Page 7 of Wedding Whitney
“Well, if you don’t have two kids by thirty, she loses her inheritance. Did she mention that?”
“We don’t talk about money much because we have so much of it,” I say, hoping to deflect. “You guys know I’m a pro athlete, right?” Maybe the joke will turn the conversation. I hope so anyway.
“Yeah, but no one ever has enough money, so why wouldn’t you want what Whitney has coming to her?”
“Because we’ll probably never spend what we have, so why would we need more?”
“Then you definitely don’t know how to live, because I could spend everything I have in a heartbeat.”
Christ, what a dick.
Even Canyon seems taken aback by his son’s comment.
“You better not,” Canyon tells him. “I don’t plan to die for a long time and I’m not supporting you.”
“I was joking, Dad.” Brett laughs it off.
He laughs everything off. Why the fuck is he so gleeful about bad things like potentially going broke?
Probably because he’s a prick.
And why hasn’t Whitney mentioned such an important detail in all our conversations about having children?
Her family is toxic.
And I really hate them sometimes.
Chapter 5
Whitney
After a lovely day with Hailey and then dinner with Gran, my mother, and a handful of cousins and other female relatives, I feel happily exhausted as I finally settle down for the night. Jake went golfing with my father and brother, and then they dragged him out to some bar. He sounded annoyed when we briefly spoke on the phone, but I was busy having fun.
Now that I’m home and getting ready for bed, I feel a little guilty. Jake has been a really good sport about everything so far, even though I know he’s miserable, but we agreed we’d get through it, get past the wedding, and go on an epic honeymoon before heading home to start the rest of our lives.
We’re going to Europe since I love it and haven’t been there since I was a teenager, and Jake has never been at all, except for a hockey tournament once in Switzerland. It’s going to be a blast spending two weeks exploring as many cities as possible.
We’re both excited, but right now, it seems like a lifetime until we can get away.
Jake usually comes up to my room before bed, so we can have a little alone time together, but he’s still not home yet, and it’s after midnight. I trust him, but my brother is a womanizing weasel, so I have no doubt he’s trying to tempt Jake to do something he wouldn’t normally do.
As it gets closer to one in the morning, I pull out my phone and text him.
WHITNEY: Are you on your way home?
JAKE: I’m trying, but your brother’s making it hard. I want to bond with him but…
WHITNEY: You don’t have to. Really. You want me to come get you?
JAKE: I’ll get an Uber. I’m calling one now.
WHITNEY: I’ll wait up for you.
I put the phone in my pocket and pad down to the kitchen. I decide to brew a cup of chamomile tea while I wait for him, which will hopefully help me sleep. I don’t like sleeping without him, and though I think there’s some romance in the idea of abstaining until the wedding, I’m not enjoying it—especially not on nights like tonight when he’s out late, and I know he’s not having fun.
Jake doesn’t have to lie to me.
If he’s having a good time at a strip club or something with Brett and his friends, I wouldn’t mind, and he knows it. He went out with the guys from the team before leaving Anchorage, and I was happy his teammates gave him a night to remember. I’m secure in our relationship, so I’m not worried about him cheating on me.
