Page 82 of From Best Friend to Bride
Whatever.
I had eyes, okay?
Nana flexed her arms. “Look at these muscles from carting this chair about. I won’t be able to fit these guns in my coffin at this rate.”
“Phwoar, Nana. You put me to shame,” Fred replied, briefly bending over and squeezing her upper arm. “I’ll call you next time we need to pull a calf out. It’ll be easy with those muscles.”
She roared with laughter, slapping his hand off her arm. Seeing her so happy made my own laugh bubble up, and before I knew it, all three of us were laughing as we drew closer to the house. The gardeners we passed all shot us knowing smiles, acknowledging us with a nod of their head.
We stopped every time. Nana had questions about what they were planting, while Fred asked them how they were doing and checked in on their families. He knew everything about them, from the fact their teens had exams to the wobbly tooth of one’s youngest son. He inquired after one young woman’s pregnant sister-in-law, asked another man how his wife and newborn were, and listened intently as one of the older guys waxed lyrical about his son’s new husband.
There wasn’t a single person he didn’t have a smile for. He had kind words for everyone, coupled with reminders to take frequent breaks and drink water now that it was getting warmer.
And they all reciprocated his attention in turn. They inquired after Nana’s health—one even clipped her a few brightlycoloured flowers and tucked them in her lap. They all asked after our marriage and congratulated us once again, even though it’d been two weeks.
One even surprised me by asking after Lucy and the baby.
“How do they even know that?” I asked Fred once we’d dropped Nana off at her room and tucked her in with her meds for a nap. “About Lucy, I mean.”
He tucked his hands in his pockets, smiling. “Well, for one, you’ve already been a part of this family for years. They know everything about you.”
“But I don’t know them.”
Fred shrugged. “News travels fast around here. And for the second point: You’re my wife, Deli. You’re the countess. They make it their business to know about you. Should you ever need help for anything from a splinter to a genuine emergency, they’re there to assist you.”
I wrapped my arms around my waist. “I feel like we’re lying to so many people.”
“Well, sometimes a smile drawn from a lie can be kinder than the truth. I think, right now, we’re doing the right thing, so stop dwelling on it so much.” He ruffled my hair, smiling at me. “You know it, too. Look how happy Nana is.”
That was true.
She’d all but moved in.
How did my mother feel about it?
Speaking of… “Is that my mother’s laugh?”
Fred chuckled. “Yes. Did you not know that both she and Nana have practically moved in here over the last ten days?”
“No. Why would I know that?”
“You really don’t pay any attention to anything other than what interests you, do you?” He slung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “Nana wants to spy on us, wife. Your mother doesn’t trust her, so she’s been spending most of her free time here to keep an eye on her.”
I groaned. “They’re not imposing, are they? I can kick them out.”
With another laugh, he motioned to the great space around us. “It’s not like we don’t have room for two people. Besides, it’s better for Nana to be here, right? We have staff who are happy to spend time with her, so she’s never going to be alone. Even now, I bet someone is in the next room to keep an ear out for her.”
I chewed the inside of my lower lip. “I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”
“Never,” he replied airily. “We’re family, aren’t we?”
“Yeah.” I wrapped my arms around myself a bit tighter. “You’re right. But still, if it gets too much—”
“I’ve already laid down the law, don’t worry. Lights out is at nine-thirty, so no more snooping around the corridors hoping to catch us in the act. Nana also promised to clean up after herself and insisted she do her own laundry.” He paused. “It was that or help feed the animals, and I thought we might lose her forever if she was left to her own devices.”
I snort-laughed, bringing my hand up to cover my face. “Very true. You saw her with the cows earlier.”
“Yeah, well if she goes missing now, my first port of call will be to follow the cow poop in the roads,” he said dryly. “Maybe I will get her that horse and carriage ride for her birthday after all.”
