Page 70 of Loving You

Jenna Walker—in her cardigan and jeans—looked like the kind of warm, loving mother who would take one look at you and know if you’d had a bad day and needed a hug.

Well, shit, the woman gave out amazing hugs like Oprah gave out cars, regardless of whether or not someoneneededit, and it was nice.

No, it was more than nice. It was affectionate and perfect and exactly the kind of inspiration I needed for the day I’d become a mother myself. Something I hadn’t thought much about until recently, thanks to my own parents making me feel entirely jaded about the whole concept.

But not anymore. Thanks to finally being with a man I’d have no fears about starting a family with and Jenna Walker’s amazing vibe as a mom—and the love for her children that practically oozed out of her every pore—I couldn’t wait to be a mom.

Was I a bad person for silently comparing the two women when we were supposed to be focused on mediating their rivalry?

Probably, but it was hard not to. Not only was Jenna an A-plus hugger, but I knew the Walkers and their women well enough to know that she also gave excellent advice and had the kind of shoulders that were pretty much built for letting a loved one cry on.

That bit of knowledge came from Kate, who had a tendency to cry over absolutely everything when she was pregnant with Lea. And her mother-in-law had been right there, soothing and lovely and everything you’d want in a mother when yours was as cold as ice.

Something Kate and I had in common.

My mom hadn’t even known about the hell I’d gone through with Cliff until it was way too late for a hug and some good advice to help me. In fact, by the time I’d come home—broken and struggling to figure out who I was since freeing myself of him—she’d been pretty damn judgy. Almost like she looked down on me for getting myself into that mess in the first place, as if I’d had any say in the matter.

And even though we’d smoothed most of those rough edges in the years since, it still stung. Jenna wouldn’t have been like that. I knew it in mysoul.

“Right, April?” Eric asked, reaching across the table and holding out his hand.

I jumped, realizing that while I’d been in a dazed-out funk, comparing our mothers, he’d begun the mediation. I had no idea what the fuck he’d just said, but I put my hand in his and nodded emphatically. “Absolutely.”

“So, now that you know how we feel about each other,” he went on, making me blush because he shot me a wink before looking between the warring women again, “I hope you understand that this meeting isn’t solely for the purpose of making sure Jake and Ellie’s wedding is a drama-free zone.”

My mom bristled. “Are you implying that I’m not enough of a professional to create adrama-free zonewhile hosting a wedding at my establishment?”

“Of course he’s not,” I snapped, then sighed and bit my tongue when Eric squeezed my hand.

I might not have heard his opening statement to our moms, but obviously he’d told them we were a thing. I’d have to ask him later to fill me in. I was sure it’d been swoony as shit, knowing him and his direct approach to talking about his feelings. I used to hate how stuffy he sounded when he spoke, but now that I knew him better, in the eternal words of Sammy Walker, I washere for it.

And so, I focused on how good that felt instead of how shitty it was that I’d had to drag my mom kicking and screaming to this meeting, and even after she’d promised to take it seriously, she still wasn’t.

“We wouldn’t be having their wedding at your bed-and-breakfast if we thought you’d do anything to cause problems for them,” Eric said in an even tone. “This isn’t about putting blame on you or treating you like this feud isyourfault. We all know it wasn’t. Right, Mom?”

All eyes swung to Jenna, and I felt myself smiling slightly when I saw the genuine kindness in her expression as she looked at my mom. “That’s right. But I also hope it’s clear that none of it was my fault, either.”

Go Jenna.

Once again, my mom tensed. “Well, I’m not sure I’m comfortable discussing my thoughts on that in front of our children, Mrs. Walker.”

What the hell does that mean?

I flicked Eric a glance, and he blinked once to let me know we were on the same confused-as-all-hell page. Then he gave my mom a smile that probably would have won him many a court case if he’d chosen law instead of…shit.

What had he studied online while running the brewery? General business? Accounting? Finance? Something else entirely?

I made a mental note to find out. It was something I should probably know about my own boyfriend. Especially since I’d once asked him if the rolled-up business degree shoved up his ass pinched when he walked. Before we were together, of course.

Yeah, not my proudest moment.

“How about we give you two some privacy so you can discuss the details? Our priority was to explain why this is so important to us, but that doesn’t mean we need to supervise while you work through it.”

“That would be great, thank you, honey.” Jenna reached over and patted Eric’s cheek, and my chest warmed at the sight.

Damn, she was a good mom.

I turned to mine with a small smile only to find her looking at me like I was abandoning her in a field full of wolves while she held a raw steak in each hand.

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