Chapter 13

Acouple days after we got caught leaving her building together, I scrolled on my phone, reading the news in bed with a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the lifestyle and entertainment pages were filled with pictures of Serenity and me, and speculation was rife that we might be a new couple.

One article in particular asked whether Serenity was finally moving on from her ex, the journalist questioning whether enough time had passed since the divorce for her to be rubbing a new relationship in Ethan's face.

I groaned, shaking my head as I kept scrolling. This was why I hated the press. They saw something and ran with it, never bothering to check the facts or paying a damn shred of respect to the people in question.

Serenity hadn't even texted me back that night, nor had I heard a word from her since. We were most certainly not dating and I, for one, had no intention of rubbing anything in anyone's face. Whether she'd had ulterior motives when I'd asked if I could walk her out, I didn't know, but in the end, I'd accompanied her to her vehicle.

I hadn't fucking mounted her in public.

Frustration coursed through my veins. This was an entirely unnecessary distraction that would undoubtedly detract from my mother's wedding—and annoy the life out of me.

As it was, Mom and I had another meeting scheduled with Serenity for today and the paparazzi were going to wet themselves when they saw me visiting that place again so soon. I exhaled harshly, my eyes narrowing at the mere thought.

Speaking of which.

Checking the time on my phone, I realized I had to get going. I still had to pick up my mother and I hated being late even more than I hated being used as clickbait for the tabloids.

Finally kicking my ass into gear, I swigged the last of my coffee and got out of bed, rushing through a shower before tempting fate about a speeding ticket on my way to my mother's house. She was waiting when I arrived, laughter in her eyes when she climbed into my car.

"I see you've got a new girlfriend," she teased, reaching for her seatbelt and buckling up. "Who would've known that my wedding would lead you to your soulmate?"

I scoffed. "You saw the articles, huh?"

"Of course, I did. Finn helped me set alerts on my phone so that it notifies me whenever any of you are mentioned in the press. You'd be surprised by how often I get notifications."

"They're not usually about me, though."

She chuckled. "No, they're not usually, but it was nice to see you with Serenity. I'm glad you walked her to her car. At least it means I raised you right."

My eyes widened a bit. "You knew?"

"I'm your mother, darling. I know you're not seeing her, and considering where and when the pictures were taken, I've come to the conclusion that you took her the papers and walked her out after. I'm proud of you for both of those things, though you must admit that you two would make a lovely couple."

"Don't get your hopes up," I grated out.

She shrugged a shoulder at me and winked. "My hopes are none of your business. The paparazzi sure seem to think you'd make a wonderful couple."

"Yeah, but that's just the paparazzi being the paparazzi. They'd think that the Grinch and Cinderella would make a wonderful couple if the story helped them sell their bullshit news."

"Sad, but true," she agreed, laughing again before she became a little more serious. Her voice grew animated and she turned in her seat so she was facing me. "She's doing excellent work with the wedding, don't you think? You should tell her. Give credit where it's due. That business is already thriving under her leadership and I think there are big things in store for her in this industry if she carries on this way."

"Why do I need to tell her anything?" I asked lightly. "You gush about her enough that nobody else in our family needs to."

She chortled and gave me a playful, very light shove. "Are you sure it's just a rumor? It would be so great if just this once, there was a grain of truth to something they published. She would be a fantastic daughter-in-law. I've always wanted a daughter, but God decided to make me wait until my boys got married to give me one."

"What happens if we marry men?"

She pouted. "Then I suppose I'd have more sons. I have enough of them, but you boys aren't bad. One or two more wouldn't kill me. As long as some of you adopted little girls and I could have a granddaughter, I guess I'd be okay with that as well."

Amused laughter rumbled in my chest as I shook my head. "At this point, you might have to adopt a little girl yourself if you want one that bad. None of us are anywhere near marriage, baby-making, or adoptions."

"Nonsense. You've all been practicing baby-making for years. Eventually, a grandchild has to pop up. I'll just hope for a girl, but again, boys aren't that bad."

Rolling my eyes, I chuckled and shot her a quick, pointed look. "Well, it won't be from me. I'm careful."

"Even the best laid plans fail, honey."

I groaned. "Okay, I'm done talking about this. You can't be putting that kind of thing out into the universe. It's downright irresponsible."

She cocked her head as she smiled innocently. "You don't believe that things happen simply because someone has put them out into the universe. What makes this different?"

"Simply covering all my bases," I responded easily, changing the subject to talk about my brothers for the rest of the way to Serenity's offices.

Since we couldn't find parking nearby, I drove right up to the door and handed my keys over to the valet before taking my mother's arm. As we climbed into the elevator, I glanced at her. "Behave yourself once we get in there. No talking about the rumors or your hopes that they're not, in fact, rumors."

She rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not five, darling. Also, this is my wedding planner we're talking about. Which is what we're here for, planning my wedding. Think about someone else for a change, would you?"

A bark of laughter escaped me and she winked, composing herself just as the doors slid open in front of us. God, I love this woman.

My mother was one of the only people I could banter with that way. One of the only people who understood me inside and out and could make me laugh no matter how bad a mood I was in. If that meant I really was a mama's boy, I was one hundred percent okay with it.

Especially because I knew her just as well in return, and she rarely showed certain parts of herself to anyone else. A put-together lady in public but a fun-loving, laughter-filled mother to five boys in private. If she'd survived raising us, there was nothing she couldn't do and still have a smile on her face at the end of the day.

When we walked into Serenity's office, however, I immediately knew something was wrong. She barely looked at me, acting like nothing had ever happened between us—let alone that we'd nearly torn each other's clothes off right here in this very office just a couple nights ago.

Instead, she seemed nervous right off the bat, her eyes a little too bright and her hands clasped too tightly in front of her. Once we were seated, she came right out with it. "I have some bad news."

Mom blinked at her. "What is it?"

"There's a problem with the band I mentioned to you last time. As we discussed, I sent an availability request, but they've since scheduled another show for the day of your wedding. We just didn't get to them in time. I'm so sorry."

Annoyance rose from deep within my soul. "How did this happen? An availability request isn't the same as a booking. Surely, you should know that. If one wants a band for a specific date, you book them and you pay the same day. Done and dusted. It's not that hard."

She lifted her chin, those blue eyes filled with genuine remorse, but remorse wouldn't get my mother the band she wanted. "I wasn't aware that they had another show that day. We've barely discussed this, which is why I simply sent an inquiry about their availability rather than booking and paying for a band we hadn't decided upon just yet. I am, however, extremely sorry about the oversight. I should've kept a closer eye on their calendar, but I've compiled a list of multiple other bands to pick from."

I opened my mouth to let her know what a fucking rookie mistake she'd made and just how unacceptable that kind of slip-up was with a wedding like this, but my mom beat me to it. Smiling at Serenity, she gave her head a slight shake.

"It's not a problem at all, my dear. We didn't have our hearts set on that band and you're right. We really hadn't made the decision yet. I'm sure we'll find another fantastic band on your list and we'll simply book them instead. You're doing a great job, sweetheart. Don't worry about this."

Serenity's chest rose and fell on a deep breath, and a relieved, thankful smile spread across her lips. "Thank you for understanding. Shall we look over the list, then?"

"Let's," Mom agreed.

Serenity passed us each a piece of paper, then played different video clips for us on her laptop. Once Mom had decided on a couple options for bands she quite liked, we settled a few more things before the meeting came to an end.

All the while, I stewed silently once again about having someone so green planning this day. This might've been the first oversight, but it wouldn't be the last.

When Mom got up to leave, I turned to look at her. "Could we have a minute?"

"Of course, honey. I'll meet you outside. I wanted to chat to Julie about a few things anyway." After hugging Serenity goodbye and smirking at me, she left, shutting the door firmly behind her.

My head shook. I hoped like hell that she didn't think I was about to make a move on her wedding planner, but that smirk had told me that she knew what I wanted to talk to her about either way. With her now outside, though, I didn't mince my words or waste any time.

"I would appreciate it if we could clear up these ridiculous rumors about us," I said curtly. "I don't want Ethan to get the wrong idea. He's a true professional and I respect him. There's also my mother's wedding to consider and I'd really prefer if she could remain the center of attention."

Which was only right considering that the physical attraction between Serenity and me meant nothing. The press had gotten it wrong, and the longer we left it without setting them straight, the worse it would be.

"I'll take care of it," she said, looking me right in the eye. Her tone was as curt as my own.

She'd definitely been shorter with me today, but I didn't push to find out why. Instead, I simply nodded and strode to the door. "Thank you, Serenity. We'll be in touch."

Without looking at her again, I left, tracked down my mother, and ignored the looks she kept giving me until we were back in my car. Groaning, I finally glanced at her. "What?"

"What did you want to talk to her about?" she asked excitedly. "Did you ask her out? Are you going on a date?"

"No."

"What was it, then?"

I sighed, knowing I was about to lie to her, but it was the best thing to do at this point. "It was nothing, Mom. Just a little surprise for your wedding."

She blinked rapidly, seemingly taken aback until she finally smiled at me. "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure we're going to love it. Thank you, honey."

I made a noncommittal noise at the back of my throat. Then I navigated to a playlist Serenity had sent me featuring music of the remaining bands we had to choose between, and we listened to them all the way back to her house.

When we pulled up, she turned to look at me. "Thank you for coming with me, baby. And thank you for your help with everything. I don't know how we would've done this without you."

I smiled and leaned forward to brush a kiss to her cheek. "Have you decided between them yet?"

She nodded. "I like Strings of Fury. Let's go with them."

I chuckled as I climbed out to open the door for her. "Trust you to choose a band called Strings of Fury for your wedding. I like them too, though. I'll let her know."

"That's okay, baby. I'll talk to her about it," Mom said easily once I'd helped her out of the car. "It doesn't seem right to leave everything to you. Have a good day at the office, darling."

Giving her a quick hug, I climbed back into my car and raced over to the estate, but once again, thoughts of Serenity lingered in my mind. Something had happened between now and the other night, judging by her attitude toward me today.

I didn't know why it was bugging me, but it really was. Even if the last thing I needed was to care about the inner workings of a woman I had no business thinking about at all.