25. Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Susie

The fact that my mom can use all seven tiles to spell a word is still as confounding and annoying to me as ever. Despite that, Scrabble is still one of my favorite games unless I’m playing against my mom.

After Tea Time posted a picture of what looks like Josh kissing someone else, Brie went into shutdown mode. Her typical reaction when anything triggers a huge emotional response. It’s still the one challenge my best friend has whenever it comes to difficult emotions since the death of her parents when we were kids.

Seeing what looked like Josh kissing another woman definitely triggered all of those abandonment issues.

Suggesting a game of Scrabble was a way to keep her occupied. But our lets-distract-Brie-with-a game-of-Scrabble plan became a butt-kicking fest when she told me she invited her Aunt Marie and my mom.

How is it possible we’ve been playing for five minutes, and my mom has almost one hundred points with three words on the board?

“Yes!” My mom yells, and I roll my eyes at her dramatics. She stands up from the couch and points a finger at all of us. “You’re all going down.” She gets up and does her celebratory dance. She reminds me of Elaine from Seinfeld.

I cover my face and groan, but when I peek through my fingers, it’s to find Brie laughing. I slowly inhale and think that if my mom can help take Brie’s mind off Josh for a little while, she can do her silly little dance.

I’ll pretend she’s not the woman who gave birth to me.

Josh called me as I was driving to Brie’s. The panic in his voice confirmed what I already believed to be true.

Regardless of what that picture looks like, it’s not true.

Over the years, my brother has done some extremely idiotic things, but messing things up with Brie on a level this big isn’t one of them. I’ve known how he feels about Brie for years, but he just figured it out. Despite that, he would never intentionally hurt her or shame her in a way that would humiliate her, even if he wasn’t in love with her.

That conversation also informed me that he knows Adam and I are a thing. Does he know we’re the Mr. and Mrs. type of thing? I didn’t ask.

“Susie?” Brie snaps in front of my face to get my attention. “It’s your turn.”

“Sorry. I was imagining the crazy dancing lady across from me isn’t actually my mother and just some random weirdo we picked up off the street.” I scrunch my face, but one look at the smile on Brie’s face, and I’m grateful for my mom and her crazy dancing ways.

“Ha. Ha. You’re just jealous that I put ‘example’ down on a triple word score.” And up from the couch, she goes again.

Marie and Brie are doubled over, and I’m working to stop the smile that wants to break free. My mom is still the woman who embarrasses me and loves doing it any chance she gets.

“Okay, okay.” I point to the couch, and she sits back down. “Thank you.”

I look over my letters and the board and decide to change a letter instead of trying to place something.

Scrabble requires more brain power than I have at the moment. After Adam left, I finished the rest of my book and sent it off to Norma. I was anticipating a very low-key, brain-numbing movie night.

“Hey, Mom?” I watch Marie place an S, P, A, and C on top of the E in “Example” to spell ‘space.’ She writes down Marie’s score and then looks up at me. “How long has everyone known that I’m Amelia Adams?”

Marie’s eyebrows fly to her hairline, and my mom freezes, pencil still hoovering over the paper. I pick one of my letters up and tap it on the table, narrowing my eyes at her.

She scrunches her face together before she lifts her arms in a shrug. “About four years, honey.”

“Four years?” I screech. “Everyone’s known for four years?”

“Well, almost everyone,” Brie’s Aunt Marie chimes in. “It’s not like you did a good job keeping it quiet. What, with you and Brie screeching every time one of your books hits the library shelves.”

My mouth is hanging open, and I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I look over at Brie and see the same expression on her face.

At the same time, we slap our palms over our mouths and start laughing.

“Speaking of secrets,” my mom says as she moves her tiles around. “Do you want to tell us about you and Adam?”

I feel all the color drain from my face, and my heart starts to ram itself around my chest. “Me and Adam?”

She calmly lifts her head, eyes narrowed. It’s the look that always says, ‘Don’t lie to me; I know everything,’ and heaven help me, she does.

I swallow hard like I just swallowed a cotton ball stuck in my throat. I reach over the table, grab my glass of sweet tea, and finish it in one gulp.

Looking up, I find everyone’s eyes on me. I look at Marie first, then my mom, and last, Brie. Each of them has a grin on it, and I panic.

“Well, he had a visa issue, and so I—”

“What?” Brie and her aunt yell, just as my mom says. “Visa issue?”

“Susie, you are just dating Adam, right?” My mouth opens and closes as I look at each one of their faces, full of surprise and shock—instantly regretting the words that fell out of my mouth.

“Kinda?” I shrug. Realization hits that the cat has popped its head out of the bag and refuses to go back in.

Well, Suse, that’s one way to keep the focus off of Josh.

I slowly inhale, feeling everyone’s eyes piercing me. I blow out my breath and dive in. “So. You know how I like my sports chat groups?”

Everyone nods, eyes wide. The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“Well, there was this guy Chase…”

Forty-five minutes, and essentially the entirety of my new book, I tell them the story of Chase and Amelia, AKA Adam and Susie, and lastly, Mr. & Mrs. Daniels.

Brie is clapping her hands together, while my mom and Marie are staring at me with their mouths hanging open.

“Suse, this is the storyline of almost every one of the books you’ve written.” She throws her arms around me. “It’s obvious to anyone looking that Adam is head over heels in love with you.”

My gaze whips to hers, and I’m positive my eyes are the size of saucers. “In love?”

“Yeah,” she giggles. “But not just in love, he’s completely besotted with you.”

“Really?” My throat tightens, and tears burn the back of my throat. Why am I getting so emotional about this? “He hasn’t said anything to me.”

“Oh, trust me when I tell you, how he looks at you says it all.” She drags out the last word and reaches over to squeeze my arm, forgetting that her aunt and my mom are sitting quietly across from us.

“Do you remember when I said he’s a reader?” Brie nods excitedly. “Turns out he’s a huge Amelia Adams fan.”

“Shut up!” Brie shouts before she jumps up, screaming. “This is totally one of your book plotlines! I can’t believe—”

“Ahem.” Brie and I freeze and turn to my mother. Her face is filled with worry. “Susie, marriage is not something to be taken lightly.”

I reach across the table and grab her hand, squeezing it.

“I know, Mom.” I watch her brows knit together, concern written all over her face. “Mom, do you remember when you told me that when I met the one I’d know?”

“Of course, but I also thought that implied dating them first.”

Brie chuckles. But when my mom and her aunt narrow their eyes at her, she presses her lips together. A lightness bubbles up in me, and I find myself doing the same.

I don’t want my mom to think I’m not taking her concern seriously, but for the first time since Adam and I got married, I’m ready to admit to the world how I feel about him.

“Well, I knew that from the first moment I laid eyes on him—”

“That’s lust, honey,” my mom cuts me off, and a blush creeps up my face. Then I realize what she’s implying.

“Mom! No!” I shout, “We may be married, but we decided to date first to see if we wanted to stay married. I’ve been sleeping in the guest bedroom.”

“At the farmhouse?” Brie, Marie, and my mother shout all at once. Questions from each of them are thrown at me as they talk over each other.

How did this conversation get so out of control?

I put my fingers in my mouth and whistle. All of their mouths snap shut.

“Will you all please listen to me? Adam and I are married in name only . There has only ever been kissing between us.” For a moment, I stop and think about the kissing, feeling my face heat.

“Ahem.” This time, coming from Marie, I can’t help but laugh at the glint in Brie’s eyes. It’s taking everything in her not to ask me about the kisses. I give her a slight nod, and she claps her hands and squeals.

When my mom and her aunt stare at her, she freezes, but her smile is still on her face.

“So yes, Mom, when I first saw Adam, it was all about the physical attraction. I mean, have you seen that man?” She goes to say something, but I put my finger up to stop her. “But then we talked at Thanks-A-Latte. We really talked for hours. If Josh hadn’t shown up, I don’t think we would’ve stopped.”

I can see the worry in my mom’s expression easing, but the doubt remains.

“Susie, you know I trust you—”

“But this is crazy?” I ask before she finishes. She nods. “I know it seems that way from the outside. But honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure about anything in my life.”

“You’re in love with him, too,” Brie whispers and grabs my hand, squeezing them. “Oh, Susie!”

My mom gets up, walks around the table to where I’m sitting on the floor, and kneels down beside me. “Are you really sure?”

“Mom, you’re gonna love him.” As the words fall from my mouth, I’m absolutely certain that she will adore Adam just as much as I do.

“Oh, Susie.” she wraps her arms around me, but not before I notice the tears in her eyes. “You know you’ll have to get married again, right? Your father will never forgive your husband if he doesn’t get the chance to walk you down the aisle.”

I laugh, knowing she’s right. I actually love the idea of a wedding with all of my family and friends there. Before I realize it, tears are rolling down my face.

Looks like happy tears don’t just happen in romance novels.