Love and Neckties - Lacey Black Page 0,84
when she explained it was because it was you and Samuel and you had a lot of stuff to figure out, I guess I understood. I mean, she wasn’t lying to me or intentionally keeping it from me. She was just protecting you.”
My eyes burn again. God, what the hell is up with all these tears?
“Anyway, he mentioned it when we were cleaning up, but didn’t give too many details.”
My mind wanders back to that evening, to dinner. When we left, he seemed to have a lot on his mind, but he usually does when his family is involved. “So you all know?”
“Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but I would assume Rhenn told Marissa and Jensen told Kathryn.”
“And Mary Ann?” I ask, my heart suddenly up in my throat.
Latham opens his mouth to respond and then shuts it quickly. “That doesn’t mean anything,” he insists when my face falls.
It means more than he thinks. He hasn’t told his mother because he knew it wouldn’t last. He knew about the divorce papers. Why would you tell your mom about getting married if you’d planned to have it taken care of as quick as possible? You wouldn’t.
My sandals are suddenly the most interesting thing ever, and my eyes are glued to them.
“Hey, don’t get upset about that, Free. He’s a different guy,” Latham insists, as if telling me something I don’t already know.
Not really knowing what to say, I reply with, “I know.” And I do. He’s different. He’s anal as hell, but while not everyone understands him, I do.
Or at least, I thought I did.
I smile when I see Harper coming out of the café across the street and heading our way. “Thanks for the talk,” I tell him, even though we really didn’t discuss anything we didn’t already know.
“Anytime, Free, and I mean that. We’re here for you,” he says before he goes to the front door and holds it open for his wife. Harper presses her lips to his the moment she steps over the threshold. “What did you bring me?” he asks, looking down, longingly, at the bag in her hand.
Grinning, she heads to where I’m now standing at the counter, and I can’t help but laugh when I see his eyes following her ass the entire way. She knows it, of course, and adds a little extra swing in her steps. “Here’s a peppermint tea and some vegetable soup,” she says, taking one of the two coffee cups from the holder and setting it down beside me. She reaches into the bag and pulls out a small bowl of soup and two small packages of crackers.
Latham looks over her shoulder, presses a kiss to her cheek and asks, “What’d ya get me?”
She takes a large cookie out of the bag and hands it to him. “S’more crunch,” she tells him, as he shovels half the treat into his mouth.
Before he’s even swallowed it, he presses a kiss to her cheek and waves goodbye. “See you at four thirty,” he mumbles with food in his mouth as he disappears into the hardware store.
“I forgot you’re leaving early,” I tell her as I open the container of soup. The moment I smell the vegetables, my stomach clenches. Without drawing attention to the fact I’m about to get sick, I reach for the tea and take a tentative sip. The peppermint seems to have an instant calming sensation to my unhappy belly.
“You’re still okay to close, right? Snuggles’ appointment is at five,” Harper says. “I can’t believe the little hussy went and got herself knocked up. I mean, when she got out, she was gone for like ten minutes.”
“Most men only need about three,” I remind her, taking another drink of my tea.
“This is true. When we hunt down the dog that did this, he’s going to pay child support,” Harper insists, which makes me snort. I can count on Harper to always provide a few laughs.
The rest of the afternoon passes quickly and before I know it, Harper and Latham are heading out take Snuggles to the vet. I promise to throw them a baby shower soon and find myself actually smiling as they leave to take care of their dog. Of course, now that I’m alone and left with only my thoughts, they’re returning back to the man I’ve fallen in love with.
No doubt about it, I love Samuel Grayson. I have for a while, even if it was merely a carefully guarded secret. I knew, but