Page 28 of An Endless Memory

A laugh sputtered out of me. They were jackasses, but were they wrong? “I agree, but I can do it. This is just a hard season in my life.”

“Lily Duke, you burn your candle at both ends. Sometimes you gotta let a guy blow on you.” He frowned, then his eyes widened. “Shit, not what I meant.”

A giggle left me, morphing into a genuine laugh that rang through the air. It’d been forever since I’d laughed. “That’s how I ended up in this situation.”

He grinned, and thankfully, I was laughing so hard I was already out of breath, or the view of him with a full smile would’ve stolen every particle of air I didn’t have to give.

Six

Eliot

On Sunday, Lily, the kids, and I were loaded and heading to Cody’s. He’d have his shop open for the picnic and then he’d have a cordoned-off spot to shoot fireworks. I didn’t know if the kids or Lily would make it the whole night.

I drove through Crocus Valley and aimed for the other side of town. Lily’s knuckles were white on the bowls she held. She had insisted on making a pasta salad and a dessert for the family picnic. The corners of her eyes were pinched. She was stressed.

My nerves were on high alert. I’d spent the morning messaging my employees, telling them I might need another day away for family business. Hopefully, there’d be no more tractor DUIs while I was away.

Chambers told me to tell everyone hi. If I mentioned I was getting married, he’d be delighted. If I told him I was leaving my wife in Crocus Valley alone with her two kids, he’d kick my ass like a proper dad.

I had messaged Austen and told him to let the others know I was bringing Lily and we had to talk to everyone. That way, my siblings were prepared to see me show up with her.

Last night, she hadn’t let me do bedtime duty alone. She hadn’t let me do much. She’d made a delicious cheeseburger pasta dish for dinner, then she had rocked Kellan while I read a book to Cali.

We didn’t talk about the wedding or discuss how the residence would work. Between the groceries, feedings, naps, playtime, meals, cleanup—there hadn’t been time. Or so I told myself. Once we started discussing details, then it’d become real. From her story, she’d been manipulated into marrying once. This time wasn’t much different. But I’d treat her better than that dick ex of hers.

By the time I was done with the story and Cali was tucked in, Lily had been yawning. I’d sent her to bed, then remained vigilant on baby duty all night. Kellan and I partied for a few quiet hours when he fussed every time he wasn’t held, then he’d passed out.

Instead of the couch, I got her grandma’s old room. I dozed in the lingering scent of old perfume, with a corn snake in a large enclosure pushed between two dressers.

“Is Ivy going to be there?” Cali asked. Ivy, my niece, was a few years older than her, but Cali idolized her already.

“Absolutely,” I said. “I bet she’ll show you her goats.”

“Goats, Mom!” Lily had decided to tell Cali about us later. Otherwise, she might blurt it out before we even reached the shop.

Lily smiled at me, and I grinned back. The moment stabbed right through my psyche. How easily could I fool myself that this was real? My bachelor days were done. But that would be fake. We were pretending.

I parked. Cali shouted, “Ivy!” and ran out.

Lily let out a slow exhale. I grabbed her hand. “We got this.”

She gazed at my big hand over her small one. Her skin was warm and soft like I imagined the rest of her body was. I’d caught a glimpse of her white bra when she’d been sleeping last night. I’d felt like a damn creeper, but also—I had no regrets.

She swallowed hard. “Is it going to be okay?”

“Promise.”

She lifted her gaze to mine. Denim-blue eyes that should be full of humor were too serious.

“You have beautiful eyes,” I murmured.

A faint blush stained her cheeks. “Thanks. They’re the only thing that survived the pregnancy unscathed.”

“Trust me, Lily. I don’t know what you looked like when you were pregnant or before, but nothing got ruined.”

The flush deepened.

Fuck, I was flirting with her when she was worried about being driven off by my siblings. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

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