“Oh my God, the most fake-ass woman I’ve ever seen in my life is in the living room, claiming she’s your mother, and some a-hole with twenty pounds of gel in his hair is pretending he’s your fiancé,” Marigold said. “Who are those douchebags?”
Lainey nearly burst into tears. Marigold didn’t hate her, and she hadn’t bought their act.
“Unfortunately, that is my mother and the jerk whom my parents wanted me to marry,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’m not engaged to him anymore. I broke it off, but my parents said that I was getting married to him no matter what, and so I packed up and left town. I just wanted to hide out here until our wedding date had passed.”
“God, no wonder. He looks like he’d fight you for the best spot in front of the mirror. Was he awful in bed? He looks like he’d be awful in bed. Why do you look like you’re going to puke?”
Lainey threw her arms around Marigold and hugged her. “I was afraid they’d make you hate me. Miles charms the pants off of everybody, and my mother usually intimidates people into doing whatever they want.”
Marigold made a loud raspberry noise of disgust. “That shit may work for them back where you come from, pardon my Fran?ais, but it doesn’t fly around here.”
The front door flew open, and her mother clattered down the stairs, face pinched in a frown. She was dressed in a tailored pink linen suit and high-heeled pink pumps, and dripped chunky gold jewelry. With every step she took, she made a little grimace, as if afraid the very ground here would soil her. Miles followed behind her, handsome as a model, his wavy black hair glistening in the sun. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he forced a big, fake smile on his face.
“How did you find me?” Lainey demanded.
“Well, that’s a lovely greeting for your mother,” Renee said in an aggrieved tone. “We hired a private investigator and tracked your credit card purchases.”
“Lainey. We were so worried about you. I’m sorry about our little tiff. It was all my fault.” Miles’ smile stretched wide, his big white teeth sparkling, as he stepped towards Lainey, who stepped back quickly.
Henry strode forward, letting out a growl.
“Tiff? Seriously? What the hell is this, ‘Downton Abby’?” Marigold actually laughed out loud, which earned her a withering glare from Lainey’s mother.
Most people wilted under her mother’s scornful gazes. Marigold was not most people.
“You know, when you look down your nose job at me, it doesn’t intimidate me, it just pisses me off,” Marigold said in a bored voice.
Her mother let out an outraged gasp.
Miles scowled at Marigold. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with here.” He jerked his head at Lainey. “This woman is mentally ill. She hasn’t been taking her meds. She’s going to be a danger to all of you.” He forced a smile on his handsome face. “But I love her, and I’m willing to take care of her for the rest of her life. We need to get her back home where she’s safe. Where people care about her.”
Lainey sucked in her breath, shocked at the utter falsehoods spilling from his lips. “You actually think that making up a pack of lies is going to make me come back to Philly and marry you? You’re the crazy one here.”
“You’re also not taking into account the fact that here in Blue Moon Junction, we’re fond of crazy,” Marigold said. “The good kind of crazy. The eccentric, fun kind. Not the kind that thinks that you can force a woman to marry you.”
Miles stepped toward Lainey, his hands clenched into fists. “You agreed to marry me, and you are going to marry me. You will not cost me my future. You will not embarrass me in front of everybody. I mean, me, rejected by somebody like you?” He looked her up and down, and sneered. “It’s never going to happen. Nobody back home knows that you decided to have this little temper tantrum, so we can just tell everyone you were on a vacation, and carry on the wedding as planned.”
“I’d literally rather die,” Lainey snapped. “It’s not even a close contest. I’d rather be eaten alive by a pack of rabid wolverine shifters than have you ever touch me again.”
Henry cleared his throat impatiently, and Miles and Renee turned to scowl at him.
“You jackholes may be used to throwing your weight around where you’re from, but you’ve got zero pull here. She gave you her answer. You’re not welcome on this property. You can leave peacefully, or I can escort you off with as much physical violence as you’d like. I’m hoping you pick the second option.”
Fur sprouted on Miles’ face, and his claws shot from his fingertips. His fangs descended, and he let out what was meant to be a menacing hiss. Lainey knew that he wouldn’t actually fully shift into bobcat form and start a fight. He hardly ever shifted; he hated ruining his clothes.
Henry stood there, looking bored. In a show of utter contempt, he didn’t bother even partially shifting. After a minute, Miles retracted his claws and the hair faded.
“This isn’t over, Lainey,” Miles said coldly..
Renee turned and walked away, and Miles followed her, shooting dirty looks at Lainey over his shoulder.