Page 78 of Beau & Autumn

“Well, it's done, and I love him.” I remain firm, folding my arms across my chest.

The thing is, I’m not even pretending anymore, so at least I can stop feeling guilty about that part. This past week being at his place with Bruiser has been an absolute dream. We’re getting along better than ever, and he’s not really messy and has been very attentive and just fun to be around.

It’s safe to say, I’m having a ball with this and I have absolutely no regrets. So I’m not going to be made to feel guilty about it. I know everyone is upset they didn’t get to witness the wedding, so that part I understand. But we’re here now, and we can’t go back in time. So it is what it is. I just wish for once Mom would be happy for me about something.

“So, that’s it!” She throws her hands up in the air.

“What do you want me to say, Mom? I’m sorry you found out like this. But it’s something we wanted to do spontaneously.”

“I don’t understand you, Autumn. You had a perfectly good suitor all lined up with Michael. Then you break up with him, and a couple of months later you’re married to Beau Bassett! What can he even offer you? He’s some accounts keeper at a bourbon distillery for Heaven's sake!”

I stand there stunned like she’s slapped me in the face, and a part of me feels like she has because tears immediately spring to my eyes. Mom has always had the ability to get me unglued in a matter of seconds, and throwing in my cheating-ex, Michael, is just a low blow. “How can you say that?” I finally find my voice, but it sounds small, and I’m more than aware of it. “Michael cheated on me, Mom! You know that!”

She tsks and I look up at her. “So you think it’s acceptable for me to put up with that, just to keep the respectable family name by marrying some rich asshole!”

“Don’t you start raising your voice and cussing at me, young lady!”

“What do you expect!” My voice is definitely rising but I’m hardly yelling at her. “And for the record, Beau is more of a man than he will ever be.”

“Anyone can have a slip, Autumn. I’m sure Michael didn’t mean to do what he did, he was so apologetic to us when we saw him.”

My eyes bug wide. “What!”

She tries to wave it off with her perfectly manicured hand. “I just wish you’d tried to work things out, that’s all I’m saying.”

I place my hands on my hips, my temper now at the surface and about to bubble over.

It’s only Dad’s voice that stops me. I didn’t even hear him come in.

“Ruth!”

She turns to look up at my dad and he gives her one of his ‘I mean business’ looks. My dad sure does know how to handle her. She backs off, slightly.

“We have a young man out there that’s clearly in love with our daughter. Now, we can accept it and welcome him in because it’s done, or we can keep bringing up the past which is obsolete anyway.”

I blink up at my dad, the tears actually brim past the surface and fall down my face. I wipe them away fiercely as my heart races ten to the dozen. I cannot believe my own mother brought up Michael and is making him out to be a real charmer, insinuating that I should have stayed with him even after what he did! How dare she! And talking about Beau like he’s some piece of dirt on the ground because he works at his family's distillery. I’m so ashamed of her right now.

“Thanks, Daddy.” I touch his arm but make my way past them to find Bruiser in the den, scooping him up into my arms and giving him a cuddle. I find his carry case and pop him back inside. Then I head back outside where Beau is politely talking to Gran. They both look up at me and stop when they see my upset face and the fact I’m holding Bruiser’s case. “Beau, we should go. I’m sorry, Gran, I just can’t?—”

Beau immediately stands and reaches for me pulling me into his arms.

“Sweetheart,” I hear Gran but I pull away from Beau and grab his hand.

“We have to go,” I say. “Talk to you later, Gran. Tell Anton I’ll talk to him later, too.”

I let go of Beau and swiftly make haste out of sight to the side of the house, where we cut through to get to the front without going back through the house.

Beau is practically jogging to keep up with me. “Autumn!” he says as he reaches for me again once we’re at the front of the house. I swing around and run into his hard chest, it stops me in my tracks.

I inhale his sweet, sexy scent and look up into his concerned baby blues.

He lifts my chin with his finger. “Baby, stop, tell me what happened.”

“Not here,” I say, glancing back toward the patio area. But no one is coming after us. Hopefully Dad is still giving Mom a few choice words in the house, and poor Gran, I just left her sitting there.

“Yes here!” He backs me slowly to the wall and holds me there, looking down, lifting Bruiser’s cage out of my hand and placing it on the ground for a moment. His other hand slides to my hip.

I’m a little out of breath and upset, but I know I need to calm down. “She just… She just…” I want to scream at how that woman makes me feel sometimes. Nothing I do is ever good enough, nothing.

---