Page 50 of Made For You
“Well, I noticed this man seemed really distraught, so I got up on my own and grabbed my suitcase. But you know what happened? The handle broke. It was the worst.”
“Oh no! What did you do?”
“Nothing. The guy handed me a piece of paper with his number on it,” I fibbed. “He offered to replace my suitcase, and then he was gone.”
“Wow.”
Alex was mumbling something from across the table as she scrolled on her phone. I finally caught a few of her words. “It’s true. He took over the week she was there. Damn.”
“That’s not the entire story,” Talon stated as he released my hand. “Eat your dessert, Aurora. I’ll finish this up.”
With a chortle, I agreed and took a hearty bite of my favorite pie.
“Now, everything your aunt said is true, but the part she left out was that I tripped over her suitcase she was pulling behind her, and that’s what made me bump into her so hard. And not because I was in a rush, but because I was too busy staring atherto look down at where my feet were going.”
Using my hand to cover my mouth around the large bite of dessert I’d just taken, I spoke up to add to his made-up story, “Yeah, because I looked like a wet, frizzy rat.”
The twins chuckled.
“No, because she was beautiful, even as a sweaty mess. When I ran off, it was to meet with my grandfather. I had been living on my houseboat. I wasn’t planning on taking over the family business, but my uncle was nowhere in sight. Someone had to run the company. That’s why I seemed ‘distraught.’ When I gave your aunt my number, I didn’t expect her to call. But she was adamant I replace her suitcase. And… here we are.”
“That’s so romantic,” my mother cooed. I could practically see cartoon hearts in her eyes as she looked at Talon.
The story had been an embellished version of the truth—except for the phone number portion and everything after. Had we truly been in a relationship, I could see how someone would find it dreamy.
“So, you two have been… talking for a year? Andrew is going to flip when he hears this,” Autumn asked as she scooched her chair closer to Colton’s. She leaned into his side as he draped his arm around her shoulders. Andrew had been overprotective of all of us when it came to dating. Even more so with me, after my quicky marriage left me stranded in the middle of the mountains with no way to get home.
“For the most part.”
“Well, I’m happy for your, Rory and Talon. Maybe you’ll let us host you a reception this fall for all your friends and family. I’m sure we can find a date that fits into both of your schedules,” Mom said as she began to collect the plates. My father quickly got up and took her place, urging her to sit back down.
There was one problem with this entire idea though. Not only was this entire charade going to be over in six months, but Talon was likely going to be leaving soon. There was no way heplanned on staying in Ashfield for longer than a week or two. He’d never survive the small-town life. Talon Beckett was born to shine, and I refused to be the one to dim his light.
Chapter Thirteen – Talon
Aurora’s family was exactly as I expected them to be—minus the retired hockey star and the dirt-covered billionaire. Though I was aware they were a part of the family, it was still surprising. Alex’s husband, Nate, didn’t join us right away, but he came into the house just as dessert was finishing up. He had been working on new soil robotics software and wanted to test it before the harvest.
Aurora’s father was gung-ho about describing the harvesting process to me when I asked. It was fascinating. I’d always been envious of people who used their hands for work. Those were the people who made our world what it was. Not greedy people like my grandfather and uncle, or even Dean’s relatives. Though, at one point, his family was deep into the rum business. Now they spent their time on extravagant yachts.
Nash, Aurora’s father, even offered to let me help with the harvest. I agreed despite Aurora’s wide eyes and gasp. She had no idea that back in boarding school, I’d been on the rowing team. I still had calluses on my palms from that time in my life. I was sure that harvesting corn couldn’t be much more difficult than that.
Plus, living on a houseboat, I had to learn all sorts of handy skills, especially when I rode out that hurricane.
The longer we were in the house, which truly felt like a home, I felt those intrusive thoughts crawl over me like little black widows ready to strike at any moment. It seemed like every second her family accepted my presence, the deeper into my dark reflections I fell.
And I knew exactly what it was when I caught Aurora and her father laughing as they played a board game together. I was jealous. And I hated it. I’d never been jealous of anyone before,not even in boarding school. Every kid there had come from some sort of dysfunctional family. It’s why I fit right in.
By the time the family was chittering about the event venue and I heard Aurora’s ex’s name brought up more than once, I’d had enough. I was suffocating in their space. Not only were the walls closing in, my vision growing gray around the edges, but I couldn’t catch my breath.
Aurora caught my eye with her infectious grin I couldn’t get enough of, and I felt bad for being the reason the grin slipped further and further into a frown.
“I… uh… think we better go. Talon’s been traveling all day,” she said as she pulled herself up off the floor. She leaned over her dad and hugged him tight, then did the same with her siblings and her mother. She looked so at ease with her family, and I couldn’t understand why she had been so nervous before we arrived. That only made my whirlpool of emotions that much more unsteady.
I didn’t say goodbye—couldn’t have even if I tried. I lifted my hand in the air as if I had somewhere else to be, and I did. A world of self-pity.
We made it outside, and as I inhaled deeply, Aurora wordlessly slid into the car, not allowing me to even open the door for her. She was angry at me, and probably had every right to be, but I wasn’t in the right headspace to deal with her emotional drama.
As I slid into my own seat, I started the engine. Up on the porch, I was amazed to find her family waiting patiently for us to depart. Aurora plastered an overzealous fake smile on her face to appease her family as she waved goodbye.
