Chapter Nineteen
There was something awkward about sitting at the table of the family your husband hadn’t seen in twelve years.
His sister — I learned her name was Monica — remained rather quiet while his mother and father made small talk.
Monica favored her mother with her brown hair and blue eyes while Bradley favored his father. Looking at him gave me a glimpse at the future and what Bradley would look like as he aged. While I hesitated to consider his father good looking, Bradley was quite handsome and took care of himself, leaving me with no doubt he’d age well. I learned his sister was divorced with one child, and that his family’s last name was Pickard.
Blackwell definitely suited Bradley better, I decided, but I still wasn’t ready to forgive him his deception.
However, in front of his family, I would play nice. I pretended I’d been overcome with emotion at their reunion — which in truth I had — but they didn’t know it was in anger. Bradley’s private business was still private, no matter how much anger I felt for him at the moment.
“So, tell us how you two met,” his mother requested, beaming even as she arched a brow at Bradley. “And about your wedding.”
I nearly choked on the food in my mouth at the unexpected question, which prompted my chuckling husband to slap me on the back, then hand me the glass of water. His sister gasped, his parents looking horrified at his reaction, and I coughed to clear my throat. He kept his arm around me, hugging me to his side as he said with a straight face, “We met online.”
You would think you told them the world ended.
“You did not!” His mother’s exclamation had me laughing through the cough, which only made me cough harder, and made Bradley start laughing once more. “Dear god, is she going to be all right? What’s so funny?”
After a few more coughs, a drink, and a few gulps of air, I give his family a watery smile. “I’m fine. I didn’t expect your question, which was silly of me. He’s not kidding; we met online.”
“Interesting.” Monica chimed in then. “What do you do for work, Lucy? Something that keeps you busy while my brother never takes a breather, I hope?”
I got the feeling she didn’t approve of me. I don’t know what it was; perhaps the way her question was worded, or her aloof manner since we arrived. I opened my mouth to tell her that I actually hadn’t even graduated high school when Bradley stepped in.
“Lucy works for me. That’s the whole reason we met.”
I liked how he protected me right then, and our relationship, but didn’t like him stepping in to answer the question for me. I knew he would hardly want his family to know he’d married a woman he paid for companionship, but while I knew his parents were pleased he moved on, his sister just seemed pissed off. She reminded me of the women at that charity party, who put me down without even knowing me, based on their preconceived notions about our relationship.
“I never thought of you as one to mix business and pleasure, Brad. Actually, didn’t you always say it was bad form?”
With that comment from his sister, I couldn’t help it. I laughed out loud. A moment later, Bradley joined in, and his sister’s mouth fell into a grim line.
Picking up my drink, I lifted the glass and nodded at her, then took a sip before commenting, “I think the only one with bad form here is you.” Sitting the glass in front of me on the edge of the table, I twirled it between my hands as I refrained from glaring at her. “Since I’m sure you’ll try and Google your little heart out to find info on me, I’ll tell you right now I didn’t even graduate high school. I became a single parent at the age of seventeen and worked my ass off to provide for my daughter, eventually taking on the care of my mother as well. I may be fifteen years younger than your brother and not nearly as educated, but I’d never lack class enough to dare question my brother’s judgment when it comes to who he chose as his wife.”
The look of utter shock on her face told me I nailed it dead on: she thought me a gold-digger. I didn’t know whether to feel sorry for her, or for Bradley and his sister’s obvious lack of trust in his decision making skills.
Her gaze jumped to Bradley, so I joined in, only to discover him smiling. “You walked into that, Monnie.”
I didn’t think it possible, but her mouth tightened further in displeasure. “I don’t have a right to be worried? You’re the one who comes home out of nowhere with a wife much younger than yourself, after losing your first one quite tragically—“
Bradley slammed his hand down on the table, which would’ve made me jump along with them if I hadn’t seen it coming. “Don’t you dare bring that up. It has nothing to do with Lucy or our marriage.”
“Knock it off, both of you.” His father speaks for the first time, but his eyes are on Monica. “You’re being very rude, and I won’t tolerate it, not now and not ever. He’s home for the first time in years and you’re going to start shit?”
“But—“
“No. You might be in your forties, but I’m still your father and this is my house. If you can’t be polite, you need to leave.”
“He’s the rude one,” she spat out, standing up. “He didn’t even invite us to his wedding! We’re supposed to simply welcome him and his wife like twelve years hasn’t passed—“
“Monnie.” Bradley rose from his chair as his sister choked up, going to her side and placing his hands on her shoulders until she looked up at him. “I’m sorry. That’s not Lucy’s fault. Even though she didn’t say it, I know she thought me not inviting my family to the wedding was pretty shitty too.”
She glared at him for a moment before looking over at me, as if wanting to make sure it was true, and I nodded at her. I couldn’t really say anything without explaining our relationship — after all, what normal man waits until he’s already married and sitting outside his parent’s house before he tells his wife he has a sister? None. Well, I thought, but then again, I never really dated much so I couldn’t be sure.
My family and I had found it strange nobody from his side had been invited to the wedding, but I’d been used to his ways then. I didn’t even question it, other than to ask if he had any family that would be showing up. He’d told me no, and that had been that.
I could see why Bradley said bringing my daughter wouldn’t be a good plan.
There was too much anger here, too much hurt, and I was glad Annalina hadn’t had to witness this. Even with a child around, I highly doubt his sister would’ve been able to control herself.
Monica looked back at him as he continued, “I stayed away because I couldn’t handle coming here, not because I didn’t love you. I didn’t deal with anything, everything here reminds me of them, and I—“ His gaze finds mine and holds it. “I never thought I’d meet anyone, let alone get remarried. Lucy changed that.” He tore his gaze away from mine after stealing my breath with that simple statement to tell her, “She brought me home. You should be thanking her, not ripping her apart because you’re mad at me.”
I saw the moment the fight went out of Monica, her shoulders dropping as she stepped toward her brother and he wrapped his arms around her. I had to look down as tears rose to the surface at his next words, when one of his walls came crashing down in the dining room of his childhood home.
“All these years, Monnie, and I can still see her face. And my son…my precious Lucas…to come home and find neither of them breathing. I left her alone when she needed me, and I failed her. It was all my fault.”
It was hard to stand there and see his mother and father walk over and envelope both of their children in their arms. Even harder was seeing tears streaming down Bradley’s face; my strong, in control husband who had carried around his pain for way too long, whose shoulders shook as the hug switched from his sister to his father.
And when Bradley locked his gaze on me as he held out his hand, I didn’t even try to hold back my own tears as I stepped forward and placed my hand in his.
There were no words necessary.
Only the knowledge that this was the moment the hard work began for both of us.
Especially if we wanted our marriage to thrive.