Page 152 of Between Hate and Desire

“Relax,” he whispers in my ear, and I blow out a deep breath.

My body’s burning from the inside out because I know we’re going to get caught. There’s no getting out of it, not with her sitting at my dining room table. I glance down and realize I’m not even wearing my wedding ring. At least I can blame it on my swollen fingers, but what’s Hunter’s excuse?

“What would you like to drink? We’ve got water, milk, cranberry juice, and orange juice,” I ask my mom.

“Water’s fine,” she replies in her overly polite tone.

I hand her a bottle, then sit in the chair next to Hunter. Mom chats about her flight, and I try to keep food in my mouth so I don’t have to talk too much.

Hunter gives her his boyish grin and occasionally shoots me a wink. He’s a natural at pretending to be my husband. I hate that he has to do this, especially after knowing his true feelings for me. I give him an apologetic look, a half-smile so he knows how appreciative I am. He shakes his head as if it’s no big deal, but it’s a big fucking deal to me. He’s always saving my ass.

I’ve devoured half of my food and barely said a word. I’m still trying to get my thoughts together when my mother sets her napkin down on her empty plate.

“Lennon,” she says, meeting my eyes. “I know the truth.”

My face twists, and for a moment, I feel like I’m going to throw up.

“What?” I ask, making sure I heard her right. I look at Hunter and then back at her.

“I know you two aren’t really married, so you don’t have to keep pretending for my sake.” She speaks so nonchalantly but my heart races anyway

“Mom…” I pause, my chest squeezing with guilt as I swallow hard.

“An anonymous birdie told me,” she adds before I can say another word. “They called the church after Sunday service. Luckily, I answered the phone before your father had a chance.” She gives me a pointed look, but I’m confused as hell to who she’s referring to. The only people who knew were my sisters, but as soon as I glance at Hunter and his expression hardens, I have another idea of who could’ve run their mouth.

“I don’t know what you think you know, but?—”

She waves a hand in the air and cuts me off.

“I’m not stupid enough to take a stranger’s word for it. I’ve done my due diligence and checked for myself. Marriage records are public in the state of Nevada, and I searched for yours and Hunter’s but came up empty. So I called Clark County and asked if I was doing something wrong, and the clerk told me they had no marriage license for Hunter Manning and Lennon Corrigan.”

Fuck.

Silence draws on as she gives me a look of disappointment, and this time, Hunter can’t save me with his effortless banter and boyish grin. This time, I’m going to have to face the lies I’ve told.

“You’re right, Mom. We aren’t married,” I admit, and a weight lifts off my chest even if this whole situation is painful. I feel like a kid getting caught stealing from the cookie jar. “I’m sorry I lied.”

She lets out a sigh, not accepting my apology but not dismissing it either. “Now, I’ve been trying to understand why you would lie about getting married, but then the realization hit me. You and Hunter are having a baby out of wedlock and?—”

“No.” I refuse to allow the lies to continue any further. “It’s not Hunter’s baby.”

Her face contorts, and sadness flickers in her eyes. Sadness for Hunter or me—maybe both. “Oh.”

“Mrs. Corrigan,” Hunter intervenes. “I apologize for lying to you and your husband. It was never our intention to hurt you. Brandon’s the dad, and it’s been hard for Lennon to deal with, considering he’s no longer with us. Pretending to be married was one hundred percent my idea. Lennon loves you both so much and didn’t want to lose you after already losing Brandon. So we came up with this lie. I hope you can understand why we felt we had to.”

My throat burns from the unshed tears I refuse to release at the mention of Brandon. Not only did I drag Hunter into this, but now my mother is probably going to lose her shit.

My mom looks back and forth between Hunter and me with a frown. “I’m sorry, Lennon,” she says genuinely. “I’m sorry you don’t have Brandon here anymore, but you do know all actions have consequences.” Her tone went from soft to firm in two seconds flat, not that I should be that surprised.

“I don’t want to hearthe talkright now. We’re past that.” My tone is harsh, but she needs to know I’m not going to let her lecture me when I’m old enough to make my own decisions. The last thing I need is her telling me how sex before marriage is a sin e and to be made to feel like the villain when I’m so damn thrilled about becoming a mother.

“What’s done is done, Lennon. I can see that.” Her eyes glance down at my stomach. “I understand why you felt like you had to lie, but now it’s time to handle things correctly. I can tell by how you two acted in Utah and by your photos that you have mutual feelings for each other. Love like that can’t be faked.” She looks back and forth between us while my heart threatens to stop beating.

“Mom…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not planning to discuss this with your father. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. But the lie is already out there, so before more people find out the truth and feel as if they were scammed by you, I’d suggest you make it right.”

Make it right? What the hell does that mean?

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