Page 22 of Love You Truly

Mary watches me dab my eyes and nods slowly. “That’s what makes it perfect. The relationship won’t get in the way of the goal. I’m serious.”

“You don’t need to marry me off. But thank you for the idea.”

“It’s a good idea. The men will be lining up a mile long.”

“No way. It’ll land me right back where I started, linked at the hip to a man who puts his own interests before mine.”

“I’m done.” One of the twins waves Mary over with two hands covered in paint. She hauls herself up from the table and looks longingly at the cookies before dashing over with a container of wet wipes.

“Oh, that looks beautiful!” she exclaims, unpinning the painting from the easel. It’s covered from end to end with paint, every color in the palate blended together in swirls. Just witnessing her Mary Poppins energy makes me tired.

“I’ll see you later, Mare,” I call, heading around the side of the house and back to my car.

I hear her cheerful voice behind me. “Let’s get those hands cleaned up, and we’ll all eat some biscuits. Yeah?”

As I’m sliding into the front seat of my car, the three of them start to sing a song about a hungry moose. It makes me smile. Then I think about the crazy idea Mary proposed. It makes me smile a little wider. That’s when I know I’m in trouble.

CHAPTER 9

Dash

Our next family meeting takes place at a back corner table inside Sweet Butter, the café on the Buttercup Hill property, because my sister is hungry.

“Stop saying that,” PJ whines, right before taking a huge bite of an egg and bacon croissant.

“You’re the only one here who’s eating,” I observe, pointing at where our eldest brother Archer stews over a cup of coffee and Jax sips from a metal water bottle. I rolled in late because I slept late.

No one ever acts surprised when I’m late, just like they’re not surprised by my penchant for going out to bars and having a very active social life. It barely registers as an event if I have a late night. But for the last few nights, I haven’t been out at all. I’ve been up late with thoughts churning through my mind. Thoughts about a woman I never gave two brain cells worth of worry about until we ran into each other—twice.

I’m almost grateful for a family meeting, normally the bane of my existence, because it will force me not to think about Mallory Rutherford. And I need to stop thinking about her for fuck’s sake.

“They ordered. They just haven’t gotten their food yet.” There’s no point in arguing with her—or with any of my siblings, for that matter. I was born into a family as stubborn as it is loving, and each of us has a tendency to dig in when we think we’re right.

Beatrix comes in last and sits at the table without going to the counter to order anything. I’m about to point at her as an example of someone who clearly isn’t eating when the server brings over a latte and a croissant she’d apparently been holding for my sister.

PJ follows my gaze and gives me a smug nod.

“Fine, whatever.” I get up and go to the counter. If everyone else is eating, I’ll take my sweet time picking out something tasty from the case. No sense working on an empty stomach.

“Almond croissant’s always a good choice.” Jax’s voice over my shoulder sends a creep of dread down my spine. I didn’t mention anything to him about the fake boyfriend charade the other night, mainly because he can’t hear Mallory’s name without wanting to spit nails.

I never really understood where all the bad blood came from after what seemed like a harmless hookup, and I never cared enough to ask. Jax was a grumpy asshole for the year or so after his wife left him with their newborn daughter. In fact, he was a grumpy asshole right up until he met Ruby, our sommelier who talked her way into a job here by offering to be Jax’s nanny.

I will always have respect for Ruby, knowing what she had to put up with from Jax before he settled down and fell in love with her. Sometimes I wish she was our sibling instead of him. Kind, easygoing Ruby wouldn’t be growling in my ear.

Turning to face him, I see that my brother doesn’t have a scowl on his face for once. Having Ruby in his life really does agree with him, even if she did somehow allow him to grow the beard he’s currently sporting.

“Have you looked in the mirror today? The werewolf next door wants his razor back.”

“Fuck off.” He says it with a smile, which means I haven’t annoyed him nearly enough. And I feel the need to rib him more—it’s a little brother thing.

“Big words for an old man. Didn’t know you still had it in you.”

He smiles and I swear the guy has gone soft. So much so that I can’t even think of a way to taunt him. Maybe it’s me who’s gone soft, and I hate to think it has anything to do with Mallory, even though I can’t stop thinking about her.

“Did you know Mallory Rutherford was married?”

“She is?” Jax looks shocked.

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