Page 60 of Marrying Off My Husband

My brow crinkled at the words, though I suspected her behavior had more to do with her sister than anything else. “I’m sure she was just…thrown by her sister. You know she stole her last boyfriend, right?”

“She told me. What a jerk, huh?” Spencer asked.

“Uh-huh. So, I wouldn’t take it personally.”

“Right,” Spencer answered, though I could tell he was taking it personally.

“You know the cure for this, don’t you?”

“Slink back under my rock and never be heard from again?”

I shot him an unimpressed glance. “Plant a lovely smooch right on her lips that’ll just knock her socks off.”

He clicked his tongue. “On that note, I’m heading to bed.”

Our conversation ended without us resolving that kiss. He was holding back for some reason, and I had to figured out why. I’d discuss it with him more in Savannah.

Before I was ready, the plane’s wheels bounced across the runway in the Deep South. As we all piled into the back of the chauffeured car, I gnawed on my lower lip until it almost bled. Seeing my mama had me in a tizzy.

A terrible feeling clawed at my insides. I knew she was going to do something to hurt me, I just knew it.

Eve insisted that I sit next to Spencer on the ride, saying she didn’t want to make anything seem suspicious. Bless her little heart for thinking of me the way she did, though I didn’t care if Mama thought my husband had a mistress.

When the car rolled to a stop outside of my former home, my stomach lurched.

I blew out a shaky breath, my knees wobbling I rose and stared up at the house I’d grown up in. Spencer pressed a reassuring hand against my back, and Eve slipped her arm through mine.

With my two best friends, I braved the sidewalk, each step I took toward the house feeling like one step closer to my doom.

I climbed the stairs, my heels clicking over the wooden boards of the massive front porch. The coolness of the house hitme as I stepped inside, an icy chill snaking down my spine as I heard that voice.

“Hello, Lou-Lou.”

My mother strode confidently toward me, her head held high, her expression an unreadable mask reminding me of the summer she dismissed my first boyfriend as “insufficiently ambitious” right in front of him. These incidents were not rare, painting my childhood with shades of disapproval and impossible expectations.

I tried to raise my own chin and steady my voice, though it still came out shaky. “Hello, Mama.”

“That belt makes you look pudgy.” My mother shifted her eyes to Spencer, disdain creeping over her features. “Spencer. Still playing escort, I see.”

“Mrs. Montgomery. Always a…well…never mind.”

Mama narrowed her eyes, sliding them up and down Eve’s form, taking in every detail, scrutinizing, judging. “Now, Lou-Lou, what have I told you about bringing home strays?”

“Mama, this is Eve Dawson, my very best friend.” I patted her hand before I interlaced our fingers in a show of support as much for myself as for her.

My mama huffed out a laugh before her expression soured further. “Best friend? For now. I’m sure you’ll ruin that. Like you always do.”

She spun on her heel, her perfume lingering in the air like a silent, disapproving cloud. Over her shoulder, she added, “Dinner will be at seven. Try to look presentable, all of you.”

The door to her study clicked closed behind her, leaving a heavy silence in her wake.

“Are you okay?” Eve’s quiet voice asked.

“I’m fine, darlin’. That was mild for one of Mama’s greetings.” I raised my chin, sucking in a deep breath as I rolled my shoulders back. “If y’all don’t mind, I’m going to freshenup before dinner. Eve, if you wouldn’t mind wearing the pink chiffon we bought on Wednesday, I think that would be best.”

Eve nodded slightly as I pulled away from both of them, determined to keep my emotions in check as I climbed the stairs.

I did an admirable job, though it took biting my lower lip to stop it from trembling before I could bolt myself in my room. As the lock clicked, the floodgates opened.

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