Page 60 of Otto: The Hawthornes

Suddenly Otto turned back to me and leaned down to drop a quick kiss on my lips. “I’ll make sure you guys are set to go. Back in a minute.”

Heather shook her head as he hurried to catch up to his grandpa. “He’s a good boy,” she said, watching him go. “But you have to train them to be husbands. They’re clueless in the beginning.”

“Oh, okay,” I said softly, gripping the cash in my hand.

Heather scoffed. “Come on,” she ordered. “You have a purse?”

I shook my head. The wallet I carried was in my suitcase out in the truck.

“You can borrow one of mine,” Heather said easily. “Let’s see if I have an extra in here somewhere.”

I stood in the middle of the room as she rifled through her dresser and a shelving unit, looking for something to carry the money in.

“I can just put it in my pocket,” I told her as she cursed under her breath.

“Nah, you need a purse.” She grinned at me over her shoulder. “You’re a grownup now, kid.”

“Does he really want to get married in three days?” I asked, watching her scour the room. “He was just joking, right?”

“He definitely wasn’t joking,” she replied. “Aha! I knew I had one.” She lifted a black leather purse over her shoulder in triumph, the fringe on it whipping wildly from side to side.

“Um, thank you.”

My hands were shaking a little and growing damp around the money. What in the heck was Idoing? Was I really going to marry Otto Hawthorne? Suddenly, and with a ferocity thatsurprised me, I wanted to be back in my quiet little cabin. It was all too much. Everything was too much.

I dropped the money on Heather’s bed like it was on fire.

“Whoa,” she muttered gently, her hands out in front of her like she was trying to tame a wild animal. “It’s okay, honey. It’s okay. Just breathe.”

I gasped, wrapping my shaking arms around my waist.

“My son’s a moron,” she murmured, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “Men usually are.”

“I’m having a baby,” I breathed incredulously.

“You absolutely are,” she replied, nodding.

“And I’m getting married.”

“That looked like that was the plan when I walked in,” she confirmed dryly.

“I don’t think—” Before the words were out of my mouth, reality snapped things back into focus.

I didn’t have any other choice. My cabin was all but lost to me and it hadn’t been a long-term plan, anyway. At some point I was going to have to enter the world again somehow. I could do it with Otto, or I could do it alone.

I knew what the better option was.

“Sorry,” I mumbled shakily. “Of course I’m getting married.”

“Noof courseabout it,” Heather replied seriously. “You don’t want to marry Otto, you don’t have to. You know that, right?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Yeah, I know. I think my hormones are just going crazy.”

“Well, that’s pretty normal.” She squeezed my shoulders and frowned. “Sweetheart, you must be sweating like a pig in that jacket.”

“I am,” I confessed with a little laugh. “But—” I unzipped it, showing the large stain down the front of my dress.

“Ah,” she mused knowingly. “Well, did you bring anything that you could change into?”

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