The Right Bride

Chapter Twenty-Five


SHELLY SLAMMED HER apartment door, furious she’d been dismissed by that bitch Marti.

Who the hell does she think she is?

She tossed her purse on the sofa and grabbed the ringing phone off the side table, hoping it was Cameron. Disappointed by the number showing on caller ID, she answered, despite wanting to throw the phone against the wall.

“Hello, Mom.”

“Shelly Bean.”

God, she hated that nickname.

“How are you?” her mother asked, her voice gratingly cheerful.

Pissed. Furious. Frustrated, she admitted. Things with Cameron weren’t going as planned and she needed to put things back on track and quick. “Fine,” she answered her mother. “What’s up?”

“Well, your father’s diabetes is acting up and he needs a new blood pressure medicine.”

“He needs to lose fifty pounds,” Shelly snapped.

“It’s not as easy for him as it’s been for you,” her mother scolded. “He tries the best he can to stick to the doctor’s diet restrictions.”

Easy. If her mother only knew what she went through to stay thin and pretty. How much it hurt. How frustrating it was to throw up a perfectly good meal because she was unable to stop herself.

“Sorry, Mom. How is he?”

“Getting by. Still, Shelly Bean, things are tight. I’ve had to put off some bills and sell a few things to make ends meet. Your father missed some work and cut back on his hours.”

“How much do you need?” It cost her mother’s pride dearly to call and ask, so Shelly tried to ease her guilt with the offer.

“A couple hundred would tide us over. Your father can retire in a couple years. We’re thinking of selling the house and downsizing. The monthly bills and property taxes are more than we can manage with our medical expenses.”

“Well, don’t make any changes yet. I’ll send you the money you need now. Pretty soon, I’ll be able to help more.” With Cameron’s millions at her disposal, her parents would never need to worry about money again.

“You will? Does this have to do with the new man you’re seeing? How’s his little girl?”

“She’s fine.” Shelly hated to admit she’d made a huge mistake on the boat trip. Not until she arrived at the hospital with them and the doctor explained the seriousness of the cut and hypothermia Emma suffered did she really understand. Emma could have died and Cameron would have been devastated to lose her. He’d lost his wife. Her manipulation prompted the marriage proposal that wasn’t a proposal at all, but a way for Cameron to make things right.

He’d be disappointed when he discovered there is no baby, but she vowed from then on she’d do everything in her power to show him they could be good together. Maybe she’d made some mistakes in her attempt to keep him, but she’d make things right.

She’d signed the prenup without a word of protest to the terms. Not that she could complain. True to Cameron’s generous nature, he’d been generous in the settlement if they divorced. She’d never have to work a day in her life as his wife, or as his ex.

“Is everything okay with you and Cameron?”

“We’ve hit a rough spot, but I’m hoping to make things up to him as soon as he returns from a business trip.”

“You know what Gammy always said, ‘You catch more flies with honey.’”

Shelly smiled, remembering her grandmother fondly. “As you would say, I’ve been showing a bit too much vinegar.”

“You always had a single-minded determination to get the things you wanted. Sometimes, honey, you forget other people have feelings too. If you push too hard, you just might push him away.”

When she didn’t say anything, her mother went on, “We are so proud of you. Your father and I want you to be happy in whatever you choose in your life. If he’s the one, it’ll all work out.”

Was Cameron the one? She liked him. He had everything she’d always wanted to find in a man and husband. Her mother married her father for love when they had next to nothing. They’d been married over thirty years and still loved each other, despite spending their lives just getting by.

Shelly wanted a different kind of life. She wanted more than getting by and asking her kid to help her out now and again. Shelly knew that life and wanted better. She wanted one lavish and beautiful and free of worry. She never wanted to have to think about pinching pennies, clipping coupons, and having garage sales to scrimp together enough money to pay for medication and food.

Shelly didn’t subscribe to her mother’s notion that things simply worked out if they were meant to be. No, sometimes you had to make things happen. Still, she’d gone after Cameron without considering the sensitive, honorable man behind the wealthy, strong, determined businessman she’d originally pegged him for. His determination to marry her stemmed from his need to provide his children with a stable family. Marti might be a distraction for him right now, but in the end, he wanted his children to have a mother and a father. If she wanted the man—and everything that came with him—she needed to remember she’d already played her ace and won the pot. She didn’t need to push anymore. All she had to do was step into the role of wife and mother. Be the woman he wanted and he’d have no reason to call off the wedding. She could do that. Maybe she’d made a few mistakes, but nothing she couldn’t smooth over with a gentler hand.

“Shelly?”

“Sorry, Mom. I drifted off. Listen, everything is fine here. Cameron is away on a business trip and I’m just missing him.”

“Time apart can make the coming home that much sweeter.”

Most of the time she thought her mother needed a reality check. Today, Shelly appreciated her mother’s optimism.

“I’ll send the money. Tell Dad I said hi. We’ll talk soon.”

Shelly hung up with a new determination to do what she originally set out to do. Like she told Cameron, they may not love each other now, but they could build a relationship based on friendship. The tension between them would ease, and they’d settle into marriage and a life together.