Chapter Thirty #2
Helen chuckled. “I like this story, Cam. Glad to hear you’ve inherited my insight into people. Sue seems to be an amazing young woman.”
Cam gave his mom a sweet smile. “She’s incredible.”
As he gazed at me, he brushed his lips over my knuckles. The red in my cheeks spread to my ears and throat. I probably looked like a blushing bride.
Michelle leaned back in her chair, shaking her head in amazement. “That’s the most adorable meet-cute I’ve ever heard.”
Paul snickered. “It’s more of a horror movie intro, if you ask me. The Woman in the Pink Mask.”
Cam turned to me, grinning. “See? That would make an excellent title for our wedding invitations.”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t fight the smile tugging at my lips. “If that’s your idea of romance, I fear for our marriage.”
Becky raised her glass. “To The Woman in the Pink Mask.”
Everyone laughed, clinking glasses. Even my father, who had been watching Cam with measured scrutiny, seemed to relax a little.
The waiter returned, setting our plates down with practiced elegance. My filet mignon sat in a pool of rich red wine reduction, accompanied by creamy truffle mashed potatoes and charred asparagus.
Across the table, my father inspected his osso buco, while Paul eagerly dug into his duck confit.
Michelle, indulging her cravings, had opted for wild mushroom pasta, and my mother, ever refined, selected the lobster.
Cam admired his chicken Alfredo, Becky practically beamed over her rack of lamb, and Helen’s plate held an elegant roasted eggplant drizzled with balsamic glaze.
It was a meal designed for celebration, but my appetite was in a standoff with my nerves. As I picked up my knife, ready to cut into my steak, my mother’s voice sliced through the warm hum of conversation.
“Susanne, darling, are you sure you want to eat all that?”
“Excuse me?” My fork hovered mid-air.
She smiled, tilting her head in that way that always made me feel like a child caught sneaking an extra cookie.
“It’s just… that’s quite a rich meal. And with the wedding coming up, you’ll want to feel your best in your dress, won’t you?”
I saw Cam’s hand tighten around his fork.
Becky let out a dramatic sigh.
Michelle rolled her eyes.
“I think she looks perfect,” Cam said smoothly, his voice light but firm. “Her appreciation for food is one of the things I love about her. We are both gourmands.”
I speared a piece of steak a little too aggressively, shoving it into my mouth before I said something I’d regret. It was fine. I was fine. This was just how she was.
But Cam, for the first time since we sat down, wasn’t smiling anymore.
My mother gave a tiny shrug. “Of course, darling. You always know best.” She reached for my left hand, oblivious of her faux pas. “Now, let me see this ring properly.”
I set the fork down and extended my fingers. The sapphire and diamonds caught the light, sparkling madly.
Helen reached out to touch my hand, a smile lingering on her face. “It’s beautiful.”
Becky leaned in, her lips pursed. “It’s stunning. Cam, you’ve set the bar ridiculously high for the wedding band.”
Cam beamed at me. “She inspires me to outdo myself.”
My heart did another flip. I should have been happy everything was going so well. Cam had my family eating out of his hand. Instead, these little demonstrations of love got on my nerves. Maybe because they didn’t let me forget for a second that my life was a big fat lie right now.
My mother nodded almost grudgingly. “It’s quite lovely.”
Dad tapped his chin. “So, when did you decide to propose?”
Cam didn’t even hesitate. “The moment I realized that I couldn’t imagine my life without her.” His eyes locked onto Dad’s. “That I wanted to spend the rest of my days loving and respecting her.”
Holy macaroni! I swallowed a sudden knot in my throat. He said it as though he meant it. How could he lie so easily about something like this? Just when I almost convinced myself we could get through the night without lying, or with a minimum of fudging the truth, he went and said this.
I didn’t dare look at him. I was too afraid he’d see in my eyes how much I wanted this to be real. And it was too humiliating to bear.
My father nodded slowly, his demeanor exuding approval.
My throat tightened thinking how broken hearted he would be when Cam and I ended the so-called engagement.
My mother would be annoyed and disappointed, Paul wouldn’t care much, but my dad would be sad.
He truly liked Cam, and he wanted me to be happy.
Michelle broke the moment with a soft sigh. “I, for one, am thrilled for you two. Sue, I’ve never seen you glow like this.”
Becky grinned. “Have you two set a date yet?”
I stiffened. “Not yet.”
Cam barely missed a beat. “We’re still deciding. Right, honey?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes. We’re, uh… weighing our options.”
Becky wiggled her eyebrows. “Big wedding? Small? Destination?”
My mother perked up, her attention snapping into predator mode. “Oh, we’ll be planning it in Warwick. I have so many ideas already. Of course, we’ll need to book a venue soon. The good ones fill up fast. Have you thought about colors?”
Cam and I exchanged glances, but my mother’s question had been rhetorical. She was already mentally organizing the wedding of her dreams.
“I suppose we could do a vineyard theme,” she said. “Oh, and floral arrangements. I know a woman in Warwick who does exquisite bouquets.”
Becky gasped. “Oh my God, this is so exciting!”
My mother was just warming up. She had barely touched her food. All of her attention was focused on Cam and me.
“What about long-term plans?” she asked. “I assume you’ve discussed them.”
I stopped breathing, going into deer-in-headlights mode.
Cam’s jaw tightened. I could see it in the way his thumb tapped nervously against the stem of his glass. Even Mr. Unshakable was cracking a little under pressure.
“Of course, we have,” I said lightly.
Cam reached for my hand under the table, squeezing it reassuringly. “We’re taking it one step at a time, but we both want the same things.”
My mother arched her eyebrows, unsatisfied with this corporate response. “And what are those things?”
I opened my mouth, but before I could craft Cam’s answer into a reply that would shut my mom up, my father interrupted.
“My bambina is a career woman,” he said. “She loves her job. That’s important.”
There was something in his voice, something protective that made me glance at him in surprise.
He knew me. He knew my independence was my lifeline.
God, I wanted to go to him and let him wrap me into a bear hug.
He was the only one in my family who understood me and cared about my feelings, my wants, and my needs.
Beside me, Cam nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of standing in the way of that.”
My mother, ever the perfectionist, pursed her lips. “But you do want children?”
“Mother.” I nearly dropped my fork in annoyance.
Helen—God bless her—stepped in with practiced ease. “Elaine, I think that’s a conversation for them to have in their own time.”
My mother gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Of course.”
I forced a sip of wine down my throat, praying this interrogation would end soon.
Paul raised a brow. “Sue, are you okay?”
I was anything but okay. The walls were closing in on me—the wedding, the planning, the lies…
This was just the beginning. I had faked this engagement for my mother to back off and let me be, but I realized that after tonight she would push her way into my life harder than ever.
There was no way out. I was trapped in the web of deception I had created to escape.
Just as I was trying to swallow the lump in my throat, my mother smiled at me, full of warmth and maternal pride.
“Thank God for Cam, Susanne. I have to admit, I was beginning to worry. I wasn’t sure you’d ever find someone—let alone a man like him. After a certain age, one can’t hope for much.”
Silence descended over the room. The impact of her words landed squarely in my chest.
There it was. The thing I had spent my entire life trying to ignore. The unspoken fear I’d carried since I first realized I didn’t fit the mold she had so carefully shaped for me.
I couldn’t even hear the band anymore because of the sharp roaring in my ears.
Cam reached for my hand, at the same time he opened his mouth to say something, but it was too late. I snapped.
I pushed my chair back, stood up, and threw my napkin on the table. Then I looked my mother dead in the eyes.
“You were right, mother. I didn’t find a man. My engagement with Cam isn’t real. None of this is real.”
Everyone gasped, but my eyes were locked onto my mother’s face, which was becoming paler by the second. I looked into the dark pools that were her eyes, eyes I had loved and feared for most of my life, and faced them straight on.
I took off the engagement ring and set it on the table.
“I asked Cam to pretend we’re in love. I chose to make up an engagement rather than stand up to an overbearing, selfish, judgmental mother.
But you know what? I’m done. I’ll never be the perfect woman you want me to be, and I’m finally okay with that.
My life might not be perfect, but it’s mine.
I made it. And I’ll be damned if I’ll let you or anyone else ruin it for me. ”
My words seemed to reverberate around the table. I stared at my mother, willing her to shout, to fight back, to give me an outlet for the years of anger I’d been hoarding. But she said nothing. Just like the others, she’d been stunned into silence. Her gaze slipped away to her plate.
Silence stretched around the table. Every face was stunned, shell-shocked.
I moistened my lips. “I’m sorry for ruining dinner. I hope you all enjoy your time in New York.”
I looked down at Cam, who was sitting still and patient beside me.
I spoke directly to him. “I’m sorry.”
Then I turned and walked away.
My legs shook as I moved through the restaurant, but my spine stayed straight. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t the girl trying to please everyone. I wasn’t the daughter, the fiancée, the people-pleaser, the push-over, the doormat.
I was just… me.
And God, it felt like flying.