Page 51 of War

The fabric drops just as quickly as her smile. “Right. About the wedding. Do you think it’s weird that our friends didn’t even question our engagement?”

I sigh, annoyed with myself for shutting down her flirtation. “Yeah, it was strange.”

“I was dating your brother last week. You’d think that would make them at least a little suspicious,” she says as she walks toward the bed.

I grind my teeth, though I shrug off that word.Brother. “Has he contacted you?”

At the edge of the mattress, she lowers her head and fidgets with the comforter. “He’s sent a few texts, but I haven’t responded.”

Straightening, I fist my hands on either side of me. “Wait, he left you here on Christmas Eve and you still haven’t talked?”

She shrugs, gaze averted. “Nope.”

“So he doesn’t know we’re getting married?”

Finally, she looks at me, her lips pressed into a flat line, and blinks. “No idea what he does or doesn’t know. You saw the picture. He was too busy with strippers on Christmas Eve to care. Maybe he knocked one of them up, since he was all about breeding that night.”

I frown as I study her. “You don’t sound that upset.”

Pulling the covers back, she raises a brow. “Ya know, I’m really not. Turns out, I cared a lot less about that relationship than I thought.”

Anger bubbles to life inside me. I hate that she dated him. Hate that he got any pieces of her when all I get is a façade.

Maybe it’s better that he doesn’t know. As soon as he does, my father will, and then it’s only a matter of time until Dory has one of her infamous fits. I’m not exactly looking forward to dealing with that, but since my father and I don’t talk often, I can probably put it off for a bit.

“Want me to talk to Lennox? See if she can quickly put together a nice event like she did for Gavin and Millie?” Ava continues, clearly having moved past Xander completely. As she slips between the sheets, I try not to focus on how much closer she is now. Or the coconutscent of the product she runs through her hair before she braids it.

That product combined with her natural scent makes her smell like the most delicious dessert. Reminds me of the coconut cake my mom bought for my birthday each year.

I clear my throat, because thinking about my mom when we’re discussing our wedding isn’t doing me any favors. “I took care of it already. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. My lawyer got the license expedited so we can go to town hall tomorrow morning before my flight.”

Ava has barely settled in beside me before she shoots up, her jaw falling open. “Oh.”

I study her, gauging her reaction. “Is that okay?”

Blinking, she shakes her head. “Yeah, of course. I didn’t realize it would happen so fast, but a quickie wedding at town hall makes sense. No need for a big thing.”

I frown, wishing I could read her mind. This woman is always guarding her thoughts like they’re sacred. Or, sometimes, like they’re ideas she’s ashamed of.

Is that what this is? Was she looking forward to a real wedding? I try to explain why town hall makes sense. Try to make her see that I care. Too fucking much, if we’re being honest. “I figured this was our best option. Once we’re married, Madi can file the amended adoption paperwork, which lists you as a petitioner as well.”

With her teeth pressed into her bottom lip, she nods. “Yeah, that’s good. Really.”

“You tell your family about it?” Maybe that’s what this is about. Maybe they want to come to the wedding?

She looks away, tangling her fingers in her lap. “Yeah, I told my sister. Are the kids coming with us tomorrow or…?”

I shrug. “It’s just a few minutes at town hall. No need to drag them out into the cold.”

“Right.” She dips her chin, her mouth set in a firm line. “Makes sense. Anything else I should know while you’re gone? I went over the kids’ schedules with Maria, so the two of us should have everything covered.”

A sigh escapes me. Looks like that’s all I’ll get from her regarding the wedding.

I should be happy that she agreed to marry me so quickly. That her focus has turned to the kids so quickly.

But I’m not.

NINETEEN

---