This is the woman who told her son I wasn’t good enough for him, and that he shouldn’t marry me. So what the hell does she want?
“Why are you here?”
She tuts against my hostile tone. “There’s no need to be nasty. I’m just here to support my son.”
My hands find their ways to my hips. “Your son and I are over. I explained that to him many, many times.”
Evelyn’s face tightens into a smirk. “Walk with me.” She takes a step toward the staircase, leading down to the woods.
“No. I think I’m fine right here. Spit out whatever you came here to say, and then get out of my life.”
Sighing, she brushes a strand of her immaculate hair behind her ears. From a distance, she really does look beautiful. The skinny arms, the perfect skin absolutely free of wrinkles, the way her breasts sit on her chest. But her pursuit of perfection had the side effect of blurring her features. As though someone took the edges of her face and pulled them so hard that she has to squint through her eye slits. Her pink lips tug into a small smile.
“The day Mark told me you ran out on him was probably one of the best days of my life. He was never supposed to marry a girl like you.”
A girl like me, huh? “I guess he doesn’t have to anymore.” I turn away from her, too angry to trust myself to stand here a minute longer.
“Wait—”
“I’ve heard this speech before. I don’t care what you think of me.”
She snatches her hand back. “I’m just looking after my son. Women like you use men like him. He would’ve taken care of you. You wouldn’t ever have to work again, but you still left him. I admire that.”
Fuck you. “Not all of us in this world are after money.”
“Things are different now. You’re carrying his child.”
I suck in breath. “It’s most likely not his.”
“But it’s possible.” Her lips press into a firm line. “Did you really think we were going to fade into the background and let your raise our child? Did you think you had a right to that baby?”
I see red. A vicious image burns in my head—me pushing Evelyn down that flight of stairs. “Go to Hell!”
She doesn’t look surprised at my reaction. “If that baby is my son’s, I will sue for paternal rights. I will not have my grandbaby raised in this…” she makes a face as she looks around, “low-rent hellhole.”
“Go ahead and try. I’d love to see what the public thinks about the Cranburys ripping a baby from its mother’s arms.”
“You’re in over your head. You think you can actually win this? Our family has been involved in the fabric of society for generations. I will wage war on this town until you come to your senses and resume your life with my son.”
“That’s never going to happen.”
“Then I guess I’ll start by making a little call to your ad agency.”
I look at her square in the face, never wanting to punch another person so badly in my life. I picture my fist ripping across her jaw, her unnaturally flawless complexion burning red. Instead, my hands wrap over my stomach as though she might reach in and take my baby while it’s barely formed.
She’s going to get me fired. I bite back a tremble in my lips. There’s nothing I can do to stop it, but do what she wants, and I can’t let myself give in. Not if I want to keep a shred of self-respect.
Evelyn reaches into her handbag, pulling out her rose-gold iPhone. “I’ll let you think about it. But not for too long.”
Over the next couple days, the Cranburys invade Fair Oaks with their multiple luxury vehicles, their personal assistants, Evelyn’s five Yorkshire terriers and their handlers, and a personal chef. The owner of the only bed-and-breakfast in town accepted Mrs. Cranbury’s outrageous proposal to rent the entire inn to herself, her son, and their servants for their entire stay.
Gage’s arm tightens around my waist as we watch their assistants, dressed in suits, attempt to roll the racks of clothing into the inn while the owner watches dumbfounded. It’s a white mansion with Colonial architecture that looks out of place in town.
I should be furious, but all I can think about is his hand pinned to my side. He squeezes, and I’m suddenly breathless. The air feels thinner when I look at him. I study