“Is your family part of the Westchester Canes?”
“No, I’ve never been to any chesters. East or west. I’ve never been anywhere, really. Outside of North Carolina, that is. I’ve only ever lived in Harvest Hollow.”
“Hmm.” Her lips are a thin line. “You’re quite sure you’re not related to Charles Cane? A distant cousin, perhaps?”
“I don’t have any cousins. It’s just my dad and me now. He’s my only family. Besides Bridger, of course.”
“Yes, of course.” She turns to him. “Besides Bridger.”
“Mom, Loren already knows your people probably researched her family tree all the way back to the Puritans. You don’t have to pretend.”
“But why not, my dear?” She lays a hand over her heart, feigning ignorance. “You two are so good at it.”
More nervous laughter from me.
Bridger smirks. “Did that kiss look like we were pretending?”
“It did not.” There’s a long moment of silence, then her gaze drops to my hand. “However, I did notice you’re not wearing a ring.”
My stomach plunges. Even farther than the previous bottoming out.
The jig is up. So up.
She turns to Bridger. “And you seem to have your band on now, but your ring finger was quite naked when I arrived.”
He frowns. “Please keep the word ‘naked' out of all our future conversations. There’s not enough money in the trust to pay for that kind of therapy.” He lifts his hand, waving theengraved band in front of her face.BJA. “I put this back on as soon as I got home from working out. Weights can bend the metal, and this ring is precious to me.”
Precious?A soft fluttering begins behind my breastbone. But the rest of my body?
Nauseous.
Before Margaret’s interrogation can return to me, Bridger steps between us, fully blocking her from view. Then he takes my hand and produces my ring from his pocket.LCA.
Loren Cane Adams.
I can practically hear Susan Pantsuit saying the circular band symbolizes the never-ending nature of eternity. Gotta be honest. It hits different now. “Here,” he says softly. And as he slides the ring onto my finger, my gaze comes to his. He’s looking directly at me. Not down at the ring.
More fluttering ensues. A significant amount.
Then he rounds on his mother.
“Not that my wife owes you an explanation,” he says, his voice deep and settled, “but she doesn’t wear her ring when she visits Havenwood.”
This is true. Mostly because I never wear my ring, period.
Margaret scoffs. “And why not?”
“I’ve only recently met Harlan,” he says, “so we decided telling him we’re married might confuse him. And there’s no reason to add any new challenges to his life.”
New challenges.
Bridger is right. It’s one thing to risk my own heart if things between us don’t work out. But hurting my dad? That’s something I never intended. Still, my dad already thinks Bridger is my husband. And he approves. Too bad Bridger doesn’t know that I know he knows.
Yet.
I square my shoulders, facing Margaret. “Your son’s been a very sweet friend to my father,” I say. “Bridger saw hownervous I was about the move to Havenwood, so he’s been visiting my dad there in the afternoons. To keep him company. While I tutor.” Bridger’s gaze snaps to mine. “Just this morning, my dad was telling me how much he likes you.”
“He did?”