I knew she wasn’t going to be overly thrilled with the idea of me entering into a fake marriage, but I also knew she’d put her feelings aside to do what was best for Katie. Even if she was vocal about her disapproval.
“It’s the perfect idea, Mom.” I sighed, trying to stay patient. It was the big day—my wedding—and I was struggling with knotting my tie. I had worn one only a handful of times in my life, so I kind of sucked at it. Finally taking pity on me, Mom swatted my hands away and tied it for me.
“I’ve known Whitney forever,” I reminded her. “She genuinely cares about Katie. Besides, what does it matter as long as my daughter—your granddaughter—gets to stay in Southport?”
I sat Mom and Dad down the day after Whitney agreed to marry me in name only and explained about Josie filing for physical custody and the idea Adam had devised to give me the best chance at keeping Katie.
“That’s the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard. Was Adam drunk when he suggested that?” fumed my dad. “Why else would he encourage you to lie to the courts? That seems like bad advice to me. Maybe you need to get a new attorney.”
“He’s not telling me to lie, Dad. Whitney and I are actually getting married. We’ve known each other since we were kids. We’re friends. It’ll be fine,” I assured them, but Mom had seemed worried.
“And what about Katie? What if she gets attached to Whitney, you get custody, then Whitney leaves when this is over? Katie will be abandoned. Again,” Mom countered. My stomach had clenched at the idea of Whitney up and leaving when this was all said and done. And I’d be lying if I hadn’t agonized over that very thing. But Whitney had assured me she wouldn’t just up and leave Katie like Josie had done.
“I’ll always be in her life, Kyle. As long as she wants me to be,” Whitney had promised, and I wanted to believe her. Even though I had trust issues that were deeply rooted in our history, there was something in the way she talked about my daughter that put me at ease. I wanted to trust her to put Katie’s needs first. If I was going through with this, I really had no other choice.
“Whitney won’t abandon Katie. I know she won’t. She’s not Josie,” I bit out, my voice cold at the mention of my ex’s name. I had been tolerant of Josie and her bullshit for years. My tolerance had now run out. I was pissed. More than pissed, I was fueled by an incandescent rage that was hinged on my terror. I could be happy that Josie was finally getting her life together—but not at the expense of Katie’s happiness.
Mom and Dad shared a look.
“We always liked Whitney. I remember her as a sweet little girl who attended my Sunday school class every single week. But that was then. What do you really know about the person she is now?” Mom had asked.
“What does that mean?” I frowned.
“She lived a very different life to yours for many years. She was in Hollywood, Kyle. Those people aren’t like us. Like you,” Dad contended.
“What is she? An alien?” I had laughed, though my parents hadn’t found my comment funny.
“This will blow up in your face if you’re not careful, Kyle,” Dad warned roughly. And we didn’t talk about it again. Mom and Dad had made their feelings clear. They didn’t agree with it, but they would keep their feelings quiet, and they’d go along with the plan as long as it meant Katie stayed here.
Clearly, Mom had been stewing, though. She handed me Grandma Webber’s engagement ring after she finished with my tie. She didn’t let go of the box, holding it tightly in her hand. “You really want to give Whitney your grandma’s ring? Don’t you want to save it for the real thing?” Mom’s brow furrowed in that way it did when she was feeling particularly critical.
I covered her hand with mine. “This is real, Mom. Legally anyway. Whitney will take care of Grandma’s ring.”
Mom sighed again—she had been doing that a lot lately— and let go of the box. I opened the top and looked down at the antique gold band studded with diamonds. It wasn’t flashy, but it was elegant. It was perfect for Whitney. We hadn’t talked about an engagement ring in our haste to plan the whole