Page 125 of Attached At Heart
“My mom’s not going to buy it,” she continued to protest—as though there would be anything to buy. I wasn’t going to try to sell that I was in love with Delaney. I was just going to walk in there loving her, and for once in my goddamn life, I wasn’t going to hide it. “It won’t work on her. She doesn’t believe in affection. It’s not like when we went to dinner with your family.”
I smiled at her because she thought I didn’t get it, but it was the other way around.
We hadn’t tricked my siblings into believing our relationship was real. Our relationshipwasreal. Their belief in us had nothing to do with the way she’d sat on my lap or how I’d played with her hair. We didn’t fake our chemistry; we just had it. I didn’tmakemy siblings think that I was in love with Delaney—I was just in love with Delaney, and they instantly knew it, immediately saw how deeply it ran.
And now, after the honeymoon and everything that had happened between us, our connection was that much stronger.
“It’ll work,” I promised. “Besides, you’re right. It’snotlike when we went to dinner with my family. Aren’t things different now? Aren’twedifferent now?”
If she denied that they were, I wasn’t really sure what I would do, how I’d cope.
But she said, “Of course we’re different. But it doesn’t matter. They don’t actually care how real or not real our marriage is. They’ll be upset about the elopement and the inheritance and, I don’t know,maybeif we can make them believe that since we’ve known each other so long that this isn’t sudden or for the money…but it probably won’t change their opinions.”
I thought on that, tipping my head to the side.
If Delaney wanted her parents to think that this had been a long time coming, well, hell…I could make that happen. I couldeasilymake that happen.
“I can convince them of that, Delaney. Just let me try.”
“You don’t have to do this for me,” she sighed, looking pained. “You didn’t sign up for this.”
Finding her hand, I lifted it up, reminding her my ring was on her finger.
“I gave you this, right?”
She nodded.
“I signed up for it, Delaney. I signed up for all of it. And Iwantall of it. This is why I’m here.”
Tears pooled along her lashes again, but she didn’t say anything. Nothing, except, “Will you help me finish my puzzle?”
Her voice shook as she flashed a wobbly smile.
“Of course, baby.” I settled onto the couch next to her. “Can I put a movie on while we work on it?”
Delaney nodded, and I turned on the TV, spending a quiet minute navigating the controls until I found what I was looking for.
Delaney’s lips pressed together, suppressing her reaction whenThe Lizzie McGuire Moviestarted playing.
Then, a laugh hiccupped out of her, and she cleared her throat.
“Thank you, Blake. For everything.” She handed me the puzzle piece in her hand. “Can you figure out where this goes? I’m stuck on it.”
“I got it,” I promised, and that seemed to be a good enough answer for her to finally relax beside me.
Hopefully,allthe pieces would be falling into place soon.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
delaney
MY PARENTS LIVED ALONG the coastline of Cape Cod—a familiar stomping ground for the upper echelon of society to gather at their country clubs and marinas. Blake drove us there, and I sat in the passenger seat, fidgeting with the hem of my blouse as a way to pass the time, internally cursing out Ophelia. Even though it wasn’treallyher fault.
It was simultaneously the longest and shortest car ride I’d ever experienced. I dreaded arriving, but at the same time, I couldn’t wait to get this dinner over with. I wanted to get on with it and experience the disappointment that would undoubtedly be my mother’s disapproval so I could move forward and determine a new plan.
Blake seemed confident that wouldn’t happen, but he’d never met my mom before. His family was made up of the most supportive people in the world. He shouldn’t expect the same sort of situation here.
The first time I’d brought a boy home in tenth grade, my mom’s first question was who his parents were. And when she didn’t recognize their names because his whole family had onlyjust moved to the Cape, she made a face and said shesupposedhe could still stay for dinner, during which my dad grilled the poor sixteen-year-old about his intentions for after graduation and, more importantly, his financial planning.
