Page 106 of Taken By Storm

“Your job will be to raise your children. But don’t worry. I’ll be there to help you, since your mother is deceased.”

Hell would freeze over before she spent her days trapped with this horrible woman.

“Besides,” Mrs. Grover continued, “once we expand Grover’s Farm and open the training facility on your family’s land, you won’t have much left to sell.” She looked around with obvious disdain. “It will be nice to finally tear down this eyesore. I hate being forced to drive by it every day on my way home.”

“The stand willnotbe torn down, and Iwillcontinue to work here,” Kasi said through gritted teeth. “Because I am NOT marrying your son.”

Mrs. Grover scowled. “Hmpf. We’ll see about that.” Kasi harbored no illusions about who wore the pants in the Grover household. Mr. Grover and Scottie lived to serve the high queen.

Mrs. Grover shot Kasi one last dirty look before walking toward the door to leave. “I’ll expect you next Saturday at three so that we can make plans for your wedding to my son. It would be in your best interest to be there.”

Kasi started to follow, intent on setting the record straight once and for all, but pulled up short when someone else walked in, just as Mrs. Grover exited.

“What the fuck was that?” Remi asked, storming into the stand.

“Um…”

“There’s no way in hell Mrs. Cuntcake just invited you over to plan your wedding to Scottie Douchebag Grover.”

“Actually, she was, but?—”

“No,” Remi said, shaking her head. “No fucking way.”

“He proposed the night before last. His ring is sitting on my nightstand.”

Remi’s eyes widened. “You took the ring? Is this a joke? This is a joke.”

“No. It’s not a joke, but I’m also not marrying Scottie.”

Remi stared at her, confused. “Then why did you take the ring?”

Kasi sighed. “Because when he first asked…I was considering it.”

Remi frowned. “Were you drunk? No, scratch that question because there’s not enough alcohol in the world to make any sane woman marry Scottie.”

“You’re not wrong about that. It’s just…” Kasi pursed her lips, fighting back tears. For eight months, she’d hadn’t shed a single one, keeping it together after her mother passed because Daddy and Keith were falling apart and they needed her to be strong. That strength had abandoned her now.

Since the night of her mother’s birthday, she was helpless to hold back the waterworks.

Remi reached for her, tugging her into her arms. “Oh God, Kasi. What is it? Whatever it is, we’ll fix it. I’ll help you and so will Levi.”

Those words opened the gate, and Kasi cried on her best friend’s shoulder, hating herself for not reaching out sooner. She’d stupidly thought she could handle all of this on her own, pushing away her support system because of an abundance of pride and embarrassment over failing her family so spectacularly.

Somewhere in the midst of her breakdown, she heard Remi call out to someone that the stand was closed. Whoever it was had clearly left.

“I’m sorry,” Kasi said, when she finally pulled herself together. She’d left a huge wet spot on the shoulder of Remi’s T-shirt.

Remi grinned. “No worries. It’s laundry day. You just helped me get a jump on it with this one.”

Kasi laughed through the last remnants of her tears. Remi always knew how to lighten a dark moment.

“Why would you even consider marrying Scottie?” Remi asked.

“Because I’m out of options.” At that, Kasi let it all out, explaining about the mounting debt, her father’s unstable mental state, her missteps when it came to running the farm. She explained that Scottie hadn’t just been asking her out since her mother’s death, but that he’d been hinting about marriage as a way to get their land. She even told Remi about the break-in and Scottie’s lie about Levi pressing charges.

“Levi would never hurt your family like that.”

Kasi thought she’d shed every tear she had, but hearing Remi say what Kasi should have known found a few more. “I know that. I think I hurt him, Remi.”

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