Page 49 of Married to the Frenemy

“I meant us. I’d like for us to celebrate. None of this would have been possible without you. Hell, after the way I’ve treated you the past several years, you had every right to slam the door in my face when I came to you with my proposal.”

“Beckham…” I sigh, a lump lodging in my throat.

“But I’m grateful you didn’t.” He flashes me his panty-melting smile that still affects me like it did when we were reckless teenagers. “What do you say? Are you up for a night on the town as a family?”

Despite every voice in my head telling me this is a bad idea, I can’t seem to find the words to deny Beckham.

Some things never change, I suppose.

“I’d like that.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

HALEY

The sun warms my face as we sit on the back patio of Jude’s brewery in the historic district of downtown Sycamore Falls. Now that it’s spring and the weather’s warming up, quite a few other people have gotten the same idea, the outside area filled with locals and tourists trying a few of Jude’s microbrews while their kids play on the playground he put in a few years ago.

“To Beckham,” Finn says, lifting his pint glass.

“To Beckham.” We all join his brother, and I meet Beckham’s eyes from across the table.

Despite the fact that he’s surrounded by all his siblings, apart from his oldest brother, his eyes are still focused on me. I tell myself it’s only an act. That the only reason he’s looking at me this way is because we’re in public and everyone is supposed to think we’re married, especially his mother, Danielle, who also joined us.

He’s certainly not looking at me with a heated stare because he wants to.

“How are the kids doing, all things considered?” I ask her as I tear my eyes from Beckham and take a long sip from my beer.

With the summer months fast approaching, Jude’s been serving some of his fruit-inspired beers, including his signature blueberry lager, which is also my favorite.

“They’re adjusting. The baby’s a piece of cake.”

She nods toward Finn as he bounces Jeremiah in his lap, which has probably caused every woman’s ovaries to burst. As if seeing three of the four Lawrence brothers sitting at the same table isn’t enough of a sight to behold. One thing is certain. The Lawrence family has incredible genes. But despite how attractive Jude, Finn, and even Hayden are, all of them with similar coloring and build as Beckham, there’s something about the second oldest Lawrence brother I’ll always be drawn to.

“It’s not that he doesn’t remember his mother,” Danielle continues, “but it’s not as difficult for him since he’s so young. There are moments you can tell he misses her, but those are becoming fewer as time passes.”

“And Presley?”

She blows out a sigh, looking over at the playground where Maggie is currently playing with the long and lean brunette little girl.

“She still hasn’t spoken. I keep telling Hayden that he can’t avoid this forever.” She brings her water up to her mouth and takes a sip. “I understand he needs to work a lot now that he’s taking over the medical practice here in town. But it seems like he’s putting in more hours than necessary so he doesn’t have to face this new reality of life without his wife.”

“It can’t be easy,” I offer.

“I’m not saying it should be,” she says sweetly before leaning toward me and dropping her voice. “I think it would help both of them if he were more present. They just lost their mom. And now their father is barely around.” She shifts her attention to her granddaughter as she follows Maggie. “But I think Maggie’s been good for Presley, especially since they’re so close in age.”

“She loves making friends,” I remark, my heart warming at how kind and accepting Maggie is.

After she first met Presley, she’d asked if she was deaf and that’s why she didn’t talk. I explained the situation the best I could. Unlike other kids, she didn’t get frustrated that Presley wouldn’t talk to her. Instead, she shrugged and said maybe she would when she finally had something to say.

“She’s been good for Beckham, too,” Danielle offers.

“She adores him.”

“He hasn’t always had it easy, as you know.”

I respond with a barely imperceptible nod. I’m more than aware of Beckham’s somewhat troubled past.

“His father’s diagnosis was especially tough on him,” she says as she peers into the distance, a nostalgic gleam in her eyes. “Beckham and Rowan had such a special bond.”

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