Page 23 of The Husband Situation

“Language in front of your mother, Kayla,” her father said to her, but not moving his gaze from Brooklyn.

“Not your Patrick,” Brooklyn said, gently but firmly correcting Kayla. “Mine. Because yes, it’s not only possible but fact. He’s my husband.”

Kayla’s mouth went slack with shock and her arms dropped to her sides. Before she could reply, though, her mother held up a hand, silencing her.

“Brooklyn Regina Hayes. Explain. Everything,” she ordered in a flinty voice that brooked no argument.

And so she did, relaying their drunken marriage in Las Vegas—but withholding that part about waking up naked next to each other—seeking an annulment from Cole, and finally Patrick’s declaration of his feelings for her. Again, leaving out having sex in her office.

“I know this is shocking to you guys. Honestly, it still is to me, too. This is so new that I’m still wrapping my head around it. But...” She shook her head. “I don’t want the annulment any longer. I love Patrick. And if he’ll forgive me, I’m going to ask him not to sign the papers and remain married to me.”

“Forgive you?” her father asked. “For what?”

“For being afraid.” She glanced to the left, suddenly aware that they stood in the middle of a festival while she came clean to her parents, her sister. Which was silly since she’d asked for this meetup here. Shrugging, she forged ahead. “I was too afraid of what you would say, how you would react, to accept his love for me. I let him walk away and I’m not sure if he will forgive that.”

The corner of her father’s mouth twitched. “Oh, I’m betting he will. You Hayes women have a way with your men. We’ll give you anything, including grace.”

“Milo,” her mother snapped. “Now is not the time.”

“I’m giving our daughter advice. How isn’t it?”

“Daddy, are you serious right now?” Kayla turned and pinned their dad with an incredulous look. “How can you be so calm? And so...” Her hands flapped in front of her before she whipped back around to glare at Brooklyn. “You stole my man. God, will it ever stop with you? It isn’t enough that you’ve always tried to one-up me our entire lives. Yet, this one man in all of Rose Bend, hell, the state of Massachusetts, and you want him? You marry him? Have you ever heard of loyalty? Or doesn’t it bother you even a little bit that he chose me first and you’re my sloppy seconds?”

“Kayla Ryan Hayes!” Their mother jerked toward Kayla, shock widening her eyes. “We don’t talk like that to each other in this family.”

“No, Mom, that’s okay,” Brooklyn said, and then focused her attention on her sister. “For some reason, you’ve always thought I was in competition with you or vice versa. When I’ve only ever wanted to celebrate you, not undermine you in any way. You may not believe this, Kayla, but I did none of this to hurt you. As a matter of fact, you were one of the reasons I demanded an annulment and turned Patrick away. I didn’t intend to fall in love with him, but I also can’t deny that I did, and I do. Love him, that is. And as much as I love you and regret hurting you, I won’t give him up.”

“You’re selfish, and no, I don’t believe you didn’t do this to deliberately hurt me,” Kayla snarled, and Brooklyn sighed.

She wouldn’t get through to her sister now—if ever. Here and now, no matter what Brooklyn said, Kayla wouldn’t hear it. And if their roles were reversed, Brooklyn might feel the same way. Still, she couldn’t pack everything back inside. And she had no desire to.

“I’m sorry you think that,” Brooklyn murmured. Shifting her gaze back to her parents, she continued, “I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you or let you down. I tried to avoid this. I really did. But as much as I love you both, he’s my happiness, my future.”

Her father frowned. “You’ve never disappointed us, Brooklyn. I would be lying if I said this didn’t come as a shock, but you should never question my love for you. Or your mother’s.”

“What your father said. We’re going to have a conversation about this disappointment thing,” her mother warned, eyes narrowed. “But we love you and Patrick. And well, you’re already married...”

“Mom, Dad.” Kayla gaped at her parents, then shot an ugly look at Brooklyn before turning back to her parents. “You can’t be supporting this. What—”

“Kayla, I love you, but this isn’t about you.” Her mother patted her sister’s arm. “Go get your man, honey,” she said to Brooklyn. “And bring him to me later so I can rip him a new one for lying to me about this marriage.”

“What your mother said,” her father added with a wide smile.

Love for her parents swelled in her, and the last sharp edges of her fear crumbled away. They didn’t reject her. And possibly...they never had. Maybe she’d had their approval and affirmation all along, and her own insecurities had prevented her from seeing it or accepting it. Maybe...

She’d analyze it all later. Right now she held tight to her parents’ love and needed to go claim her own.

“I’ll be back,” she promised, then turned and strode forward into the crowd.

Finding him among the Santas wouldn’t be easy, but giving up wasn’t an option. Patrick wouldn’t skip this event; he was out here somewhere, and she would find him.

She pushed through the people, scanning her side of the sidewalk, the street and across it. As she neared her office building, she pulled her cell free from her coat pocket. Maybe he would answer although they’d left things—

“Patrick,” she whispered his name but somehow he seemed to hear her or perhaps sense her.

He leaned against the doorway of their building, a red-and-white Santa coat over his sweater and jeans, a hat loosely held in front of him. As he lifted his head and caught sight of her approaching, he slowly straightened, pushing away from the brick doorway.

All the things she wanted to say rolled through her mind on a whirlwind. But she didn’t say any of them.

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