Page 76 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
“About what?”
“Charlie and Vivian.”
The truth was not much. No one talked about it. Selah told her a little, but even he was tight-lipped over the entire thing. “They were married. He cheated. And in doing so, destroyed lives.”
“That’s a very Fairweather way of putting it.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that’s not the meat of it. That explanation leaves a shit ton of wiggle room for the blame to be shifted.” His hands dropped to the keyboard, typing harder than before. “Your uncle—”
“Whom I’ve never met,” she interrupted.
“—swept Vivian off her feet, making her believe he truly loved her. My mom and Bianca said it was like a damn fairytale.”
Jamison stiffened at the word.Fairytale. People had said that her relationship with Liam had been like a fairytale and that she had ruined it. She knew the day would come when their time apart would have to be addressed in depth. They had touched on the subject, but she needed to sit and listen to what he had to say. Liam deserved that from her. He deserved to be able to tell her how much she hurt him.
Maybe Rowan was right, and a little private time was needed. Not only to connect, but also to talk and not have to whisper so the security cameras wouldn’t hear. Liam wanted to marry her in less than a week, and she knew why he was rushing. They were both afraid. Her fear wassimple. She was scared he might never truly forgive her, and marrying her so quickly was his way of reassuring her that he would.
His fears were just as simple. Liam was afraid she would change her mind. She could see it in his eyes. That undercurrent of unsureness that had never been there before. It broke her heart, shattering it into a thousand pieces whenever the slightest hint of doubt came over him. And while she wanted nothing more than to be his wife, she needed him to want this for the right reasons and not just to make her happy.
Rowan’s voice cut through her thoughts. “A year after Viv married Charlie, he started an affair with a child. A child, Jamison. Rebecca Miller was seventeen. And not only did Charlie hide it, but your dad did, too. Ben is just as guilty, and he knows it.”
Pressing her lips together, she stayed silent. They might not discuss Rebecca Miller often, but Jamison’s morbid curiosity had gotten the better of her on more than one occasion. Countless documentaries were out there, all circulating with variations of the truth. They usually centered their reporting around Tobias, but a few covered Rebecca’s background and what the media liked to callThe Women of Haven House.
The tales spun by the public always made Haven House sound like a low-key brothel. It was one of the main reasons people flocked to Toby. They thought he never stood a chance and couldn’t help but become a monster. They believed he only needed a little love to fix him.
“Ben and I made peace a long time ago,” Rowan said. “He understands how his role in the whole thing hurt so many, and he understands it quite well. I can’t begin to imagine his guilt over it.”
“That’s why you took the job at Fairweather Holdings?”
“Nah, I took it because you guys had shitty security, and I was pissed at my own family for my own reasons. None of which I’ll be elaborating on,” Rowan replied. “And I happen to get along with Samuel, which not many people can claim to do.”
The whole being pissed at his family part was intriguing, but she didn’t want to pry. Not with him, at least. She would corner Annabeth later to see what she knew, or maybe Liam. He would know. Her man knew everything.
“But my point is,” Rowan continued, “I want time with Annabeth to remind her that even if my family is a little extreme, it shouldn’t matter. Not when it comes to her.”
“Why not when it comes to her?”
“Because eventually, she’s going to be my family.”
He said the statement with such conviction that goosebumps tickled down her arms, making Jamison grin. “What are you getting at, Rowan?”
“You’re not an idiot,” he sighed. “You know what I’m getting at.”
Jamison giggled, unable to hold it in. “We should do a double wedding.”
“Hell, no.”
“Why?”
“Because my woman deserves her own day.” Rowan's voice sharpened. “Annabeth gets the whole wedding experience and is not about to share it with another bride. I want her to have it all. The dress. The tiara. The attention. Everyone serving her like she’s royalty.”
Jamison could already see it. Annabeth would definitely want a tiara and all the extravagance of a formal wedding. There would need to be caterers and flowers—lots of flowers—in the right shade to compliment whatever theme she wanted. They might do it on the lawn or something unique. Annabeth adored the conservatory, so maybe they could make it work there.
“You do realize that just a few weeks ago, you were having sex with her through a camera. And now you want to drag her down the aisle wearing a tiara?”
Rowan relaxed at the thought. “I’m aware, but I don’t care. If she wants a tiara, she gets a tiara.”
