explained, and my mom lifted a perfectly manicured brow.
“Trey know you went to lunch with Bass?”
“He set it up.”
My mom settled into the chair and held my eyes before she smiled huge.
“Knew I liked that boy.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at my mom’s absurd comment. There were a lot of ways to describe Trey. “Boy” was not one of them.
“What are you doing here?” I asked through waning amusement.
“Meeting your dad here so we can get the RV situated.”
It was my turn to smile huge.
“Seriously? You and Dad finally going cross-country?”
“Quinn’s being stubborn,” she mumbled and busted out laughing again.
Quinn wasn’t being stubborn, she was being Quinn. When she first mentioned having her wedding at Uncle Clark and Aunt Reagan’s house, my mom made the mistake of grumbling about this. Then when Quinn jokingly declared the ceremony would be held the week before Delaney’s due date, Mom actually growled. Quinn being Quinn thought it was outrageously funny and what had started as a joke had turned to stone.
“Well, Momma, she’s Dad’s daughter. I’m unclear how you fell into the trap. All you had to do was play along and tell her that was the best idea she’d ever had and she would’ve laughed, then planned something else. Besides, Aunt Reagan’s yard is beautiful. And Quinn’s idea to fill the pond with floating tea lights sounds amazing. Everything’s going to be perfect and Delaney will keep her legs crossed so she doesn’t pop out the baby on the kitchen floor. It’s gonna be perfect.”
“Hadley’s getting married in Tuesday’s orchard.” She told me something I knew and had helped plan.
I also didn’t have anything to say about it because I loved Tuesday’s orchard and couldn’t wait for Hadley to get married there. But something was obviously bugging my mom so I waited her out.
“A church wedding would’ve been nice.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know it’s silly, but just once, I wanted to watch your father walk one of you girls down the aisle. Delaney and Quinn at Reagan’s. Hadley at the orchard, and you already said that’s where you wanted to get married. That means no church wedding. No watching your dad.”
After Jackson and Tuesday got married in the orchard, I had told my mom that’s where I wanted to get married one day. But it wasn’t the orchard, though it was beautiful, it was the intimacy of the wedding. Family only. Just like at Delaney and Carter’s, everyone stood gathered around the couple. Circling them, surrounding them, the very essence of my family. That was what I wanted. But I wanted my mom to have what she wanted more than I wanted to get married in the orchard.
I wondered what Trey thought of a big church wedding.
My lungs seized at my wayward thoughts.
Why was I thinking about what Trey thought of a church wedding?
Because you’re headed to the finish line and you know it, so stop denying it.
Was I in denial?
Heck, yeah I was. The finish line meant forever. And forever meant I’d have to share my secrets.
My mom was staring at me with big eyes and I wondered if I’d asked and answered myself out loud.
I was officially going crazy. All this Jake business had creeped me out. Trey was pushing me around the bend. And thinking about Keith had sent me careening straight back to hell.
“You know, I’m really happy you and Dad are gonna—”
“Adalynn,” my mom warned.
Crap. She knew my thoughts. She knew everything. Emily Walker had superpowers, all my life she’d had them. Perfectly in tune with her children. She might not know the details but she knew. The rule in our house was, if you didn’t want Mom to know, you avoided her. Seeing as she was our mom we couldn’t avoid her forever, so you did your best, praying whatever you’d done that you didn’t want her to know dissolved before she cornered you.
It was a rule, but it never worked. My father could spot trouble a mile away. My mom didn’t spot it, she felt it in her soul, and if one of her cubs was hurting, she didn’t just feel it, she experienced it right alongside you.
Darn.
Knowing that avoiding her was fruitless, I gave her the truth.
“I’m terrified.”
“Of what?” Her brows shot to her hairline and her blue eyes glittered with a fierceness I’d seen hundreds of times.
Momma Bear was out in full force, ready and willing to attack. Conquer all my demons. Hoping I’d hand them to her so she could slay