder what sort of ripple effects today’s events are going to have on us.