Bad Engagement (Billionaire's Club #10) - Elise Faber Page 0,18

by the space, it wasn’t going to be a kumbaya moment.

They were going to rake the man who was doing her a favor, who was bailing her out, over the coals.

Fuck. She hadn’t thought that through.

Frankly, she hadn’t thought a lot of things through.

The ring. Her family—though her mom hadn’t cared that she hadn’t met Jaime because her oldest and perpetually single daughter was “engaged!!” (and yes, two exclamations were worthy of her mom’s excitement). But she hadn’t factored in the protectiveness of her brother and father, and how they’d always done the whole “you’d better take care of her, or you’ll have me to answer to” thing.

That wasn’t her favorite.

She could take care of herself.

But she appreciated that they loved her enough to worry, so while their protection had sometimes chaffed and often annoyed, she’d grown to accept it, oldest sibling who should be the one to be looking after the younger ones, or not.

Men being men.

Barf.

But also, it came from a good place. They wanted her safe and happy, and she couldn’t deny that she’d also given Ann’s then boyfriend now husband and Jake’s wife the same narrow-eyed glare that her brother had been giving Jaime when she’d peeked in.

Ann was protective in a different way than she and Jake.

She’d be watching closely, cataloging, and be ready to step in the moment Jaime treated her the least bit wrong.

Her family might be annoying and nosy, but they also loved each other.

Plus, their nosiness meant that she got to be nosy right back, especially when it came to the dark circles under her sister’s eyes.

“Did you talk to Dave?” she asked, forcing her gaze away from the living room and focusing on her sister. Who looked absolutely exhausted, and not just the typical post-baby exhaustion, but something more, something deeper.

Her sister sighed. “I tried. I don’t know what’s going on with him. He doesn’t seem to hear me, and then when he does listen, he promises to do better, to help more.”

“Then he doesn’t?”

“No,” Ann said. “He does, but then he disappears into his own head again a-and—” She broke off, blue eyes swimming with tears.

“Come here,” Kate said, wrapping an arm around her sister’s waist and leading her from the room.

“The baby—”

“Mom’s got her.”

And their mom did. She was currently walking baby Lacy around the kitchen, telling her all about the colorful Christmas decorations. There was no way the two-month-old could understand her, let alone even see everything her mom pointed out, but Lacy was enraptured by her mom’s musical voice anyway.

Kate smiled, thinking about all the times her mom had just talked to her, used her gentle, lyrical voice to talk her out of a tantrum, or off the edge of an argument with her best friend during her preteen years, or even helping her through a work problem.

She loved talking to her.

Minus the whole she-needed-to-be-in-a-relationship-or-her-womb-was-going-to-dry-up nonsense that had filled so many of their most recent conversations.

But now she had Jaime and hadn’t heard about the doctor or so-and-so’s cousin or anything about biological clocks.

It was glorious.

A lie.

She bit her lip, pushed the guilt away. So maybe it was a glorious lie, but she also had more to worry about in that moment than herself and the mess she’d made and the longing she felt growing with every minute she spent with Jaime.

For now, she needed to focus on her sister.

Keeping her arm around Ann, she snagged a blanket from the rack her mom kept by the back door and led them out onto the porch.

There were plenty of chairs around for them to sit in, but she didn’t bother with that, instead walking Ann over to the top step, sitting her down, plunking down next to her, and then wrapping the blanket around them both. Picking up the thread of conversation, she said, “You say he disappears into his own head. How so?”

Ann’s gaze was on the horizon, and it stayed that way for a long moment before she spoke. “It’s like I’m talking to him and he’s saying all of the right things, but he’s not really there.” She turned, eyes going to Kate’s. “I feel so alone.”

“Oh, sissy,” Kate murmured, wrapping her other arm around her sister and hugging her tightly. “Have you told him that?”

“Yes.” She paused, sniffed. “No. I mean, maybe not in those exact words?”

Since Dave had always made it clear that he thought Ann had hung the moon, Kate thought there might be more going on here than her sister