Page 30 of An Endless Memory

As if he saw the irritated expression on my face, he shrugged. “What if Weston decides to travel to Buffalo Gully for a surprise visit?”

Lily glanced at me and moved a few inches away. “I don’t see why you have to give up your personal life. I mean, as long as you’re discrete you’re free to…uh, date.”

She would raise two kids by herself while I could fuck around? We both lived in small towns, and Buffalo Gully wasn’t that far away from where her parents lived in Billings. The world could be a connected place. I wasn’t letting her family get word that her husband was inside another woman while she was short of sleep or crying on the floor.

I was better than that. “There is no single life while I’m married.” I shook my head. “No. It’s fine. I’ve gotta be at the ranch as much as possible if I’m going to be gone more.”

All my brothers raised their brows. Fucking Ansen smirked. He was enjoying the hell out of this.

“You need a prenup,” Cody said. He smiled at Lily. “No offense, but you’d want to protect yourself too.”

The idea of a prenup scratched under the surface of my skin. Lily wouldn’t try to take me to the cleaners. I didn’t have to know her long to know she wasn’t like that.

Lily snorted. “All he’d get is debt.”

“We don’t need a prenup. Nothing is mine.” I returned Cody’s hard stare.

“Married for a year,” Wilder echoed. “Shit. When’s the big day?”

“Monday, if that’s even an option.” I checked with Lily. Her nod was shaky. Her aunt needed a document as soon as possible. “The courthouse is open.”

“I can do it during lunch,” Lily told Sutton.

Sutton shook her head. “You are getting the day off with pay for a wedding. No arguments.”

Lily bit her plump lower lip like she’d been ready to do just that.

I clapped my hands together. They had the news. Lily hadn’t relaxed, and she was still holding the baby carrier. “I know you fools can’t make a good burger. Let me start the grill and get this party started.”

Lily

Cali danced in the yard with the other kids. She’d gotten a tour of the place and all the animals. I was surprisingly relaxed even while surrounded by Eliot’s family. They’d been strangely accepting, but from what Eliot had described of their situation, it made sense. Their support reminded me of my family. So did their readiness to step in. I got lucky with in-laws for a fake marriage.

“I’m really happy Eliot’s helping you,” Sutton said to me. “He’s a good guy. A little grumpy, but it’s just a hard shell.”

I hadn’t seen the grumpiness. “He’s been so helpful. I’ve caught up on so much sleep.”

“Good to hear.”

“How are you feeling?”

She pursed her lips. “My blood pressure is still creeping up. My doctor’s appointment is tomorrow, so I might not see you at work on Tuesday. I’ll work from home, and Wilder will be my legs.”

“How’s he doing with all this?”

“Fine, but also so worried.” She shrugged. “We’re so close, you know? But Wilder’s keeping me distracted, and he’s stocked up on puzzles.” She grimaced. “I’ll most likely be doing desk work remotely.”

I hadn’t worked at Sutton’s Animal Clinic for long, but I only knew the job with her kind smile there.

“What does your family think about all this?” she asked.

I ran my lower lip through my teeth. “They don’t know.”

Her eyes went wide. “What? How don’t they know?”

“My aunt gave me time.” I let out a dry laugh. “And I think she’s not looking forward to facing down everyone with the details.”

“What do you mean?”

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