Page 13 of Don’t Marry Him

And marry her.

And make her the mother of my children.

Now, that day was being threatened. Over my dead body.

I parked my car on the curb in front of Bob’s house and felt my chest tighten. This house had always been a second home to me, and now… now, I didn’t know what it was. The front door opened before I reached it, and Bob stood on the other side, a serious expression on his face. He looked around, almost like he was checking if I’d been followed. Funny thing was, I’d done the same thing when I headed over here, glancing in the rearview mirror nonstop and taking an out-of-the-way route.

“I wasn’t followed,” I said, and he gave me a nod before throwing an arm around my shoulders and practically forcing me inside. “What’s going on?”

“I saw Dove last night.”

“Okay.”

The house was still dark. He hadn’t opened up any of the shades or curtains, and it almost made me forget that the sun was shining outside.

“Sit.” He waved a hand toward the couch while he took a seat in his favorite worn-out recliner.

No matter how old I got, I’d always feel like a kid around Dove’s dad.

“What’d she say? How’d she look? She’s getting too thin.”

He ran a hand down his face. “She ate pizza last night, so that was good.”

I actually felt relieved, hearing that. It wasn’t like my girl to not eat, but she looked like she hadn’t been eating in who knew how long? Stress did that to a person.

“That is good.”

“Yeah,” he agreed before jumping into the rest. “She’s lying. About everything. But she won’t tell me why. Trevor definitely has something on one of us.” He wagged his finger between our two bodies. “You’re sure it’s not you?”

From applying for permits to getting loans and acquiring properties, I’d done it all legally and to the letter. A part of me had always known that if I skirted my way through any of the steps, it could be used against me somewhere down the line. People could always be turned against you, no matter who they were or how many times they insisted they wouldn’t. Which was why I was never tempted to use my name, my father’s stature, or ask for help along the way. What I’d created and done for the people in town was of my own accord and hard work.

Leaning forward, I put my elbows on my knees and looked him in the eyes. “I honestly can’t think of anything. I’ve done everything by the books. Never asked for any favors. Never done anything illegal. I really don’t think it’s me. I don’t see how it could be.”

“Which leaves me, right? I mean, that’s what you’re thinking.”

“That’s my thought, yes. But what have you done? Is there something?”

I wondered, if Bob Tryst had done something that would get him in serious trouble, would he even admit it to me? He was a proud man.

“I’m not sure.”

That was as good of an answer as I was going to get. And in truth, it didn’t matter anyway. It changed nothing. Dove was being coerced somehow, and I needed to stop it.

“I asked Dove last night if you had a plan, and she said that you couldn’t have one.”

That surprised me. “Really? Because when I saw her, she basically asked me to stop the wedding.”

He leaned back into his chair and played with the corners of his mustache. I knew he was deep in thought in that moment and to not interrupt, so I waited. When he came back to the moment, his mouth was twisting up on one side.

“What did she tell you to do?”

“She asked me to object during the ceremony.”

A loud laugh escaped his throat. “Ballsy. Wait, are you even invited?”

I blew out a quick huff and shrugged. “I have no idea, but I don’t think that was the point.”

“Were you planning on doing this alone?”

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