Page 41 of The Fiance Dilemma

JOSIE:I’ll talk to Bobbi.

ADALYN:How about you call Matthew instead? He should be with you right now. Promise me to lean on him when things get heavy with Dad.

There was so much weight behind Adalyn’s text. Unsaid things. Like how we both knew this was the first time Andrew was returning to Green Oak since he’d… conceived me. Since that trip almost three decades ago. We both knew this would be the first time I’d see him in the flesh and not through the screen of my laptop.

My belly felt like it had just filled with wasps.

JOSIE:Already done. I’ll catch you later, okay? Josie’s is packed.

I stared at the screen of my phone, debating whether to call Matthew or leave it at that text I’d sent. I swapped chats. My message had been read. He’d seen it, but he hadn’t answered. That was fine. It was a little jumbly. It contained stuff like exclamation points, question marks, a few words, and an SOS. He probably thought I was being dramatic, and what I felt in my chest probably wasn’t disappointment. Or hurt. It was… concern.

Because Andrew was on his way. To Green Oak.

“Josie?” Gabriel called from behind the counter. “You’ve been standing there for a few minutes, and I’m wondering if I should come get you or just give you more time to sieve through whatever you’re going through. Can you let me know so we avoid having to get Grandpa Moe? His grumpy ass is unbearable lately.”

I squared my shoulders, and when I turned around, it was with a smile. “Wedding drama,” I said as an explanation. I knew from experience that could excuse almost anything. “Adalyn was checking some things for me. Things that have to do with the guest list.”

“I thought you said it was club stuff,” he countered with a frown.

Shit. “Well, I can’t have the entirety of a youth soccer club sitting at my wedding, now, can I?”

“I guess not,” Gabriel commented. His face transformed, and he was suddenly beaming at me. “Wait. Does that mean you guys have a date?”

I thought of Bobbi’s temporary date. December first. I also thought of our new rules. We don’t get married. “Nope,” I quipped. “Oh hey, that’s our Green Warriors coming into the café. You know what that means: after-game smoothies.”

The group of kids in green and black training gear made their way to their usual spot, all but María and Juniper taking a seat at the table. The two kids approached us.

“Hi, Miss Josie!” María quipped. “Hi, Mr. Gabriel!”

“Hi, Dad,” Juniper said, planting a kiss on Gabriel’s cheek. “Hi, Miss Josie.”

I pushed away from the counter, welcoming the distraction. “Hi, girls. I was just texting Adalyn, and she says to give the two of you a hug. She misses you and the team a whole lot.”

María beamed at the mention of my sister. “Oh, I miss her too! I’ll make sure to send her a selfie of me and Pedro Pigscal. And all the photos I have of him with Brandy.” She scrunched her face. “I can’t wait to introduce her and Coach Cam to Pedro.” She pointed at my cup. “Oh. Can I get one of those?”

“That’s going to be a no,” I answered with a laugh. “Way too much caffeine in it. And other… stuff that’s not good for you. You guys need to rehydrate.”

“I’m eleven,” she complained, as Gabriel and I shared a glance. “I’m not a kid anymore. And Dad lets me have a sip of coffee every once in a while.”

I arched my brows.

“Fine,” she relented. “When he’s not looking. It tastes like monkey butt, honestly, so I thought yours would be nicer. Adults areweird.” She shrugged a shoulder. “So how’s Mr. Matthew? You know what I was thinking the other day? That you should get married at the farm! Wouldn’t that be amazing? We could have a petting zoo for the guests. And all the space in the world to dance. Dad keeps all the things from the fairs and markets in the old barn, so we could even hang the Christmas lights. Oh, and use the turkey float from last year’s Thanksgiving parade.”

Gabriel braced an elbow on the counter. “That would be amazing actually. I always wondered why you never tried to get married here in Green Oak.”

Tried to get married,my brain seemed to get hung up on those words.

“I don’t think the petting zoo is a good idea,” Juniper commented, earning a glance from María. “But we could have a tournament.” The two kids beamed at each other. “That way I wouldn’t need to wear a dress.”

The two girls then launched into a debate about whether one could play soccer in a dress, while at a wedding.

I cleared my throat. “How about I get the smoothies going and throw in a chocolate chip cookie for everyone? Deal?”

Both their faces told me we had a deal.

“Perfect,” I concluded. “Give me a min—”

My words were brought to a halt by someone bursting into the coffee shop, shoving the door open so hard that it almost sent the bell atop it flying.

---