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  “Before you talk to your boss, we probably should make some decisions,” Rooster suggested.

  He was right, of course. They had yet to discuss where they would live. “Do you think you and Max would ever consider moving the business to the Seattle area?” Lauren knew it was a topic that had come up more than once between Bethanne and Max, and it had been a problem with both of them. She didn’t want this to be an issue for her and Rooster.

  “We’ve certainly discussed the possibility,” Rooster admitted. “It’s been hard on Max and Bethanne flying back and forth for weekends.” He reached for Lauren’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I know I don’t want to spend any more time away from you than necessary.”

  “I want to be with you, too,” she assured him earnestly.

  “Max and I have reviewed the costs of such a move a couple times, and I have to tell you, Lauren, it’s prohibitive. We can do it, of course, but it’ll nearly wipe us out financially.”

  Lauren was afraid of that. “If that’s the case, then we don’t really have a choice. I’ll give Elisa and Garry my two-week notice and put the condo up for sale.” Because she’d purchased it when the market was high, she would probably take a loss on the property.

  “I’m sorry, love.”

  “It is what it is,” she returned. It was a small sacrifice to pay in order to be with her husband.

  “You enjoy your job, though.”

  “Another one will turn up that’s just as satisfying,” she assured him, although she hated to leave her friends. She’d come to love life in Seattle. It would mean giving it all up, moving to a strange town, and starting over again. For a new life together with Rooster, she would do it without question.

  Rooster’s gaze held hers for an extra-long moment. “I don’t intend for you to work long,” he told her. “I’d like for us to start a family soon. I suppose we could wait a year or two, but no longer than that.”

  A smile all but exploded across Lauren’s face.

  “What?” Rooster asked suspiciously.

  “Everything happened so fast,” she reminded him.

  “Yes, so?”

  “So, Mr. Rooster Wayne, I’m not on any form of birth control. I could already be pregnant.”

  Rooster’s eyes widened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “You could?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.”

  His grin started to grow until it covered his entire face. “I wouldn’t object. In fact, I’d be downright pleased.”

  “So would I.”

  They sat, grinning at each other like two cartoon characters, when a dark shadow fell across the table. Rooster looked up first, and Lauren watched as a frown crossed his face.

  Todd.

  Lauren’s heart sank. When they’d been dating she could go a couple of weeks or longer without seeing her ex-boyfriend. Naturally, he always had a plausible reason, and he did keep in touch, usually with quick phone calls or a text now and again, filling her in on his upcoming stories.

  Rooster scooted back his chair and stood, looming several inches above Todd.

  “Hello, Todd,” Lauren said, doing her best to hide her discomfort.

  Todd ignored Rooster, turning his back to him. “I stopped by the store but found it closed. I thought you were open later than this.”

  “John Michael Jewelry has closed at the same time for the last thirty-five years, as far as I know.”

  Todd didn’t appear to have heard her. “I thought I might find you here.”

  Lauren couldn’t imagine why he’d be looking for her; she’d made her position more than clear.

  “Todd, please. I’ve already said everything that needs to be said,” she pleaded, not wanting a repeat of what had happened between the two men earlier. Never would she have guessed that Todd was the jealous type.

  He continued to ignore Rooster. “I was hoping we could talk … privately.”

  He nodded his head toward Rooster, as if she should ask him to leave for a few minutes so they could speak.

  Rooster made a move, but she stretched her arm toward her husband, stopping him. “I’m with someone else at the moment,” she said, “but it wouldn’t matter if I was or wasn’t. There’s nothing more the two of us have to discuss.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” Todd countered.

  “Todd, please. Nothing you have to say is going to change my mind. We’re done; actually, we were a long time ago. Can’t we just leave it at that?”

  “I can’t,” he insisted. “I love you.”

  “You heard Lauren,” Rooster said, his voice low and cold.

  Todd sighed, and rather than speak to Rooster, he continued to talk to Lauren. “Are you going to have your Hells Angels boyfriend drag me outside again?”

  Lauren tried to hide her smile. “You’re already outside.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “And Rooster isn’t my boyfriend.” Todd’s face relaxed, and he started to smile before she continued, “He’s my husband.”

  For one crazy second it looked as if Todd’s eyeballs were about to bulge out of his head. “Your husband,” he repeated, and then he said it again as if he found it impossible to believe. “Your husband?”

  “Yes. We were married over the weekend.”

  He shook his head as if to say he didn’t believe her. “You were with Elisa in Las Vegas over the weekend.”

  “Yes, I know. That’s where Rooster and I were married.”

  For the first time since he arrived, Todd turned to look at Rooster and then back at Lauren. “This is a joke, right? It has to be. The two of you don’t belong together. Good grief, Lauren, look at this guy. He’s … he’s …” He scrambled as if he couldn’t find the words to describe the man standing behind him. “He’s a … grease monkey.”

  “He isn’t, but it wouldn’t matter if he was. Rooster Wayne is my husband.”

  Todd didn’t seem to know what to say. “You’re not making this up? You really aren’t joking?”

  “No.”

  “This can’t be true,” he said as his gaze dropped to her left hand. “You aren’t wearing a wedding band.”

  “I plan on giving her my mother’s ring,” Rooster supplied, his voice deep and rich compared to Todd’s shocked, high-pitched squeak.

  “You are?” Lauren asked, looking to her husband. Like so much else, they had yet to discuss wedding bands.

  “You can have it reset if you like,” Rooster said, “but it would please me a great deal if you’d wear it.”

  “Oh, Rooster, of course I will,” she whispered.

  Todd’s gaze went back and forth between them. “You aren’t kidding, are you?”

  “No.” She couldn’t understand why Todd kept asking the same question.

  Her former boyfriend studied Lauren as if seeing her with fresh eyes. “Were you so desperate?” he demanded. “I would have married you if I’d known that.”

  “Todd!” She wouldn’t allow him to insult Rooster. “I think it’s time you left.”

  “I knew you were serious about wanting to get married, but I never believed you’d lower your standards to this.”

  “The lady asked you to leave,” Rooster said, his voice cold enough to freeze alcohol.

  Todd raised both arms. He stepped away from the table and simply shook his head. “I never would have thought you’d do something so out of character … this is unworthy of you, Lauren. Okay, so I kept delaying the wedding, but, sweetie, you could have done a lot better than this guy.”

  She was tempted to tell him that she’d done a whole lot better than if she’d married him, but resisted. No matter what he said, she wouldn’t lower herself to his level.

  Lauren reached for her coffee. “I believe you’ve said enough. Goodbye, Todd.”

  “It’s because I wouldn’t marry you, isn’t it?”

  Sadly, she shook her head. “The entire world doesn’t revolve around you, Todd, and actually you did us both a favor. We really weren’t suit
ed, you know.”

  “And you’re suited with that … that Neanderthal?”

  “Oh, yes, he suits me just fine.” She stretched out her arm to Rooster, who clasped her hand in his own.

  “I’d congratulate you, but I don’t give this so-called marriage a month.” With that, Todd spun around and hurried off.

  As Todd faded from view, Rooster sat back down.

  “I apologize for Todd,” she felt obliged to say. “No matter what he thinks, I’m grateful you’re my husband. You’re the one I love.”

  Rooster shrugged as though he remained unaffected by Todd’s remarks. “It’s hard for me to imagine you ever being hooked up with someone like him.”

  Lauren had to agree. “I have my man and I’m not letting him go for anything.”

  “We are different, Lauren.”

  “Sure we are, and that’s the best part.”

  “The best part?” Rooster challenged. “I can think of other parts that are far better. Parts we’re only beginning to explore.”

  Lauren smiled, too. “So can I.”

  “See, already we’re starting to think alike, just as if we’re an old married couple who’ve been together for fifty years.”

  “Will you still chase me around the bedroom in fifty years?” she asked.

  Rooster chuckled. “I couldn’t imagine anything I’d enjoy doing more at ninety years of age.”

  They relaxed and finished their coffee before walking back to her condo. When she unlatched the door, Rooster surprised her by lifting her off her feet and carrying her over the threshold.

  “Rooster,” she whispered, smiling up at her husband, “you’re far more traditional than I realized.”

  “No, I’m not,” he countered. “I figured if Todd thinks I’m a Neanderthal, then I should play the part.”

  Lauren tossed back her head and laughed. “Okay, okay, you can put me down now.”

  “All in good time,” he said, and, using his foot, he kicked her front door closed and then, without a word, carried her directly into the bedroom.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Max wasn’t sure how this meeting with Annie would go. Still, he was determined to do everything within his power to remind Bethanne’s daughter how much her mother loved her. Before he talked to Annie, however, Max felt he needed Andrew’s input. Annie’s brother knew her far better than Max did and might be able to offer him valuable insight into Bethanne’s daughter.

  The two men met over lunch Thursday at a local seafood restaurant on the Seattle waterfront close to Andrew’s office.

  Max waited for the young man in the restaurant foyer and stood when Andrew joined him. They exchanged handshakes before being escorted to the table and sliding into a booth across from each other. Max had always liked Bethanne’s son. He was well grounded and mature for his age. After his father had left, Andrew had taken on the responsibility for the family, helping his mother and looking after his younger sister.

  “I know I said it earlier, but I’m pleased and excited for you and Courtney about the baby. Bethanne’s thrilled at the prospect of her first grandchild.”

  “We’re happy ourselves,” Andrew said, and briefly glanced at the menu. “They do a great salmon Caesar salad here, if that interests you.”

  Actually, Max didn’t have much of an appetite. This matter with Annie had his stomach tied in knots.

  “From what I hear, Annie’s being a brat,” Andrew said after the waitress had taken their drink orders. He set the menu aside, and Max did as well.

  “It’s tearing your mother apart,” Max admitted. Bethanne had done her best to hide how miserable she was with the rift between her and Annie, but it was impossible. Max had held her in his arms while she wept, and it had nearly ripped his heart out to hear her pain from the way Annie had treated her.

  “My sister can be a spoiled brat,” Andrew said, and his jaw tightened as if the thought of his immature sister deeply upset him. “I’ve tried to reason with her, but she’s convinced Mother has chosen you over her family.”

  “But she hasn’t.”

  “That’s what I tried to explain,” Andrew continued, “not that it’s done any good. Annie refuses to accept that Mom and you are together.”

  The waitress delivered two tall glasses of iced tea with lemon and took their lunch orders. They each chose the salmon Caesar salad.

  “The real problem is my father,” Andrew continued, holding on to the glass of iced tea with one hand. He didn’t make eye contact with Max.

  Max had already guessed as much.

  “Dad eggs Annie on by claiming he’ll never get over losing Mom and how his life is worth nothing without her.”

  Max looked out over the green waters of Puget Sound and watched the Bremerton ferry glide toward the dock. “Do you think he’s sincere?” he asked, although it wouldn’t change the fact that he was married to Bethanne and had no intention of stepping aside. They were married and deeply committed to each other. His wife had made her choice, and as far as Max was concerned it was time for Grant to man up and accept his ex-wife’s decision.

  “It’s hard to know my father’s motives,” Andrew said. “I think one of the biggest surprises of my dad’s life was watching my mother come into her own. He walked out, and she was left to find a way to support us and herself. Mom started this party business out of the basement.”

  Max had heard the story of how everyone loved Bethanne’s parties. It was the one thing she felt she did well. From the very first, the business had thrived, until it had grown to the point that Bethanne had been approached about franchising her ideas, a proposal she had later rejected.

  “Despite the fact that Mom was left with practically nothing,” Andrew continued, “she managed to turn her life around and became a successful businesswoman.”

  “What did Grant expect her to do?” Max wondered out loud. Up until Grant had left the family, Bethanne had been a stay-at-home mother and a support to Grant. He hadn’t appreciated everything his wife had done for him and his career until it was too late. And now Bethanne was married to Max.

  In response to his question, Andrew shrugged. “I think he would have felt better if she’d spent the rest of her life pining after him. My mother isn’t the kind of person who would allow bitterness to take over her life, although heaven knows she had reason enough. Dad treated her horribly.”

  And from what Max knew, Grant’s attitude toward his two children hadn’t been much better, either, although Annie appeared to have conveniently forgotten that.

  Andrew picked up his fork and repositioned it on the linen napkin. “Before Mom married you, Dad realized he’d made a big mistake. To his credit, he did his best to rectify that. Before the divorce, my mother’s entire life revolved around my dad and Annie and me. Then he was gone and her world fell apart.”

  “By then your mother was a different woman than the one your father recognized.”

  “Exactly. Dad was convinced he could win her back. He can be charming when he wants to be, and you know as well as I do how hard he tried to persuade Mom to give him another chance.”

  This was really the crux of the problem between him and Annie, Max realized. “If I hadn’t been in the picture, do you really think your mother might have had a change of heart toward your father?” Max had posed the same question to Bethanne and she’d assured him that wasn’t the case. She wouldn’t have taken Grant back, no matter how much he’d claimed to have changed. Max believed her. What mattered to him was how Andrew viewed the situation.

  “Frankly, I don’t know if she would or wouldn’t have,” Andrew said. “That choice belonged to my mother. As it happens, you did come into the picture, and I, for one, am glad you did.”

  Max needed to hear this. His fear was that in loving Bethanne he’d brought heartache into her life when she deserved so much better.

  “Mom is happier than I can ever remember seeing her. She loves you, Max. What’s important is seeing her reap the benefits that s
he deserves, and one of those is being deeply loved by a good man.”

  It did Max a world of good to hear this. “I don’t know how good I am, but I sincerely love your mother.”

  “It shows.”

  The waitress delivered their salads, and for a few minutes they ate in silence. The fresh fish was cooked to perfection, and after a few bites, Max returned to the conversation.

  “Do you have any suggestions how I can reach out to Annie?”

  Andrew rested his elbows against the tabletop and let his fork dangle over his plate. “I wish I did, and it’s going to be harder now that she isn’t working with Mom any longer. My sister can be stubborn and unreasonable, and being egged on by my father certainly isn’t helping matters.”

  “Hold on,” Max said, a little stunned. “I knew Annie hadn’t shown up at the office. Has she actually left her job with your mother? Without giving any notice?”

  “Apparently so. The last I heard, my dad was getting her a job with the real-estate company where he works.”

  This was discouraging news, and it was sure to upset Bethanne even more than she was already. “Annie’s going to work with your dad? Doing what?”

  Andrew shrugged. “As a receptionist, I guess.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Does Annie realize she’d be taking a huge cut in salary?”

  “Annie’s pride won’t let her go back and work with Mom.”

  This situation was worse than Max realized. He’d assumed that Annie’s little tempter tantrum would run its course and that she’d eventually return to her position, working with her mother. Max had hoped he might be able to speed up the process by talking sense with Annie. He’d hoped to smooth the way, build a bridge between Annie and Bethanne, and give her daughter the opportunity to go back and keep her pride intact.

  “Would Annie actually enjoy that kind of work?” Bethanne had trained her daughter as lead in an important division of the business enterprise.

  “Annie is hurting right now,” Andrew said. “She has this picture of the perfect reunited family in her mind, and she’s being completely unreasonable and silly. I told her as much, and she hasn’t spoken to me since. If she wants to shut me out, too, then so be it. I don’t have time for her games.”