Chapter 20

20

SUTTON

I visited Grandmother in the hospital every day until she was discharged. It was an easy transition to move into my house because I had clothes and all my furniture there. I never really moved into Wes’s house.

I’d only taken over a few clothes probably because it was always meant to be temporary. Every time I felt longing for what was, I reminded myself it was never supposed to be more.

It was weird to be home and not living with Wes. But this made more sense. At least until Grandma was on her feet again. Any time I experienced a niggling doubt about what this meant for me and Wes, I pushed it out of my mind.

I felt guilty that I’d been lying to Grandma about our marriage. In the hospital, she’d said she could rest easy knowing I was in a loving relationship. That had sent my mind reeling. Was that why she’d cooked up the ultimatum? She wanted to see me happy?

Also, she thought I was happy in my fake marriage. Looking back, I think I was. We were content doing the simplest things: making breakfast, going fishing or hiking, and even attending my families over-the-top galas.

Wes was coming over to see Grandma at the house today. I was positive it was to keep our charade of a marriage going. I would have told him it wasn’t necessary, but I wasn’t going to reveal everything to Grandma until she was feeling better.

I was resigned to losing the house and the property. I’d need to find a new career, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to take my social media following with me, unless I found another historic house I could post about.

That was an idea. I could go around Annapolis and ask to film at different historic locations and research the history. It wasn’t as interesting, since it wasn’t my family. Maybe my followers would be okay with it. I wouldn’t know if I didn’t try.

After drinking my coffee, I crossed the stone path through the garden and slipped in the back door.

When Grandma saw me approach, she said, “Hello, dear.”

“Good morning.” I kissed her cheek. She was having breakfast in the morning room. There were a lot of windows and light.

She gestured for me to sit across from her. “I appreciate your being here, but doesn’t your husband miss you?”

I carefully arranged the cloth napkin on my lap. I wouldn’t know because we hadn’t talked since the hospital except to give him updates on Grandma’s condition. “He’s stopping by to visit today.”

Grandma frowned. “Your mother said you were staying in your old place again.”

I poured the tea into my cup. “It was more convenient while you were convalescing. ”

Grandma frowned. “You make me sound like an old woman.”

I covered my smile with my hand. “You’re as spry as you’ve always been.”

“Now, that’s what I like to hear. I can’t wait for your husband to appear. I missed having him around the last few weeks. I would have thought he’d visit more while I was recovering.”

“He’s busy with work.” I had no idea what he was actually doing since we hadn’t checked in with each other. That wasn’t something that needed to be done in a fake relationship.

If I was nursing a broken heart, then it was because I’d let myself fall for my fake husband. I couldn’t have messed up more royally if I’d tried.

“Well, I look forward to seeing him. He’s a lovely hunk of a man,” Grandma said cheekily.

“Grandma,” I admonished.

Grandma’s eyes widened innocently. “What? He is, and I do like having him around. He brightens up the place.”

I barely restrained my eye roll. “You make him sound like a bouquet of flowers or something. Besides, Mother doesn’t like him.”

“Evelyn was always concerned about status, last names, and bank accounts. But you never were.”

I sipped my tea and said carefully. I was testing the waters, so to speak. “None of that matters if you don’t have the things you really want.”

“And what’s that dear?” Grandmother asked shrewdly.

I shrugged as if it was forefront of my mind. “Love of course. What does any of this matter if you’re sad and lonely? ”

Grandmother nodded. “I think your mother missed that life lesson.”

I sat back in my chair to consider her. “And you didn’t?”

“I loved your grandfather with all my heart. You probably don’t remember because he died when you were just three.”

“I don’t.” I carefully set my cup down, looking forward to hearing a tidbit about her life with my grandfather. I’d assumed it was similar to my parents’ relationship.

“Don swept me off my feet. He had all of this, but he didn’t care about wealth. He told his father; he would have lost it all to be with me.”

Tingles ran down my spine. With all of my research, I hadn’t uncovered anything that surprising. “Wow. I had no idea.”

“Good morning.” Mother swept into the room with my father trailing behind her.

“Your husband is in the foyer,” Dad said to me.

“I’ll go to him.” The butler could have shown him in. Maybe Mother told him to leave him there so he’d feel more like hired help than a pseudomember of our family.

I set my napkin aside and slowly made my way to the front door, my heart picking up the pace when I saw him standing tall in the foyer. I kissed his cheek, despite his rigid demeanor, my Rosesmith manners on display. “Wes. It’s so good to see you.”

Wes’s lip curled. “That’s a cold greeting from my wife .”

I swallowed hard, not sure how to respond. “We’re meeting with my grandmother for breakfast. Will you be joining us?”

Wes huffed out a breath like he was irritated. “Just briefly. I have to get to work. There was a teenage party in the park last night, and we need to do cleanup. ”

“We won’t keep you long.” I linked my arm through his. Even though my voice was calm and collected, my heart fluttered like a hummingbird. As we walked, my phone buzzed nonstop in my pocket. I didn’t want to check it while I was spending time with my family.

In the breakfast room, I sat in my spot, and Wes kissed Grandma’s cheek. “It’s good to see you’re up and well.”

Grandmother beamed at him. Had he charmed her somewhere along the way? “I adore seeing you at my breakfast table. Have a seat. Evelyn, ask the cook if he’ll whip up some more eggs.”

“Oh, I already ate. I was just stopping by to see how you were doing,” Wes said.

“How lovely,” Grandmother said.

“Your phone is buzzing. Are you going to answer it?” Mother asked me, inclining her head in the direction of my screen, which was lighting up with notifications.

I input the security code and was immediately assaulted with hundreds of messages. It was my social media app. When I opened it, there were tons of comments about my wedding to Wes being fake. Some were angry. My followers felt like they were duped, and I couldn’t blame them. I just couldn’t figure out how they knew. I frantically scrolled through the comments looking for the big reveal.

“Is there something wrong?” Mother asked, but she seemed too calm. Too collected.

“What is it?” Grandmother asked.

I didn’t take my gaze off the screen. “Just something on my site. Nothing to worry about.”

“You’d said your followers loved it when you married Wes. That it seemed to give them hope that they’d find love too,” Mother said, and I wasn’t sure where she was going with this. She wouldn’t have brought it up if she didn’t have some scheme in mind.

“That’s right.” I attempted to smile, but I couldn’t.

Mom pulled out her phone, and I prayed that she wasn’t following me on that site because then she would know everything. “Well, this is interesting. They’re saying your marriage is a sham. That you faked it to inherit the estate.”

I stood while shaking my head, a sense of dread hanging over my body.

A muscle in Wes’s jaw ticked as he stood and threw the napkin on the table. “I didn’t want to see my friend marry some random guy who’d use her for her money.”

“You married my granddaughter to protect her?” Grandmother’s voice was filled with shock and a little awe.

Wes’s face screwed up. “She’s my best friend. I couldn’t see her married to one of those jerks.”

Grandmother’s eyes widened. “This is interesting.”

Mother placed her phone on the table. “You faked your marriage to inherit. You’ve brought shame to our family.”

My heart was racing now. “I’m not sure how it got out. No one knew except—” Wes’s family.

“You think I had something to do with this, or my family?” Wes’s voice raised with each word.

“I don’t know what to think.” And what did it matter now that the truth was out?

“I have to get to work.” Wes turned to leave, and I wanted to follow him, to apologize, but I wasn’t sure for what. For marrying him? For loving him? For thinking a fake relationship could turn into something that would last.

“You thought it was necessary to fake a relationship to inherit?” Grandma asked, her voice wavering.

“You knew I wanted to inherit the estate. You knew how much it meant to me. I had to try.” But now I felt nothing but shame, and my heart ached. Wes was upset, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to fix it. Everyone knew our relationship was a fraud.

There was nothing left to salvage. Even if we reconciled, everyone would question whether it was real.

“I’m so sorry. I was planning on telling you everything when you were well. I was prepared to lose everything, the property, the house. We broke your trust, and I feel awful about betraying you.” I wasn’t sure what to do about Wes. I’d hurt him. I’d embarrassed him, and there was no coming back from that. He was understandably upset.

“I’m disappointed that you’d lie to us,” Dad said and Mom looked pleased.

“I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

I should have known it would though.

“I’m feeling a little tired. I’m going to take a nap in my room,” Grandma said.

We moved to assist her, but Grandmother held up her hand to stop us. “I can still walk.”

When she left, the room was quiet.

I couldn’t stay here. I’d betrayed my family, and now the estate would surely go up for sale after her death. I needed to create my new life now. I couldn’t wait for my family to decide my fate anymore. “I’m going to look for a place to live.”

“You’re moving out?” Mother asked me, as if she was genuinely surprised.

“The estate will be sold eventually. I’m not going to hang around to see it happen.” It would hurt too much. “I need to start the next chapter of my life.” The one where I was single and supporting myself. I wouldn’t use my name or the estate this time.

“I don’t think Grandmother meant for you to move out. ”

My brow furrowed. “She’s going to give the estate to charity. There’s nothing left for me.”

Mom leaned forward. “You’re going to walk away from your social media following?”

“I’ve blown their trust too. It’s best to start over. Find something else I’m good at.” I felt despair, but then I remembered I’d had that idea about posting about other historical sights, and Annapolis was full of those. The only problem was whether my followers would ever get over my deceit. It was too soon to know. But I could try, start over with a new account and build it back up again.

Mother seemed at a loss for words.

When she didn’t respond, I spun on my heel and walked outside, grateful for the cool morning air. My skin was heated, and my stomach churned. I’d look for a new apartment, then pack. There had to be something that would be available now. I couldn’t stay here, knowing it would be sold, the house torn down, and the gardens turned into a development.

When I searched online, I found several options for apartments, made appointments to view them, then started the difficult task of packing up my life.

After getting a head start on packing, I headed into town to see the various options for my new home. I found one on the water, and it was a little more expensive, but it was available now, and the view would be healing. If anything had the power to make me feel better, it was the water, the one thing the Rosesmith Estate was missing.

I loved my home, but I’d move out in a few days. It was good but also sad. I’d never lived anywhere else except for when I went away to college. When I moved out, it would be like severing a part of me.

I focused on the logistics of my new life so I wouldn’t have time to think about the fact that Wes and I were done, and not just the marriage but our friendship too. I never got a chance to tell him how I felt, but what good would it have done?

He never said he felt the same way. He was hurt because of the way everything came out. That I’d suggested someone in his family must have done it. I don’t know why anyone would be that malicious. The Calloways had been like a second family to me.

For the first time, I opened my account and searched for the moment when our truth was revealed. There were comments on the wedding photo which had now gone viral, things like Sutton lied to get followers, it was all fake, and she just wanted to make money. The comments hurt. But I had lied to inherit money and the estate. Even if I had what I thought were legitimate plans, it didn’t make it right. I was just as greedy as my parents.

I’d drawn Wes into my crazy scheme, and he’d gotten hurt in the process. Would this blow back on him, his job, or his family’s Christmas tree farm? I couldn’t stand it if it did.

I couldn’t figure out which account was the first one to reveal it wasn’t real. There were so many comments, and they’d come quickly one after the other.

The system that built me up could tear me down more quickly than I ever could have imagined. I should post a video revealing the truth. It would confirm what they already knew, but I would feel better. But I wasn’t sure it was the right move.

The thought of not spending my holidays with the Calloways or my days with Wes hurt too much to even contemplate.

I’d grabbed ice cream from the fridge and was drowning my sorrows in sugar and bad reality TV when there was a soft knock on my door.

I couldn’t imagine who it could be

I hadn’t heard the telltale rumble of his truck arriving.

I opened the door. “Grandma. What are you doing out of bed this late?”

Her expression was grim. “I wanted to talk to you.”

I opened the door wider so she could come inside.

“Would you like tea?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable because she’d never been in my house.

She waved a hand at me. “This won’t take long.”

I sat in the chair across from her, my nerves making my leg bounce. “What’s on your mind?”

“I came to apologize.”

I laughed. “What would you need to apologize for?”

“I concocted that wedding stipulation in my will so that you’d finally go after what I’d suspected you’d wanted all along, and it worked spectacularly. I couldn’t have planned it better myself.”

What was she talking about? “You wanted me to marry Wes?”

“I saw something in him when he took you to prom. I knew he’d be a responsible, upstanding guy, and he adored you, even back then. I hoped you’d see it yourself, but you never seemed to. Always claimed you were merely friends.”

“We were,” I said weakly, not sure about anything anymore. My grandmother thought we’d make a good couple? She’d planned all of this?

“I was worried when you were dating those yahoos your mother was sending you out with. I should have known she’d get involved. But then you came to your senses, or Wes did, and you got married.”

I was having a hard time believing this was her plan all along. I couldn’t reconcile what she was saying with what I’d believed my entire life. That my family wanted me to date a man who came from a good family with the bank account to back it up. Was that just my mother the whole time?

“You cared about the things that mattered. You were the bright light around here, and I’m sorry I went about it the way I did. You wouldn’t have dated Wes if I’d come out and told you to.”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t have.”

Grandma looked around the place. “I thought this was the only way.”

My forehead wrinkled. “What if I’d married one of those yahoos?”

She rubbed her hands together. “I knew Wes wouldn’t let that happen.”

I frowned. “Because he was concerned about my safety. He’s protective.”

“I was counting on him reacting the way he did.” Then she sighed. “I should talk to him. Make my apologies.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary—” Wes wouldn’t want anything to do with my family. We were rotten to the core.

“I’ll invite him to breakfast again. He’s a nice view for that early in the morning.”

My shoulders lowered. “I think he’s upset with me.”

Grandma leaned forward. “What did you think was going to happen when you moved back to your old home when you’re still married?”

“But we weren’t married for real?—”

Grandmother pointed at me. “That might be your problem. You keep saying it wasn’t real, but it sure looked like it was. Maybe you both had feelings to back it up?”

Had Wes liked me this entire time? Was he committed to our relationship? Was it real for him? “I know how I feel, but we never talked to each other.”

Grandma nodded. “You should start there. Tell him how you feel.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way?” I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans.

“Then you’ll know. It’s better than whatever this is.” She waved a hand around the room. “What are the boxes for?”

My jaw tightened. “I’m moving into an apartment.”

“Why would you do something like that?” Her voice raised.

“The estate’s going to be sold. I need to create a new life.”

“I wouldn’t do any of that before you talk to that young man of yours. I think he might have something to say about that.”

“I don’t know?—”

“For such a smart girl, you don’t see yourself clearly.” Grandma gave me a stern look.

Was that true? Had I been blind to what was happening in front of me for years? Had Wes liked me the same way I was interested in him? How could I be so obtuse?

“Wes didn’t look like a man who was faking anything.”

My cheeks heated. Our wedding night had felt real, and everything else that followed had too. I had to keep telling myself it wasn’t, so I didn’t fall deeper with him. Not that it stopped me from falling head over heels in love with my best friend. We didn’t stand a chance. And it was all Grandmother’s plan. I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“After Evelyn revealed your marriage was a fraud, she came to me, saying she deserved a larger piece of the estate because you’d manipulated me and lied about your wedding to inherit. ”

After everything I’d been through with my family, I shouldn’t have been surprised my own mother would do something to hurt me and help her. Now that I’d had time to think about everything, I was grateful the truth had come out. But I didn’t like that it was my mother who did it. “I’m resigned to losing everything at this point. It’s up to you what you want to do with your home.”

Grandma carefully considered me before she said, “I’m giving you the estate. I love your plans for it. I’m going to look into naming it a historical site so it can never be demolished.”

“That would be amazing. I already started doing some research on that. I can show you what I have.” I hadn’t continued with it because I needed the consent of the owner, and I never thought Grandma would approve.

“You’re doing good work. I’ve seen your videos, and I can see why people love you. You’re passionate about this place in a way your father isn’t. Evelyn just wants money. I’m delighted to give it to you.”

“Even though I didn’t meet the stipulation?” I asked as she stood and made her way to the front door.

Grandmother turned slightly to see my face. “Haven’t you? You might have thought it was fake, but it wasn’t.”

I was married to Wes, and I couldn’t just give up without a fight. If we were married for real, I wouldn’t walk away without working through our issues. My hope increased. This would be one fight we had, one of many. We needed to learn how to traverse these issues together. Granted, most couples didn’t air their grievances online. Our situation was unique. But our feelings weren’t.

“I think you’re right.”

“You’re going to be okay, Sutton. I want you to be happy. Like I was with your grandfather. ”

I felt lighter than I had. “I wish I could have seen you two together.”

She grinned. “It just so happens that I have letters we wrote to each other when he was drafted.”

“I would be honored to read them.”

“It will give you a little dose of history and romance. I know your viewers love that.”

“Thank you.” My voice was thick with emotion. There had been so many surprises today. I could take care of myself. I could pivot when necessary. And my grandmother saw me in a way my mother didn’t. No matter what happened with Wes, I’d be okay.

Grandma got up to leave. “And just so you know, I’ve promised your parents a sizable monetary award so that they won’t contest your inheritance. I think that will be the end of their meddling.”

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I had other things to worry about, like how I was going to get Wes back.