Page 26 of If You Love Me

Summer took that and ran with it. “Let me show you my room!”

She ran over to her mother and grabbed her hand, pulling her off down the hall. I turned to Tyrion.

“Can I speak with you in private?”

I didn’t give him a chance to respond before I was walking back out the front door. His footsteps echoed behind me as I made my way to the end of the driveway. Once we were far enough away from the house, I turned back to him.

“How could you blindside me like that?” I asked.

“If you think you were blindsided, how do you think I feel? I wasn’t expecting this today. I was preparing for a meeting when I got the call. I had to drive two hours to get her.”

“So you had a total of four hours to let me know what was up, and you didn’t think about that?”

“Iona… my wife was missing for ten years. I didn’t know if she was dead or alive. The last thing I thought about when I got that call, was calling you.”

“Oh! Okay.”

He sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant I didn’t think about calling you or anybody—”

“Yet your parents and hers are here. I guess I was just the afterthought.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, okay? I told the people I knew would want to see her first. Please don’t make this personal. She’s back, and she’s gonna be around for Summer. You two will just have to get used to each other. I’m begging you. Don’t make this any more awkward than it already is. Just come inside. Eat dinner. Get to know her.”

He tried to pull me toward the house, but I yanked away. “I need a minute.”

He sighed and raised his hands in surrender. “Okay.”

Leaning in, he kissed my cheek before heading back up to the house. I paced the driveway for a good five minutes before storming to my car to grab my phone to call my mother.

“Pick up, pick up,” I mumbled as the phone rang several times.

“Hello?”

“Ma.”

“What’s wrong with you? Why do you sound like that?”

“She’s back.”

“Who’s back?”

“Tyrion’s wife, Mama. I came to drop Summer off, and there she was standing in the living room. Mama, he didn’t even tell her he’s getting married.”

“Hold on, calm down.”

“I can’t calm down. You didn’t see the hurt in her eyes, Mama. She still loves him. She came here thinking she was getting her family back, and she’s not.”

“Iona, take a deep breath. In and out.”

It was frustrating that she was doing her psychology shit on me, but I did as she suggested and took a few deep breaths.

“Now,” she continued. “Tyrion loves you. He asked to spend the rest of his life with you, baby.”

“That was before he knew she was, in fact, alive. Again, he didn’t tell her about me—”

“The man was in shock. I wouldn’t be thinking about my fiancée if my missing spouse popped up, either. I don’t say that to be harsh; I say it to be real. I’m sure he didn’t intentionally keep you in the dark. That’s a hard thing to tell someone and an even harder pill to swallow, baby. Give him some grace.”

She wasn’t helping. She was supposed to be on my side, not be the fucking voice of reason.

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