Page 103 of Oblivion

Sighing, she exhales, wiping a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen from beneath her eye. “I suppose we had better go and find you a dress. But Samantha, please, no ruffles or anything too revealing.”

I can’t help it. I laugh.

After our chat, Mama embraces wedding planning like she was made to do it. At my suggestion, we call the planner Evan gifted me, and she agrees to come to the house tomorrow morning to go over the decisions we’ve made so far.

Beth makes me try on dress after dress, and I finally settle on a trumpet-shaped gown with a lace overlay that I love and a neckline that doesn’t make Mama cringe. Instead of white, I decide on an ivory color and a sheer veil edged with the same lace that’s on the gown.

After taking all of my measurements, Beth and her assistant pack away all the dresses and leave with a promise that they’ll be back next weekend to do a fitting.

By the time she leaves, I’m exhausted, but we still have a house full of guests. “Shall we go and join the guys by the pool?” I suggest.

Everyone agrees, and I smile when I spot my dad deep in discussion with Sebastian. The moment Evan spots me, he beckons me over, and I go to him, letting him pull me down onto his lap while the guys all introduce themselves to my mama.

“How was your mom?” he asks quietly against my ear.

“She was a little combative at the start, but we talked, and she’s okay now. Does this massive estate have a guest house anywhere? Because I told Mama if there isn’t one, I’d make you build one so they can come and visit,” I say, cringing a little at how ridiculous that sounds.

“I’ll speak to the architect and ask them to start plans for something,” he says softly, brushing my hair off my face.

“I might also have suggested they move here. I’m sorry, but she was sad, and I love her, and Washington, DC, is so far away.”

“I’ll have a realtor start looking at options for them.”

“Really?” I ask.

“If having your parents in California will make you happy then I’ll get your parents to California.”

“They have to actually decide to come. You can’t foreclose on their house or do anything…crazy to get them here. It has to be their choice,” I rush to say, panic tightening my chest.

“It’ll be their choice,” he promises on a chuckle. “Did you pick a dress?”

“I did.”

“What does it look like?”

“You’ll find out when I walk down the aisle to you. Also, I arranged for the planner to come over in the morning. Mama wants to be involved in planning the wedding.”

“Okay, I’ll ask the staff to cater a breakfast for all of us. I’ll invite the folks too. That way everyone can have a chance to getto know each other before the dinner tomorrow night,” Evan says.

The car service turns up to take my parents back to the hotel twenty minutes later, and I hug them both goodbye, feeling a sense of relief that they seem more at peace with my decision now.

Instead of the others leaving, they all settle into their seats while Evan grabs fresh drinks from the wet bar that’s built into a giant grill and outdoor kitchen.

“Your mom was not at all what I was expecting,” Bunny says, snuggling deeper into Hunter’s enormous arms.

“Yeah, she’s an old-school Southern belle. Are you saying I’m not like that?” I tease.

“Weirdly, when you’re with her, you kind of are.” Bunny giggles.

I shrug. “I was raised to cross my legs at the ankle and be a proper lady.”

“What happened?” Clay asks on a laugh.

“I wanted to be different,” I admit quietly. “I wanted to start fresh at school, be a different person.”

“And now?” Evan asks.

“Now I’m a mixture of the old me and the new me, I guess.”

---