Page 34 of Tangled Vows

“How can I help you?” he asked. I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to glance around nervously. Straightening my shoulders, I looked him square in the eye, my determined gaze belying the nervous fluttering in my chest.

“I’m looking for a wedding ring.”

26

SHAYLA

Ihated keeping secrets from my friends and family, especially one this big. I was getting married, and I couldn’t tell a soul. There would be too many questions. Someone would surely try to talk me out of it. But I had to go through with this. I needed my trust fund to cover Mom’s treatments and the stack of medical bills we were already struggling to pay.

With the Vegas game only a week away, I didn’t have much time to come to terms with the fact that I was getting married. And not one person I loved would be there. That sounded strange when I thought about it. It was my wedding, but I didn’t love anyone who would be present, certainly not the groom. I wasn’t even sure I liked him, though I’d softened to him since that day in the rage room.

I’d learned so much about him over the past couple weeks that made it hard to hate him. He had a soft spot for his nephew, he was a loyal friend and teammate, and he could be sweet and compassionate when the situation called for it. Like when he helped Kent through his blood draw or talked me through takeoff on my first team flight.

Or when he offered to marry me so I could help my sick mother.

He was a conundrum, a puzzle whose pieces didn’t exactly fit together, and more and more, I found that I wanted to solve him.

“I need to meet your mother,” Easton blurted out while we were trying to get our story straight. Naturally, people would be curious about how we got together, and we needed to be on the same page. We’d settled on sticking as close to the truth as possible.

“Um,” I began, stunned by the insistence in his tone. “I don’t think that’s ne—” I began, then snapped my mouth shut. Shit, he was right. I was about to marry this man, and my mother had never laid eyes on him. She would be so hurt—and most likely suspicious—if I came home from Vegas married to a man she’d never met. “Okay,” I said, switching gears. “Do you want to come over for dinner?” I asked hesitantly.

“When?” he asked, watching me warily.

“How about tomorrow?”

“I can do that,” he replied, nodding. He almost looked … nervous. It was shocking to see. Maybe he’d never been in a relationship serious enough to meet a woman’s parents before. That was probably it.

“Okay,” I said, clapping with finality. “That’s settled then.”

The next night, my heart leapt into my throat when there was a knock at the door. My mom smiled at me excitedly, thrilled to be meeting my “boyfriend.”

When I told her about Easton after work yesterday, she perked up and beamed at me. Her skin was sallow, her eyes dull and drained of their usual vibrancy, but she instantly brightened the moment I told her about Easton. She wanted to see me happy, and she knew I’d had terrible luck with men since Calvin. No one had stuck around long enough to meet my family sincehim, so this felt monumental. At least to her, it did. To me, it felt like betrayal. Because this wasn’t real. And in a year it would all be a distant memory.

I swallowed down the unexpected disappointment that thought evoked and swung open the door. Easton stood on the other side with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of colorful flowers. A huge grin split his face as he took me in.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, leaning in to place a soft kiss on my cheek. Damn, he was laying it on thick tonight.

“Hi,” I replied breathlessly, annoyed at myself for buying into his facade. He peered past me into the house where my mother waited to greet him.

“You must be Christine. It’s great to finally meet you.” He reached out to shake her hand, but she pulled him into a hug. He didn’t hesitate. His huge body enveloped her small frame, and I nearly choked on a sob. I barely had time to compose myself before they broke apart, and my mother settled her gaze on me. She would be so disappointed in me if she knew this was all a hoax. I just hoped she could forgive me when it was all said and done and we were living debt free. Because shewouldlive. I’d do everything within my power to ensure she made it out on the other side of this.

“You didn’t tell me he was so handsome,” Mom crooned. To my surprise, a flush spread over Easton’s cheeks and nose. I cleared my throat, uncomfortable with acknowledging how insanely attractive he was.

“Yes, well…” I began awkwardly, my face heating, “I assumed you knew what he looked like since he’s pretty well known around here.” It was true. The Wraiths had a loyal following and since they were the closest professional sports team to Willow Brook Falls, most of the people in our town were diehard fans. A hockey game was the most exciting thing residents could do within forty-five minutes from home.

“I don’t watch a lot of hockey,” she admitted sheepishly, “but when I do, you’re always wearing a helmet.” She shrugged and looped her arm through Easton’s, leading him to the table. “Have a seat, and I’ll put these in water,” she offered, taking the flowers from him. “Shayla, grab a couple glasses so you two can enjoy a glass of this lovely wine Easton brought.”

I did as she requested and grabbed the corkscrew on my way back to the table. Easton opened the bottle and poured us each a glass.

“Would you like some?” he asked as my mom placed the bowl of salad and basket of garlic bread on the table. I took a sip of wine to hide my wince. It had been a couple days since Mom’s last chemo infusion, so she wasn’t as nauseated as usual, but still, alcohol was a no-go. It would only make her feel worse.

She offered him a soft smile. “No, thank you. I can’t drink during treatment. It makes me quite ill,” she offered regretfully. Easton’s apologetic gaze flitted to me and back to her as he swallowed visibly.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think?—”

“It’s okay,” my mother rushed to assure him. “One day, when this is all over, we’ll celebrate with a bottle of my favorite red,” she proclaimed optimistically.

The oven timer went off, and I jumped from my seat to pull the homemade lasagna out of the oven. My mouth watered at the sight of the bubbly cheese and tangy scent of freshly made sauce.

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