“Yep. How bad is it?”
“Your grandmother is a saint. I could tell she had a thousand and one questions, mostly for me, but she managed to restrain herself. All she said was that perhaps I should find you.” He gave her a hopeful look. “I’m thinking we should leave now. What do you think? I’ve had about all the fireworks I can handle for one day. You?”
“I think if we leave, it will say way too much about how I let that woman get to me,” Susie said. “We’re staying.” She gave Mack a hard look. “And then I’m going to kill my brother for showing the judgment of a gnat.”
Fortunately from Mack’s perspective, once everyone was seated for Sunday dinner, there was so much chaos that Susie and Kristen could barely even see each other, much less exchange words. Luke was safely out of Susie’s reach, as well. Most of the attention seemed to be on Matthew and Laila, anyway. No one seemed to know quite what to make of them as a couple.
As the meal wore on, Mack kept a close eye on his wife. She looked a little pale to him. He attributed it to her treatments, but it could have been the unmistakable tension in the air. The second they’d finished dessert, Jo appeared at Susie’s side and whisked her away, suggesting she, too, had seen the strain on Susie’s face.
Will joined Mack. “An interesting day, don’t you think?”
“It’s been hell,” Mack said.
“How’s Susie holding up?”
“She’s trying, but being in the same room with Kristen is harder on her than I anticipated. It doesn’t seem to matter that she’s here with Luke.”
Will chuckled. “How’d that happen, by the way?”
“Long story,” Mack said, glancing toward his brother-in-law, who was leaning close to whisper something in Kristen’s ear. He couldn’t tell if her amused expression was because of what Luke was saying or because she found the whole situation hilarious. Knowing Kristen, she was probably going along with Luke’s pursuit for her own reasons. Mack didn’t want to think about what those might be.
Jo suddenly appeared at his side. “Mack, I think Susie needs to go home and get some rest,” she said quietly.
He regarded his mother-in-law with alarm. “Is she okay?”
“Just exhausted, I think. And I know she’s worried sick about her test tomorrow.”
Mack stared at Jo blankly. “Test? What kind of test does she have tomorrow?”
Jo looked surprised. “She didn’t tell you about the PET scan? They’re checking to see if there’s been any improvement with her cancer. It’s an important milestone, Mack.”
Mack felt as if he’d been sucker punched. “She never said a word.”
“Oh, dear, I’m sure she just didn’t want to worry you,” Jo said guiltily. “She knows you have a lot on your plate lately.”
“Nothing that’s more important than her health,” he said adamantly. “Thanks, Jo.”
On his way to find his wife, he tried to get his temper in check. How could Susie keep something this important from him? It wasn’t as if it was the first time, either. She’d tried to keep the cancer from him in the first place. Hadn’t she learned anything from that about trusting him to be supportive?
Sure, he was busy, and maybe she thought she was being considerate, but what did it say about their marriage that she thought he wouldn’t want to know, that he didn’t deserve to know? For the first time since their rushed wedding, he wondered if they’d made a mistake after all. Clearly when it came to the important things in their lives, when it came to trust and communication, they were further apart than ever.
Susie’s nerves had finally gotten to her. She’d been so exhausted by the end of the meal, it had taken everything in her just to stand and walk away from the table. Mack had been oblivious, but thankfully her mother had noticed and gotten her out of the dining room and into one of the spare rooms where she could lie down for a few minutes. If she’d crashed in front of the family, it would have been okay, but her pride couldn’t have taken the humiliation of passing out in front of Kristen.
When the door opened and Mack stepped into the room, she sat up, startled.
“How did you know where I was?”
“Your mother told me. She said it was time to get you home.”
There was a tone in his voice she’d never heard before, a distance. Or was it a barely restrained hint of anger?
“Mack, is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” he said, though his tone was unconvincing. “You up to walking, or shall I carry you? We can slip out through the kitchen.”
“I’ll walk,” she said, studying his grim expression. She considered pressing for an explanation for his odd mood, but she wasn’t sure she was up to hearing the answer.
They rode home in silence.
Inside the apartment, Mack said, “Go on and hop into bed. I’ll bring you some tea.”
Susie nodded. “Thanks.”
Before she could walk away, he added, “And then we’re going to talk.”
She paused. “About?”
“After I get your tea,” he said, and left her standing there.
If she hadn’t been so tired, she might have argued, but the stress of the day had caught up with her. She took off her clothes, put on her favorite nightgown and crawled between the sheets. The second her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.
When she woke, the room was filled with shadows, and Mack was sitting beside the bed, his expression unreadable.
“Your tea’s cold by now,” he said. “I’ll fix you another cup.”
“No,” she said softly. “You’re obviously furious about something. Let’s talk about it.”
He hesitated, then asked, “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I’m okay. The nap helped.”
He sat back down, then regarded her with a mix of frustration and resignation. “What kind of marriage do you think we have, Susie?”
Her heart plummeted at the blunt question, at the despair in his voice. “We’ve hit a few bumps, but a good one, I think, given all we’ve had to deal with.”
“I’d have said the same thing until I spoke to your mother earlier.”
“What on earth did Mom say to make you question that?” she asked, genuinely mystified.
“She says you have an important scan tomorrow, one you never bothered to mention to me.” He regarded her with dismay. “Why would you keep something like that from me?”
“It wasn’t like a big secret,” she insisted. “I never intended to keep it from you. You’ve just been so busy, and tomorrow night’s the launch party. You delayed it once because of me. I didn’t want you to start worrying and do that again. The test’s no big deal. Mom said she’d take me.”
“No big deal?” he repeated with barely contained anger. “This test is going to tell us if the chemo has helped, right? You don’t think that’s a big deal?”
She winced at his tone. “The results are a big deal, not the test,” she said, trying to explain her logic. “I won’t know those right away. I would have wanted you there with me when I got those.”
“Really? How am I supposed to believe that? I thought we were in this together, Susie. All the way.”
“We are,” she said quietly, understanding the depth of the mistake she’d made. She’d left him out of something critical to their future. Good or bad, those results would determine what their life would be like going forward. “I’m so sorry, Mack. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
He shook his head. “You don’t need to protect me, Susie, or keep things from me, or make decisions for me. When it comes to us, when it comes to your health, I get to decide if something is inconvenient or unimportant. And I’m here to tell you right now that nothing is unimportant and nothing is inconvenient. I’ll be at that test with you tomorrow.” His declaration sounded like the challenge he’d meant it to be.
“Okay.”
“And please remember this. I love you,” he added emphatically. “I don’t give two hoots about
a stupid party. What time is the test?”
“Eight o’clock,” she admitted, feeling even more foolish.
“At night?” he asked, bemused.
She shook her head. “In the morning.”
He regarded her with astonishment. “And you thought a test at 8:00 a.m. would cause me to postpone a party taking place at six in the evening?”
She winced. “It doesn’t make much sense when you put it that way. I just didn’t want you worrying.”
“Well, I am worried, and it’s not about the test. It’s about us. Is this because a part of you still thinks I’ll run if the going gets tough?”
Was that it? she wondered. On some level was she still worried that the Mack who never stayed with anyone for long would take the easy way out? No, absolutely not, she told herself. She knew better. She’d seen firsthand the undeserved loyalty he’d shown to his mother. He’d never bail on her, either, not when she needed him.
Or was that her real fear, that if the news was bad, he’d stick by her side out of pity rather than love? Maybe so, she thought with a sigh of regret. Admitting to her insecurities, though, simply wasn’t an option.
“Mack, you’ve been my rock through all of this. Please don’t think for a minute that I don’t understand how hard it’s been.”
“Hard’s not the problem, Susie,” he said, holding her gaze. “I can do hard. What I can’t live with is you shutting me out.”
“It won’t happen again,” she vowed.
Despite her promise, he sat there in stony silence for so long, she thought maybe he really wasn’t going to forgive her for her insensitivity, for her lack of faith in him. Finally, though, a sigh shuddered through him.
“Promise me something, Susie, a cross-your-heart kind of promise.”
“Anything.”
“From here on out, we share stuff, good and bad. Other wise, we don’t stand a chance.”
She heard the solemnity behind his words, and it scared her to death. “I promise,” she whispered.
He crawled into bed beside her and took her in his arms. “I hate fighting with you,” he murmured.
“I hate being fought with,” she told him, nestling her head against his shoulder. “But we’ll probably do it again.”
She could feel his smile against her cheek.
“More than likely,” he agreed.
“But we’ll be okay,” she said with rare certainty.
“We’ll be okay,” he concurred. “Always.”
She knew that like all married couples, they’d be tested. Probably more than once. She just needed to hang on to Mack’s declaration of forever no matter what hurdles they faced.
Laila drew in the first decent breath she’d taken all afternoon and faced Matthew. “Well, that was fun,” she said sarcastically. “My stomach’s in knots. How about yours?”
Matthew gave her a wary look, then said, “Think of it this way. We’ll never have to do it again.”
“You planning to leave town?”
“I meant for the first time. Everybody knows about us now. They’ll chew on it for a while. I imagine we’ll have to fend off plenty of well-meaning advice, but then the dust will settle.”
Laila regarded him incredulously. “Excuse me, but have you met your family? Or mine, for that matter?”
Just as she spoke, her cell phone rang. A glance at caller ID indicated it was her brother. She shoved the phone back into her purse.
“Who was it?” Matthew asked.
“Trace,” she admitted.
“Isn’t it going to tick him off more if you don’t pick up?”
“More than likely.”
“And that’s okay with you?”
“At the moment, it is.”
The next time the phone rang, she didn’t even take it out of her purse. The third time, she yanked it out, then snapped, “What do you want?”
She winced at the sound of her mother’s voice. “Sorry, Mom. I thought it was someone else.”
“Your brother, no doubt,” her mother said.
“I gather he’s filled you in on today’s events,” Laila said, resigned to a lecture.
“Today’s events don’t interest me,” her mother said. “I am, however, very interested in this relationship that’s been going on right under my nose for months now. Sweetheart, what are you thinking? Matthew is young enough…” Her voice trailed off.
“To be what?” Laila inquired, glancing at the man in question. “My son? Hardly. I assure you he’s of legal age.”
“Well, of course he is. You’re not a fool, dear.”
“Thank you for that, I suppose.”
“So when are you going to bring him by here, so your father and I can spend some time with him?”
“Mother, you’ve known Matthew all his life.”
“Not as someone you’re dating,” her mother retorted. “I’d suggest you make it soon, because your father is blustering about the damage this will do to the bank’s reputation when word gets out about it.”
Laila turned a grim look on Matthew. She’d anticipated something like this. Well, she’d borne her share of unwanted humiliation and interrogation today at the hands of the O’Briens and her brother. Now it was his turn.
“No time like the present,” she said with grim determination. “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
She hung up to find Matthew regarding her warily. “Where are we going to be in ten minutes, or do I even need to ask?”
“My parents would like us to drop by,” she said sweetly. “And if you ever hope to borrow a dime in this town, I suggest you don’t do anything to further offend my father.”
He frowned at the suggestion. “Why would I offend him?”
“You’re dating his precious daughter,” she reminded him. “That’s offense enough. Now you need to make him believe it’s serious.”
“No problem. I’ve already told you and everyone else it is.”
“I’m not even sure I believe that. Trust me, my father’s going to be a tougher sell.”
“Tougher than Trace?” he asked.
“My brother was practically a single-handed welcoming committee by comparison.”
Matthew grimaced. “Gee, now I’m really looking forward to this.”
She gave a nod of satisfaction. “Good. Now you have some idea of how I felt walking into Mick and Megan’s today.”
“So this is payback?”
She smiled sweetly. “Something like that.”
“You are a very perverse woman,” he commented.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not sure I meant it in a good way.”
“Doesn’t matter. It gave a boost to my spirits,” she said happily.
When they pulled into the driveway of her family home, Matthew actually looked a little pale. It took him a long time to cut the car’s engine. Laila let herself out of the car and walked around to the driver’s side.
“Come on, kid. I’ll protect you.”
He scowled at her as he left the car. “That is so not amusing.”
“I thought it was hilarious,” she said with a smile.
The impressive front door swung open as they approached, and her mother stood in the foyer wearing an expensive knit suit, low heels and with every hair in place. Just a casual Sunday at the Rileys, Laila noted, thinking of the mishmash of attire at the O’Briens and the chaotic atmosphere. Though Carrie and Caitlyn had free rein here, even Abby’s irrepressible twins seemed to understand this was a somber house.
“Hello, darling,” her mother greeted her with a peck on the cheek. “Matthew, very good to see you. It’s been a long time. Are you out of college now?”
Laila shot her a poisonous look. “Mother!”
“It’s my younger brother, Luke, who’s about to graduate,” Matthew said, looking more amused than petrified or insulted.
“Oh, of course. How silly of me! Let’s go into the parlor. Mr. Riley’s in there catching up on all the Sunday papers.”
&
nbsp; Laila rolled her eyes. Who had parlors anymore, anyway? Her mother seemed to be trotting out all of her most formal Southern manners and references for the occasion.
“Look who’s here, dear,” her mother announced when they walked into what was usually referred to as the family room to distinguish it from the formal living room they rarely entered.
Lawrence Riley put down his paper and stood up. He frowned as he gave Matthew a once-over, then gave Laila a halfhearted hug.
“What’s this I hear about the two of you making a spectacle of yourselves?” he inquired directly.
“Gee, Dad, no how are you? No nice to see you?”
“I believe in getting to the point,” he said. “This nonsense can’t continue.”
Now Matthew frowned. “What nonsense would that be, sir?”
“You and my daughter cavorting around town making damned fools of yourselves. It doesn’t look good. She’ll be a laughingstock. It’ll reflect badly on her judgment and, in turn, on the bank.”
Matthew looked as if he might explode. Before he could, Laila stood up. “Thank you so much for your support, Dad. As always, it’s been a pleasure. We’ll run along now.”
“Hold on just one minute,” her father commanded. “You don’t walk out on me, young lady. I’m your boss.”
“Oh, pardon me for thinking that in this house you were my father,” she retorted. “If you want to discuss this in your capacity as my boss, I’ll see you in your office tomorrow morning.” She hesitated, then said, “Or maybe not. Maybe I’ll just quit now and save myself the aggravation.”
“Laila!” her mother protested, looking shocked.
“Come on, Matthew,” Laila said, ignoring her mother. “Let’s get out of here.”
“If you walk out of here right now, don’t bother showing up at work tomorrow,” her father shouted after her.
“Didn’t you hear me? I just quit,” she shouted right back.
Matthew stopped her in the foyer, his expression filled with worry. “Laila, come on,” he cajoled. “Settle down. You don’t want to do this.”
“Oh, but I do,” she corrected. “Let’s face it. Dad never wanted me in the job in the first place. Now I’ve given him the perfect excuse to get rid of me. I’ve just made his day.”
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