Page 77 of Beau & Autumn

I see Beau’s Adam’s apple bob. “I do, sir.” He nods once. “More than anything. And I promise to look after her with everything I have.”

My throat runs dry again listening to his words, because I believe them. I know fake wife or not, that’s exactly what Beau will do.

“Well, I think a cause for celebration is in order,” Gran says as she pats Beau on the arm. She can be a hard woman, but fair most of the time. She seems to be taking it well. However, my mom, a tall, wiry woman with similar long hair to mine in the same chestnut color, is not convinced, not one bit. I see she’s scowling and her eyebrows pull together more harshly than Gran’s did, while her lips have formed an angry pout.

“A celebration!” She balks as she looks at her mother. “You have to be joking!”

“Finally my beautiful granddaughter is married. I never thought this day was going to happen,” Gran says. “So, yes. I think a celebration is a good idea. Chase?”

Dad finally unfolds his arms across his chest and gives Beau a firm pat on the back.

“Just be good to her,” he says, shaking Beau’s hand. “That’s all I ask.”

Beau blinks and presses his lips together. “Always, Mr. Davenpo?—”

“Chase,” Dad corrects, before Beau gets the words out.

I glance at Dad, surprised. Again, the fact Beau isn’t a stranger could be softening the blow.

“I don’t understand why you didn’t tell us!” Mom insists.

“I’m so sorry, it’s my fault,” Beau jumps in. “Mrs Davenport, our whirlwind romance took us by storm. We went away together last weekend, and I asked her to marry me. We didn’t want to live in sin, you see.”

“We were trying to do the right thing,” I add.

“I think your mother and I are just upset that we didn’t get to see our only daughter actually get married,” Dad goes on. “Right, Ruth?”

Mom is still pouting and not looking one bit impressed, her arms tightly crossed over her chest. “Correct,” she says shortly, then turns to me. “We need to talk in the kitchen, now!”

I sigh, putting my cup down. I knew this was coming.

“Ruth,” Dad warns. I’m glad he seems to be on our side, even if he’s still wary. It’s not every day your only daughter comes home married.

“She’s my daughter too, Chase. The only one I have!” She fires a look at Beau as she stands and whirls around. I slink out of my chair and give Beau an exasperated look as I follow her toward the double doors off the back porch that lead back into the house. I hear Beau continue chatting to Gran and Dad before I walk back inside.

As soon as we’re inside she closes the door and whirls around to face me.

“What in God’s name do you call this?!” she hisses.

“Mom, please, let me explain!”

“You’ve got about five seconds to do that, missy!”

I blink up at her. She’s taller than me and can be very intimidating when she’s like this. She’s not going to just let this go. “Mom, I’m thirty-three years old, please remember that.”

“That has nothing to do with it. I had no idea you even had those kinds of feelings for this man, much less wanted to marry him.” She waves her arms toward the patio doors in his direction.

“Well, as we said, it’s been brewing for a while and it all happened so fast. It’s not like he’s a stranger, Mom.”

“So that makes it ok? Running off in secret… My God, you’re not pregnant, are you?”

“Mom! No!” I flush, shocked that she would even think that would be the reason.

“Can you blame me for asking that?”

“It’s as Beau said, we wanted to do the right thing and not live in sin. I wanted to do things right with him this time around.”

“And again, running off to get married in secret seems pretty extreme to me!”

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