exhale that bordered on a growl. “Is there anything else? Or can I get on with my morning?”
“Just tell me it’s not serious. That’s all I need to hear from you and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
There was a long, labored pause before Seth said, “I’m not going to tell you that.”
“Oh, come on, Seth. You and I both know you aren’t the marrying sort.”
“Wow. Thanks for that, Mom.”
“You get what I mean. Not that any woman wouldn’t be lucky to marry you. She would. You are an absolute catch. It’s just that you’ve never been all that great at committing to things. Remember little league back when you were ten? How you quit after just three games before you even broke in your new glove?”
Josie’s mind conjured up a young Seth, all decked out in baseball gear. Just the thought was such a sweet, endearing sight. Her heart squeezed.
“You’re equating one failed season of baseball when I was a kid to me being unable to commit in relationships? That’s a far stretch.”
“All I’m saying is that I don’t think you should rush to make any decisions with this Josie girl.”
“Too late.”
Donna made a soft noise to clear her throat. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that it’s too late for that.”
Josie sat up fully, her back against the headboard. That same stretch of light she had been sprawled out under now drew her gaze to the nightstand as it caught and reflected sharp beams of light across the walls in tiny, rainbow prisms.
The ring. The one Marcie had chucked at Seth last week when he showed up at the trailer and helped Josie out of the financial mess she found herself stuck in. It rested next to a pile of loose coins and a crumpled receipt, all things Josie imagined crammed into Seth’s pocket.
Josie jammed the diamond onto her fourth finger, wedging it right up to her cast with a forceful twist.
The ring might be fake, but so was everything else. It felt like the perfect fit.
With her feet bare, she padded quickly out of Seth’s bedroom and down the hall. She could glimpse his mother standing in the kitchen, but her hands weren’t on her hips like she’d imagined. Instead, they were folded across her chest in an entirely closed-off nature. Seth’s stance was much the same.
“I’m going to ask you again, Seth. What do you mean it’s too late?”
Josie came up behind him and placed her hand on his chest, making sure the ring was on full display. “I think this is what he means.”
Donna’s eyes just about tumbled from her skull. “You’re not?” Her words came out with a horrified gasp. “You’re not engaged? Are you?”
“No,” Seth said resolutely. “We’re not.”
“Oh, thank heavens.” Donna’s hands shot skyward in relief.
“We’re married,” Seth said.
Her praising hands collapsed and dropped to her thighs with a clap. “Is this some sort of joke?”
“No, it’s not.”
Donna stepped forward and Seth curved his hand around Josie’s hip to possessively pull her closer. The fabric on the borrowed sweatshirt bunched under his palm. “We went to the courthouse yesterday.”
“Why would you do something like that?” A sudden dawn of some sort of understanding splashed over Donna’s horrified face. “Oh no! You got her pregnant, didn’t you?”
“I’m not pregnant, Donna,” Josie quickly corrected.
“Oh, thank the good Lord above for that.” Donna’s hands were at her bosom now, clasping her heart. “I just can’t think of any other reason why you would rush into marriage with a woman like—”
“If you’re going to talk about my wife like she’s not standing right here, then I suggest you leave, Mom. I won’t have you disrespecting Josie in my house, or anywhere else, for that matter.”
“I’m sorry.” Donna now fanned her cheeks with a frantic, flapping hand. “This is just a lot to take in, Seth. You have to understand my shock. I didn’t see this coming at all.”
“Actually, I don’t have to understand it,” Seth said as he shook his head. “Nor do I have any desire to. So if we’re all done here, I’d like to make breakfast for my wife and get started on our first day as newlyweds.”
Donna’s jaw ticked and her eyes turned to slits. “Your father is never going to believe this. Never.”
Josie hadn’t thought about that. Mitch’s approval was the sole reason for the charade. If he didn’t approve, there was no sense in continuing on with any of it.
“What am I supposed to tell him, Seth?” Donna asked.
“That