Page 66 of Rook

“That’s exactly it. There are seventy-plus meds used to treat bipolar. I believe they will find the right combination eventually.”

“And you can have your mom back.”

“And she can haveherselfback.”

“That’s a really sweet way of looking at it.”

“I can’t imagine what she’s going through. I know that when she’s in a really bad episode, she usually has a lot of memory gaps. I’m kind of hoping she doesn’t remember how bad it’s been while she’s been in treatment.”

“I don’t know if that would be a blessing or a curse. Not remembering,” she clarified as she slid another slice onto her plate.

“That’s a hard one. Since, I guess, the hard shit does have a part in making us who we are.”

“For better or worse,” Tessa agreed. “This was well worth having to go do a drug test,” she said, finishing up her second slice. “Though, I better be careful or I won’t fit into that dress in… how long exactly do you think it’ll be before the wedding?”

“Now that Nancy knows, I guess we just need to get a license. Then figure out the courthouse thing. And also a location for pictures. A couple of weeks?”

“The sooner, the better, right?”

“Yeah. But it has to be believable too.”

“We could just claim we got swept up. After the drug test, we just happened upon the dress, and then once we had the dress, we saw no reason to drag it out.”

“She already thinks we are being foolish and moving too fast. So she probably wouldn’t think it’s too crazy.”

“And once we’re married, I can finally make good on my side of this bargain.”

Something about the way she said that had me sitting there with one question rolling around in my mind.

What, exactly, was she getting out of this?

Something told me it had very little to do with the house and the money.

She was keeping her true motivation from me.

And I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever figure it out.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Tessa

I suddenly had a newfound respect for the women who carefully planned and executed big, grand, over-the-top weddings full of guests and the expectations from them that came with the price of a wedding gift.

Honestly, I was even ready to give those so-called ‘bridezillas’ a pass.

Because, holy hell, even our silly little fake courthouse wedding required so much attention to detail and forethought.

The dress, the suit, the rings, the shoes, my hair, my makeup, the license, the photographer, picture locations, and even what the hell we were going to doafterthe wedding. Because normal couples didn’t just go home, change out of their fancy clothes, and eat diner takeout on their wedding night.

That said, Rook was extremely limited in where he was allowed to go.

In the end, after many a stolen conversation when I was not actively avoiding Rook, we ended up on a fancy outdoor picnic at dusk on one of the farms at the corner of Shady Valley.

We found a company that specialized in setting up outdoor “cozy” parties.

I’d fallen in love with their social media posts where gorgeous strung Edison lights surrounded the main area—be it tables or thick blankets on the ground—their grazing boards, and, well, their prices.

I’d done the mental math on how much Rook had spent on this sham of a wedding. Then I’d quickly decided that “least expensive” was the best bet for the intimate wedding party-for-two we were going to have.

---