Chapter 22
LILY
“How soon is too soon to get married?” Lily asked before she realized the question had slipped from her mouth.
All five of her sisters gaped at her while Penny choked on the soda she’d been drinking.
Rose was the first to react, patting Penny on the back as she barked out a laugh. “I don’t think you can ask that with this one present.”
Penny glared at her. “Hey!”
“What? You sorta got married after knowing the guy for only a few weeks, right?”
Penny narrowed her eyes but didn’t argue. The others snickered, and Rose’s pointed look seemed to say, Told you so.
Then she turned her attention back to Lily. “You’re not engaged, are you? Dad will flip his lid if he finds out…”
“Of course not,” Lily said quickly. Her brows furrowed. “But honestly? If Aiden asked, I think I’d say yes.”
Jasmine’s brows lifted so high Lily imagined them disappearing into her hairline. “Even after what he did?”
Rose glanced between them. “After he did what?”
Lily shot her twin a dirty look. That had been a secret, and now she would have to explain because not one of her sisters would let the subject go.
Jasmine didn’t seem to have any reservations, however. She turned to the rest of the group. “Apparently, Aiden knew Lily was Mathew’s cousin, and he didn’t tell her. Kept it a secret.”
Penny made a sound in the back of her throat and nodded. “Oh. That.”
Rose frowned. “Oh, what?”
“Mathew has this rule that his friends can’t date anyone in his family,” Penny explained. “That’s probably why Aiden was afraid of people finding out. They’re really close.” She glanced at Lily. “Is that why Mathew has been in such a mood?”
Lily had told Penny about the relationship after everything came out with Mathew. Now Reese was the only person who didn’t know Christopher was actually Aiden.
She nodded. “Apparently, they’re doing better. They had a good talk a couple of days ago. It seems like things are settling down.”
“Mathew can’t hold a grudge to save his life,” Penny said with a huff, though she was smiling. “And if he could forgive me for being with Royce, then he could forgive Aiden, too.” She scrunched her nose. “But actually, Aiden probably did throw a pretty big wrench into things, didn’t he?”
Lily laughed. “You have no idea.”
Jasmine nudged her in the side. “But back to your original question. Are you serious? You’d marry him?”
Lily nodded without hesitation. “I’m so gone for him.”
A chorus of awws rose from her sisters and cousin.
“It’s hard, though,” Lily added.
“How do you mean?” Rose asked as she plucked a chip from the communal bowl and dipped it into the salsa.
“Well, Aiden has a hard time believing the good things in his life are really meant for him.” Lily frowned. “I’m not sure he even realizes he does it sometimes.”
Penny’s reaction was the only one that caught Lily’s attention. Her brows drew together, but she didn’t say anything.
Lily continued. “Maybe that’s part of why he never settled down before. It was easier not to want anything serious than to risk losing it.”
“That’s so sad,” Violet murmured.
“It’s not uncommon,” Penny said. “People sometimes sabotage the things they want because it proves their worst fears right. It becomes a kind of armor. If they expect everything to fall apart, they can tell themselves they were prepared for it.” She shifted in her seat.
“But now Aiden wants something real, and he has to learn that he can reach for it without assuming it’ll be taken away. ”
Lily leaned back in her chair, her appetite fading. “I just think God wants good things for us, even when we have a hard time believing we deserve them.”
Rose shrugged. “I don’t go to church enough these days to know.”
Iris added, “I could stand to dust off my Sunday shoes, too.”
“Maybe we could all go to the new church together when it opens.” Violet turned her full attention to Jasmine. "Right?"
Jasmine hesitated for the briefest moment before nodding. "Of course."
Something in her expression caught Lily's attention. It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, but it left Lily with the unmistakable feeling that more was going on.
Before she could ask, Rose jumped in.
“Aiden is a good guy,” she said. “He has some confidence issues, but who doesn’t? One day, he’ll wake up and realize he’s lucky to have you and that you chose him fair and square. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” She winked. “Especially if you can see yourself getting married to him.”
Lily nodded. “I can. I think we make a good team. We bring out good things in each other.” Her smile returned. “He helped me realize I want to get certified as a vet technician.”
Penny’s soft smile said more than Lily could read. It was almost as though she knew something Lily didn’t, but then that probably came with being a therapist.
Penny shifted in her chair and rubbed her oversized belly.
“So, are you excited about the birthday party?” Rose asked, pointing her chip first at Lily and then at Jasmine.
“Well, I planned the whole thing, so…” Jasmine boasted.
Lily laughed. “Yeah, we’re both excited.”
“Even if you have to share it with someone new?” Penny asked.
Everyone glanced down at her baby bump with wide grins.
Jasmine and Lily answered together. “Absolutely.”
Their matching response made everyone at the table laugh.
Then Penny groaned. “Too bad this one still has two weeks left to cook.”
“You never know,” Rose said. “That little guy might decide to come early just to meet all his cool aunts.”
“Technically, we’re not his aunts,” Violet murmured.
“Technically, I don’t care. I’m ready to be Auntie Rose.” Rose reached over and placed a hand on Penny’s stomach. A second later, she squealed. “He kicked.”
The rest of the sisters crowded around Penny so they could feel the baby move, and Lily’s concerns slipped into the background.
Thank goodness.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to voice every worry she carried about Aiden. What if he sabotaged what they had because he believed she deserved someone better? Maybe Parker could shed some light on the situation. He might know how to reach Aiden when those doubts crept in.
But Lily didn’t want to think about that right now, and she definitely didn’t want to discuss it in front of all her sisters. Aiden trusted her with the parts of himself he didn’t show everyone else. She wasn’t going to turn those vulnerabilities into family conversation.
She turned toward Jasmine. “Speaking of relationships, how are things going with you and Parker?”
Jasmine turned beet red. Her eyes flared, and the death glare she launched in Lily’s direction was exactly what Lily needed to take her mind off her own concerns.
“Nothing is going on with Parker.”
She spoke at the same moment Penny asked, “Parker? Are you talking about Aiden’s brother?”
Penny’s voice rose several octaves, and her grin made the whole situation even more worthwhile.
“Lily doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Jasmine insisted. “We’ve been spending time with Aiden and Parker since she started dating…”
“Wait. You knew?” Violet asked. Hurt crept into her voice. “From the beginning?”
Zinnia was the only one who hadn’t contributed to the conversation, but she looked just as wounded by the revelation.
Iris rolled her eyes. “Of course Jazz knew. They’re twins. She probably figured it out through osmosis or something.”
Lily laughed. “It doesn’t quite work that way.”
Iris waved a hand through the air. “You know what I mean.” She turned to their youngest sisters. “Lily and Jasmine will always be closer. It’s practically in their DNA. Don’t take it personally when you’re not included in their little bubble.”
Lily frowned. She hadn’t thought she was keeping her sisters at a distance simply because she spent more time with her twin, but Iris had made a fair point. Lily didn’t want that to become the norm.
She leaned over the table, placing one hand over Zinnia’s and the other over Violet’s. “Next time there’s something important, I’ll try not to leave you out.”
Iris scoffed. “Maybe think twice before making promises. Zinnia can’t keep a secret.” She eyed Violet. “I’m not sure either of them can.”
Rose snorted, drawing everyone’s attention. “As far as I can tell, none of you can keep secrets. That’s probably why Lily didn’t say anything.”
“Hey, I kept a secret,” Jasmine insisted. Then her eyes narrowed, and something passed between her and Rose. “I’ve kept more than my fair share, if you’ll recall.”
Lily watched the exchange with a frown.
Everything Jasmine knew, Lily usually knew too. Sharing things was one of the best parts of being twins. But Rose rolled her eyes and released a sound that wasn’t quite agreement or disagreement, setting off all kinds of alarm bells.
Lily shifted in her seat to study Jasmine more closely, but her twin gave no indication that she planned to explain. Tension settled between them. What had started as a fun pre-birthday dinner had shifted into something else.
Someone was keeping a secret. And Lily didn’t like being on the outside of it. She was also a hypocrite of the highest order. She wanted every detail, yet she’d been keeping secrets of her own from most of the people at the table. What right did she have to demand answers?
Penny clapped her hands together. “Okay, enough of that. Let’s talk about the party tomorrow. Is there anything you need help with, Jasmine? I hate that you’re handling all the planning when it’s your birthday too.”
“She loves it,” Rose announced, still not meeting anyone’s eyes. “She’s a control freak. She wouldn’t let you help if there were even the slightest chance something might not turn out exactly the way she wants.”
At that, she met Jasmine’s gaze, and the two of them smiled.
A twinge of jealousy flickered to life in Lily’s chest.
She was Jasmine’s twin. They had always shared the things that mattered. When had that changed?
With a sigh, Lily reached for her drink and pushed the question aside. Whatever was going on could wait one more day. Tomorrow was their birthday, and she intended to enjoy every minute of it.
The conversation shifted to the catering menu Jason was helping with and the guests who had been invited. The Meyers family wouldn’t be there, except for Royce. He seemed to be the only one welcome on the property now that his baby boy was part of the family.
Lily also confirmed that Reese and Aiden would both attend. All her favorite people would finally be together. Everything was going to be perfect.
And she couldn’t wait.