“So you’re taking in a woman who’s pregnant with another man’s—”
“Quite honestly,” Matt said, “I don’t care who the biological father is. It doesn’t change a damned thing. I love her. And we’re a family now.”
“The Marleys are not—”
“Oh for God’s sake.” Dara slammed her palm down on the table. “Enough with the Marley and Coolidge bullshit.”
Both sets of parents jumped.
“You’re all holding on to grudges because of things that happened decades ago,” She snarled. “No one in this room was even born when all of that happened, and by the time Matt or I understood it, everyone involved was dead. And even if we had known, we had nothing to do with it. Neither of us is guilty by association, and don’t let me hear anyone even suggesting that our baby is.”
“Exactly,” Matt said.
His mother sneered. “Well, this is certainly not what I had in mind when I wanted my son to have a family.”
“Too bad,” Beth jumped in. “Matt’s with a woman you don’t approve of, and I’m not with anyone, and you know what?” She threw up her hands. “Deal with it. Just…deal with it. Our lives aren’t for you to dictate. We’re your kids—your adult kids—not puppets.”
“Of course you’re not puppets!” their mom scoffed. “And I’m dictating nothing. The property is ours to will to whomever we choose. And if this is what Matt has decided counts as a ‘family’, then—”
“You know what?” Matt showed his palms. “I don’t even want to discuss the property. Do what you want with the will and with the farm. To be honest, I’m sick and tired of being manipulated, and I’m done losing sleep over it. If you want to give it all to Adam, then…” He shrugged, lowering his hands. “I don’t care anymore.”
His mother narrowed her eyes at him. “So now that this woman is involved, you apparently aren’t so interested in your noble crusade to save the town and keep the farm going for your sister?”
Matt glared right back at her. “I can’t stop you from doing what you want with your own property, and I can’t stop Adam from turning Aspen Mill into his own personal cash cow.” He turned to Beth. “Anything you need to buy your own property and set up your own stable, it’s yours. No strings and no questions asked. I’m sorry I couldn’t—”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for,” Beth said quietly. “If you gave up Dara so I could keep that barn, I’d kick your ass.”
Normally, Dara would’ve expected that to bring a laugh out of both siblings, but they stayed deadly serious. She had a feeling Beth wasn’t kidding.
“This is insane.” His mother set her napkin on top of her silverware. “I raised you better than that, Matthew.”
“This is what you wanted, Mom. I have a family now.”
His mother stabbed a finger at Dara. “I didn’t mean with that woman!”
Both of Dara’s parents narrowed their eyes, and her father was quickly turning red like he only did when he was nearing the end of his tether.
Dara cleared her throat. “With all due respect, Mrs. Coolidge, this isn’t for you to decide. Matt and I only recently decided to date, but as for the baby, we made that decision a long, long time ago.”
Matt’s mother’s eyes darted back and forth between them. “What do you mean, a long, long time ago?”
“I mean I can’t have children naturally because of the cancer treatments I had in college.”
The woman’s eyebrows shot up, and her lips parted.
Dara went on, keeping her voice gentle on the off chance that she was actually getting through. “I knew back then that I wanted kids, so I decided to freeze some embryos. There was only one person in my life who I could imagine trusting enough to father those embryos. So I asked Matt.”
Mrs. Coolidge’s gaze shifted to her son. “This is what you were talking about. When you asked how I would feel about you helping an infertile woman.”
Matt nodded, and he took Dara’s hand. “When her husband left, she was already pregnant, and she asked me if I was willing to—”
“Of course she did,” his mother snapped. “Everyone in town knows how much money you—”
“That’s enough,” Dara’s father barked, making everyone jump. All heads turned toward him. “This needs to stop. All of it. My daughter has done nothing wrong.” He paused, glancing at Matt. “And neither has your son. I, for one, am thrilled.”
“Bill, are—”
“Give it a rest, Nancy.” Dad squeezed Mom’s hand. “Stop and think about what’s happening here. We’re going to be grandparents.”
“But they—”
“No.” Dad shook his head, and he kept his voice calm but firm. “I’m tired of staying quiet where our daughter’s life is concerned. She’s a grown woman. An intelligent one who knows what she wants in her life.” He gestured at Matt. “And he’s been there for Dara since they were kids. Think about how much he did for her when she was sick. Do you think Charlie or Jon would’ve done that?”
Dara bristled at the mention of her ex-husbands.
Mom glanced at Dara. Then at Matt. Her jaw was still tight, her eyes still narrow, but she didn’t speak.
“Look at them, Nancy.” Dad waved a hand at them. “They’re not kids. They’ve both made damn fine successes of themselves. And now they’re not asking for your permission. They’re asking for your blessing and whether or not you want to be a part of your grandchild’s life.”
Mom lowered her gaze.
“Honey, we almost lost our daughter once before,” Dad went on, speaking softly. “Do you really want to push her away because she’s having a baby with the man she obviously loves?” He gestured at Matt. “And remember who was there for her when she was sick.”
Dara’s throat constricted, and she squeezed Matt’s hand for dear life.
After a moment, her mother exhaled. “Have the two of you discussed getting married?”
They exchanged glances. Dara shook her head. “We’re not ruling anything out, but we haven’t gotten that far yet. We just started dating and want to take things slow and see if—”
“Having a baby together is not taking things slow,” Matt’s mother interjected.
“It’s not up for discussion,” Matt said. “Look, the bottom line is that I love her and we’re having a baby together. And that’s final.”
“Unbelievable,” his mother said. “This is—”
“It’s really none of your business,” Dara spat. “This is happening. I’m happy. Your son is happy. And there’s nothing to debate.”
“Oh, there is certainly nothing to debate. This is appalling and—”
“Fine.” Still holding Matt’s hand, Dara pointed toward the front door. “Then get out of my house.”
Matt’s mother blinked. “I beg your—”
“Get out.”
“Matt, are you going to let her—”
“I’m not letting her do anything.” Matt squeezed Dara’s hand. “This is her house, and you’re insulting her repeatedly. So…” He nodded sharply toward the door.
With a huff, Matt’s mother stood and stormed out of the room. His father hesitated, and then, without making eye contact with anyone or saying a word, he followed her. A moment later, the front door slammed.
Dara’s mom stared for a long moment at the doorway the Coolidges had gone through. Then she faced Matt and Dara again. “This is all a lot to take in.”
“I know it is,” Dara said.
“I’m…” Mom shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m still not sure about all of this.” She looked at them, then at Dad. “I think we should go. I need some time to absorb everything.”
Dad scowled, but he didn’t stop her when she got up and left the room.
Dara sagged against the back of her chair.
Dad got up and came around
the table. Hugging her tight, he said, “I’m proud of you, sweetheart. Your mom will come around.”
“We’ll see.”
“Trust me, kiddo.” He let her go and smiled at her. “One look at her grandbaby, and she won’t remember any of this.” Then he extended his hand past Dara to Matt. “Welcome to the family, son.”
Dara had to fight tears as Matt smiled and shook her dad’s hand, and it sounded like he was choking on his emotions a little as he said, “Thank you, sir.”
Dad chuckled. “Just call me Bill, okay?”
“Okay. I will. Thanks.”
“I’d better go check on your mother. But it’ll be okay.” He squeezed Dara’s shoulder. “I promise, it’ll be okay.”
She put her hand on his and squeezed it. “Thanks, Dad.”
After Dara’s parents had left, Matt turned to his sister. “Well, Adam will be thrilled.”
“Probably, yeah.”
Matt cringed. “I’m sorry, Beth. I know this isn’t going to make things easy for—”
“No, you’d better not be sorry.” She gestured sharply at him. “You did nothing wrong, so don’t you dare apologize.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do, and God knows we both fought the good fight for a long time.” She sighed and rolled her tense shoulders as she said, “To be honest, I’m tired. Let Mom and Adam do what they’re going to do.”
“But Aspen—”
“Aspen Mill will be fine. The thing is, I saw how sick your work made you, and I’ve seen what this has been doing to you too. I don’t want to see you buckling under that stress again.”
Matt exhaled. “Thank you. And I meant what I said. Anything you need, it’s yours.”
She smiled. “Thanks.” Then she turned to Dara and hugged her tight. “Welcome to the family. The sane part, not the fucked-up part.”
Dara laughed, returning the embrace. “Thank you.”
“Well, I should really get going.” Beth released her and smiled. “And give me a call one of these days. We can go pick out a pony saddle for the kid.”
Dara laughed. “I don’t think we’ll need that for a few years.”
“Never hurts to plan ahead.”
Beth hugged Dara once more, and then her brother, before he saw her out.
Now that it was just Matt and Dara, the house quiet and empty, she sank onto the sofa.
Matt joined her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “You all right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. That was just…not fun.”
“No, it wasn’t. But it’s over.”
“Thank God.” She turned to him. “You know, it’s amazing that your mother produced two well-adjusted people who actually care about others.”
Matt laughed dryly and kissed her temple. “I could say the same about yours, but I’m starting to think that was more your dad than her.”
“Probably, yeah.” She rubbed her eyes, then turned to him again. “How’s your head?”
“It’ll be all right. How’s your stomach?”
“About the same.” She glanced toward the kitchen. “I should clean things up in there, or it won’t get done until tomorrow.”
“You want some help?”
“You cooked. I can clean.”
“And you stood up to my mom. I think I owe you.”
She laughed. “Well, I won’t say no.”
Chuckling, he kissed her, and then they both got up and headed into the kitchen.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Matt helped Dara clear away the dishes. Neither of them said much while they cleaned up the kitchen and filled the dishwasher.
Afterward, he leaned against the counter, and she stood in front of him, arms around his waist. “How’s your head?”
He shrugged, tenderly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Ask me again in a few hours. So far so good, though.”
“Good.”
“What about you? You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking. And I think I could use some air.”
“Yeah, me too.”
They left the kitchen and stepped out onto her front porch. The air was definitely nice. Maybe it was just an aftereffect of the showdown with their families, but the house had gotten stuffy, almost suffocating.
Out here, the air was fresh, the night was cool, and Matt managed to shake some of the tension out of his shoulders. As he stood out there, though, he could still feel the queasy, nervous feeling he’d had the night he came here from Hal’s wedding, when he’d come up the walk and hoped she wouldn’t turn him away. Then she’d opened the door, and everything he meant to say was gone. One look at her, and he just needed to kiss her and hold her.
He wrapped an arm around her waist. When he glanced at her, though, her gaze was distant, her lips pulled tight.
Matt cocked his head. “Something on your mind?”
“No. Well, kind of.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
She gazed out at the yard for a moment. “I guess I was just thinking about everything.” She finally turned to him. “I guess I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
“About?”
“About…us. What happens next.” She swallowed. “The thing is, my divorce isn’t final yet. Hell, the ink’s not even dry. And I’ve already failed twice at marriage. So I want to hold off on that part. At least for a little while.”
“Of course.” He smoothed her hair. “I’ve waited my whole life for this. There’s no need to rush it now. We’re already going to be parents, and now we’re giving it a go as a couple.” He kissed her forehead. “We’ll take everything else a day at a time.”
Dara sighed, and the tension melted out of her expression and her shoulders. Wrapping her arms around him, she tucked her head beneath his chin. He held her close and stroked her hair gently.
He definitely wasn’t in a hurry. After all the shit they’d had to put themselves through to even get to this point, the last thing he wanted to do was screw it up.
Things with their families would even out over time. Or maybe they wouldn’t. Tonight, though, he couldn’t bring himself to care. The most amazing woman on the planet was in his arms, and in a few months, they’d start raising their baby together.
After a while, Dara broke the silence. “What do you think’s going to happen to the farm?”
Matt sighed. “I don’t know. And I’m worried about it, but I have to admit, it’s a relief to not have it dangling over my head anymore.”
She released a breath and looked up at him. “I just hate the idea of Aspen Mill turning into Goldmount because of us.”
“It’s not because of us.” He cupped her cheek. “It’s because my mother is a manipulator and my brother is greedy. All we did was stop playing my mom’s game.”
“True. I feel terrible for your sister, though.”
“Me too. But I’ll make sure she has everything she needs.”
“Good.” Dara nodded. Then a grin played at her lips. “How much of a scandal do you think this is going to cause?”
“Oh, I imagine it’s making its way around Facebook as we speak.”
“Social media meets the small town.” Shaking her head, she clicked her tongue. “Everyone’s gonna know by tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah, probably.” He laughed. “Anyone who doesn’t will find out at church on Sunday.”
“Of course they will.” She paused. “And as long as we’re raising hell, I can’t decide what’ll cause more trouble—giving the baby my last name or yours.”
Matt grinned. “We could always hyphenate it.”
Dara laughed. “That’s just cruel.”
“Isn’t it?”
“It so is.” She met his gaze with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Let’s do it. I think a Mar
ley-Coolidge baby is exactly what this town needs.”
“Or maybe Coolidge-Marley. That should get a few people talking.”
She snorted. “You’re a wicked man, Mr. Coolidge.”
“Birds of a feather, Ms. Marley.” Chuckling, he kissed her softly.
Regardless of the baby’s last name, there’d definitely be one hell of a scandal in Aspen Mill. And there’d be an even bigger one when Adam Coolidge’s plans to “reinvent” the whole town were revealed. But for now, while the town gossips no doubt spread the word, and both the Coolidge and Marley families were fit to be tied, Matt and Dara held each other beneath the warm glow of her front porch light. Without the farm hanging over his head, he could concentrate on more important things. Like the woman he loved and the baby they were expecting. Everything else just seemed…irrelevant.
Dara exhaled. “So what do we do now?”
“Hmm.” Matt pursed his lips. “Want to go inside and make fun of some pornos?”
“I would love to go inside and make fun of some pornos.”
Epilogue
A year or so later.
“So.” Matt glanced at her from the driver’s seat. “You ready for this?”
“I’m so ready for it that if you drive any slower, I’m going to make you pull over and let me drive.”
He laughed, taking her hand as he accelerated down the tree-lined two-lane road. “Better?”
“Much.”
She wished he could go even faster, but not on this road. She’d just have to be patient for a few more minutes.
The new house was ten miles outside of Aspen Mill, giving them plenty of breathing room while Adam tore down the Coolidge farm and tried to turn the town into another Goldmount.
Matt had moved into her place two months before the baby was born, and now they were finally moving into their own custom-built house. God bless the man, Matt had handled the entire process of having the house designed and built. He had a list of things Dara wanted, and they’d gone together to pick out the piece of property, but he’d insisted on handling all the planning and such while she focused on the baby. She’d been grateful for that, because as much as she wanted to be involved, she just couldn’t focus. Keeping her work caught up during her last trimester had been enough of a challenge—apparently “pregnant brain” wasn’t a myth after all. Then the baby came, bringing with him sleep deprivation and hormone crashes and a mercifully short—but brutal nonetheless—period of postpartum depression.
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