Page 37 of No Ordinary Love

"Kath is nothing like Mama," I replied. "Kath has a career."

"Regardless of their employment status orhobbies,they are similar people." Grandma's stern voice could cut steel. "Don't fool yourself. If you love Kath, fine, marry her. But if you loved her, then you'd be head over heels wanting to marry her, not sitting here telling me that you can't stop thinking about Amara."

I groaned and dropped my face in my hands.

Grandma smacked the back of my head lightly. "Get your head out of your ass, Lucas."

I chuckled and looked up to see her annoyed eyes glaring at me.

"Are you so weak that you'll let family pressure you into marrying Kath?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Are you trying to get a rise out of me with theweakcomment?"

She grinned. "Absolutely."

I draped an arm around her and leaned my forehead against her shoulder. "I fucked up. I knew Amara would never fit in, and when Mama told me about Kath, I spoke some bullshit."

"Amara heard you."

I nodded. "Yeah, and then I proceeded to take the coward's way out by letting her walk out of my life because stopping her meant that I had to turn against my family."

"And let's not forget your pride. You weren't going to beg Amara to stay."

I took a deep breath. She knew me well.

"And the same pride was assuaged that Kath wanted back in your life. Mercer had dumped her—"

"She told mesheleft him."

Grandma gave out an unladylike snort. "He got his side piece pregnant and decided to marryher. Mercer and Kath lived together and got engaged, but he didn't marry her. That tells me he was never going to."

I wondered why Kath was with me; was it familial pressure? We started going out as kidsafterLPC acquired Bellamy Foods. I'm sure her father and mine thought it was the perfect arrangement. Maybe she realized that she didn't love me and left me for Mercer because she loved him. I remembered how angry Hugh had been with her for that.

"Do you think Kath is being pressured to marry me?"

"Kath? No. That girl is so selfish that she does whatever she wants without thought or care for anyone but herself."

"That's a rather harsh assessment."

Was Kath selfish? Yes, she was, but wasn't everyone?

"Kath left you because Mercer was already running his father's company, and you weren't. Then he left her, and now she's backbecause you've taken over LPC and havedone great things in the three years you've been CEO. You're now more successful than Mercer." Grandma did not mince her words. "It didn't matter to her that you were living with another woman; she basically bulldozed in and got you."

"She didn't bulldoze—"

"You think your mother didn't know that Amara was listening to your conversation with her?" Grandma seethed.

"What?" Shock ran through me. "No!"

Grandma rolled her eyes and looked at me like I was an imbecile. "Ask Jerome. Patsy may not have made you say you didn't love Amara, but she had a pretty good idea what you would say about Kath."

"Even Mama isn'tthatdevious." I couldn't believe that my mother would purposely sabotage my relationship with Amara and hurt an innocent in the process. But then again, it took only a moment's thought for me to admit that Mama had been doing everything she could to break Amara and me up since I introduced her to the family.

"Lucas, what do you want?" Grandma demanded, her eyes searching mine.

I spoke from my heart, the truth finally breaking free. "Amara. I don't know how it happened, but I fell in love with her. And I've been too scared to admit it, too scared to go after what I really want because it doesn't fit into everyone else's idea of what my life should be."

She reached out and took my hand in hers, her grip surprisingly strong. "Then don't make the same mistake I did. Don't let fear or obligation dictate your life. Kath is not the one for you. I could always see that, even if you're only now starting to realize it yourself."

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