“I was going to tell you after we were married.”
“You were going to let me walk down that aisle, thinking that I was the only woman in your life, thinking that we were going to start a family, when you knew that everything we had was a lie?”
“It wasn’t a lie. Yes, I have three children. Yes, their mother is my best friend, but, darling, you are the only woman I can see myself being married to, and we are going to start a family. I’ve always wanted as many children as possible.”
“It’s hard to keep that big of a secret from the world. Others have to know. You were going to let me make a fool of myself. People have probably been laughing behind my back for years.”
“Nobody would dare laugh at you. Not my chosen bride. I’m from one of the richest and most powerful families in the world. They respect you, and if they do not, I will make them. So don’t worry about what other people think. I will take care of that. Now, stop this little tantrum and call everyone back. I love you. I will take care of you. You are perfect. My princess. You are meant for a grand life with me.”
“You don’t respect me at all—do you?” She didn’t know why she hadn’t known that sooner, but the realization was crushing. She’d spent so long with a man who she was just an object to. “You think that this is something that I’m just supposed to get over. You don’t care about my feelings at all.”
“My father has had the same mistress for over fifty years. I have nearly a dozen half siblings. If my mother can bear it, so can you. You’re giving up so much for your foolish American pride. This is how things work where I come from.”
“I’m not your mother,” she said calmly. “And my foolish American pride won’t allow me to marry you. It’s over.”
“This isn’t over. You’ll see how sad your life is without me, and I will be waiting here for when you get over yourself.”
Ava hung up without saying any more. She had no idea what she was going to do with the rest of her life, but she knew that he would not be in it.
Derek walked up to his aunt’s house as he did nearly every day after he finished his work. He had always thought of this place as his childhood home because he’d spent much more time sleeping there than at his own house. His aunt and late uncle had been like his parents. His cousin was more like his sister, and his grandmother, his most favorite person in the world, had lived there. Some of his best memories happened around the kitchen table in this house. He would say he was from a tight-knit family and mostly he was, but out of the dozens of holidays he had spent here, there were very few he could recall with his mother. She always seemed to be jetting off somewhere with a new boyfriend.
But maybe it had been better for him to be without her. His uncle was a world-famous architect who taught him how to build things and in the process be creative. He would have never thought about designing and building furniture. He would have never thought about running for mayor when he was only twenty-five years old. It still pained him a bit when he walked through the door and he realized that his uncle wouldn’t be there to greet him. But this house was still a happy place. It wasn’t just that it looked like a large gingerbread house; it was the fact that there was even more love in it now.
He opened the door to see his cousin’s husband, Asa, sitting next to his grandmother on the couch. They were playing video games, which wasn’t something he had expected to see when he walked through the door that evening.
“Are you ready to give up yet?” his grandmother, Nanny, asked Asa as she furiously pressed the buttons on her controller.
“No! How are you this good at this game? We just got it today. I think you’ve been practicing.”
“I think you’re a sore loser, or you will be in a moment when I do this finishing move on you. There, done.”
Asa tossed his controller on the couch beside him and slumped in his seat. “You beat me at cards and now at this. I’m not sure I can hold my head up anymore.”
Derek laughed as he walked farther into the room. Asa had just recently become a member of their family. His cousin Hallie had fallen in love with him hard after only knowing him for a month. There were a few people who thought they wouldn’t make it, especially since Hallie had been engaged to another man just six months before, but Derek knew as soon as he met Asa that he was right for Hallie. He loved her unconditionally. He gave up his career as a rescue paramedic to move down to this tiny island to be with her. Derek could only respect the man for that. “What are you two up to?” he asked them.
“Playing Street Warrior,” Nanny answered.
Nanny was active and looked much younger than her eighty years. She wasn’t one of those elderly people who was going to let her age stop her.
“You all look too serious to interrupt. So I’ll just find Hallie.”
“She’s in the kitchen with Clara.” Nanny answered. “They are making dinner. Afterward, if you’re prepared to battle me, I’d welcome another challenge.”
Derek laughed at his feisty grandmother before he made his way into the kitchen. Hallie was stirring something, while her mother sat at the table chopping vegetables for a salad. “Hello. It smells good in here.”
“Hey, Derek!” Hallie smiled at him. She was glowing. She was just a semester away from finishing her doctorate. She was enjoying being married. He had never seen her so happy. He was happy for her, but it gave him a little twinge. Not that he was jealous of her, but seeing her so in love made him realize that he never had been. He didn’t necessarily want to be in love or in a serious relationship but he was thirty-three and he had never felt a strong connection to any of the women he had been involved with.
He dated. Preferred discreet relationships with divorced women, not looking for a serious commitment. He took his job as mayor very seriously. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would be the mayor but as long as he was, his island would come first.
“Are my son-in-law and mother still playing that crazy fighting game?” his aunt Clara asked.
“They just finished. Nanny destroyed Asa. Apparently she an excellent street fighter.”
Hallie shook her head, grinning. “Don’t tell Asa, but she’s had practice. You know the Johnson kid that she gives piano lessons to? Well, he got the game for his birthday, and he taught her how to play.”
“She’s a sly old lady, isn’t she?”
“She’ll outlive us all,” his aunt said just before she got up from the table and left the room.
“I haven’t seen you in a few days.” Hallie turned down the burner and faced him. “What have you been up to?”
“We’re starting to plan for founder’s day down at city hall, and my own business is growing a little faster than I expected. My showroom is nearly empty.”
“That’s because you are an amazing craftsman. I hope you have time to make a crib for us.”
His eyes widened. “Are you pregnant?”
“No. Not yet. But as soon as I’m done with school we’re going to start trying. Asa isn’t rushing me, but I know he’s ready to be a father. I was just putting in my order now. Hopefully by the time a baby enters our lives, you’ll have it done.”
“Of course.” He took a seat at the table. “Is anything new going on with you?”
“Not really. But I did hear that Ava Bradley canceled her wedding.”
“I figured.”
“You figured? It has been all over town.