Page 75 of The Unplanned Wedding

"Eloping?" My wife darts a confused look in my direction.

The thought had occurred to me, but I decided it'd be best to confront Arthur with the news right after the wedding, rather than risk him finding out about it. Hence, I decided to use the conservatory at my penthouse as the venue.

"He was insistent that I not call and tell you I was coming. Seems he wanted it to be a surprise for you."

This time, when my wife shoots me a glance, there’s a question on her face.

I shrug. "Thought it would make a good wedding gift."

She frowns but doesn’t comment.

Then Irene turns to me. "Mind if we talk alone for a moment? Everything happened so quickly last night, I didn’t have a chance to form my thoughts. But if you have a few seconds…"

I nod. "Of course."

My wife narrows her gaze on her mother, "Irene," she begins in a warning voice, but Irene waves her away.

"I merely want to talk to my son-in-law; I’m sure, he won’t mind."

"I’d be more than happy to spend time with you," I say politely, and gesture for her to lead the way.

She walks over to stand by one of the glass walls of the conservatorythat looks out over the city. I reach her, and both of us peruse the view for a few seconds.

“When June came to me, she’d already been through ten foster homes, in eleven years. That’s a lot of displacement for a young girl,” she says in a contemplative voice.

The investigator I employed to look into my assistant’s background when I hired her shared this information with me. I gave him a big enough budget that he was able to pay off people and dig out details about her background in the system. I don’t comment, realizing Irene has something she wants to get off her chest.

“I was initially her foster carer, you know? But I fell in love with that stubborn, mixed-up, misunderstood, crying-out-for-attention, eleven-year-old. Perhaps I saw something of myself in her. I, too, had been there.”

“You were adopted?” I venture.

“I wasn’t, unfortunately. I was a problem child. Prospective adopters avoided me. I had a reputation similar to June’s by the time I reached her age. It’s probably why I decided to adopt her." Her smile is a little sad. “I wanted to give her the benefit of the stability, I never found as a child. A chance at a future I never had. And yes, I was probably being selfish.”

“How’s that?”

She folds her arms across her chest. “No-one adopted me. But by adopting June, I was trying to heal some of the wounds from my past. At least, I realized that in retrospect. But no matter what my reasons were, adopting that girl was the best thing that happened to me. She filled my life with hope and joy; and challenges.” She laughs, this time in delight. ”Oh, she challenged my authority at every turn, but I made it clear to her it wasn't up for debate. I told her when she was done rebelling and ready to give herself a chance, I’d be there for her.”

I look at Irene with fresh respect. “And she took the opportunity you offered her.”

“She did.” Irene nods with satisfaction. “The day she came home and told me she’d gotten an A in class was the most incredible feeling of my life. And when she called me Mom—” She swallows. “It’s a memory I’ll never forget. Of course, I didn’t stop there. Seeing her thrive was so satisfying I went onto adopt Jillian and Ethan. I finally had a family. A unit of my own, which I’d stopped believing was ever going to happen.”

We stand silently for a few more seconds. Then, she turns to me. "You love her?"

Her direct question takes me by surprise. This woman’s smart. Providing that insight into her and my wife’s relationship, she’s demonstrated just how much she loves her. How much they care for each other. And how important my answer to her question is.

I cast around in my head for the right words, then realize there’s only one answer.

I find myself nodding before the words even form. "I do," I say, and I mean it.

I’m not sure when that happened. Perhaps the first time I saw June in my office. The first time she touched my scar. Or when I chased her from the gym… Or perhaps, it was seeing the disappointment on her features when she realized I was going to marry someone else. Or when I saw her with another man on the dance floor, and the rage and jealousy ripping apart my guts made me realize the connection between us went beyond mere chemistry. There's something more between us. Something that makes me want to take care of her. I’m determined to never hurt her.

Irene scans my features, and whatever she sees there makes her nod. "My June is a stubborn girl. And knows her mind. I’m sure it took a lot to convince her to marry you."

"It did," I nod.

"And I'm sure, she loves you, too."

I frown, but I'm not sure how to reply to that.Does she love me? I don’t think so.Especially not, after how I used her weaknesses to convince her to marry me. But I don’t need to reveal that to her mother.

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