Page 15 of Dearly Unbeloved
“We woke up married, and we both saw a benefit to staying that way for a little while. I get the money, Rose gets a promotion—it’s a long story—and no one ever needs to know. Be serious. Who’s going to be surprised when they hear we’re getting divorced in three months? No harm, no foul.”
Kyo looks skeptical. “I feel like you’re making that sound a lot simpler than it is. You’re going to have to spend a lot more time together to convince people you’re married. Why not just be honest about it? You know Mom and Dad wouldn’t care.”
“It’s not our family that’s the problem. Rose’s parents are a nightmare, and I don’t want Jazz to think I’m taking advantage of Rose by using her to get the money.”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing, though?” Kyo asks, and I glare at him.
“Ouch. I mean, technically, but she’s using me, too. We’re both benefiting here. It’s all good, Kyo.”
“Okay,” he says, looking less than convinced. “You know I love you, and I appreciate you doing this for me. Just be careful.”
“I love you, too. Quit worrying, Ky. What’s the worst that could happen?”
8
ROSE
I know you hate plants, but I think a certain plant could do wonders to calm you the fuck down, if you know what I mean. - S
P.S. 88 days
Ispin my ring around the ring finger on my right hand. Walking in with a diamond on my left hand felt like flashing a neon sign. I’ve noticed Sierra wears hers on a dainty gold chain around her neck, but I hate how jewelry feels around my neck. I hate how jewelry feels in general—I begrudgingly wear my smart watch because I like tracking my steps—but the ring isn’t so bad.
Everyone made it to family dinner at Maggie and Cal’s place this week: my parents, Jazz and Liam, Liam’s moms, Eliza and Danisha, and Xan.
Sierra and I—god, I hate that we’ve become a duo—strategically picked the spot at the table closest to Eliza and Danisha, and furthest from my parents. I love my parents, Ido, but Liam truly hit the parental jackpot. I know Eliza and Danisha will at least pretend to be happy for us, and Sierra said Cal took it relatively well when she told him.
My parents will be pissed off, I know that. Xan will probably just be confused. Jazz is the wildcard. Not that she isn’t always the wildcard, but I’m not usually on the other side of it. She’s side-eyed Sierra and me multiple times already, probably wondering why we’re willingly sitting beside each other. We’re waiting until everyone’s finished eating to drop our news. It seemed like the best thing to do, but now I can barely choke down Cal’s mushroom ravioli, and it’s my favorite.
There’s a lull in the conversation, and Jazz and Liam exchange a look before she clears her throat. “So I have some news. I went to the doctor last week and?—”
“Oh my god, you’re finally pregnant?” my mom interrupts, and Jazz visibly flinches. It’s not a secret that she and Liam are desperate to be parents, and it’s not a secret that they’re trying, but Jazz was diagnosed with PCOS last year, so it’s not as simple as just trying.
“No,” Jazz replies through gritted teeth. My mom knows better than to ask. She just doesn’t give a shit. But Jazz takes a deep breath and forces her lips into a tight smile. “I’m sure this will come as a huge shock to everyone, but I was officially diagnosed with ADHD!”
There’s silence around the table because it comes as a shock to literally no one.
Maggie leans across the table toward Jazz. “Is this a ‘yay, you finally got an answer’ or an ‘oh no, we’re so sorry to hearthat’ situation?”
“The first one.”
“Yay!”
Congratulations erupt around the table from everyone except my parents. They don’t look upset, just like they’re not sure how to act. To say my parents’ relationship with Jazz has been rocky is an understatement. It all came to a head when they kicked me out for dropping out of med school, and Jazz called them out on how they treated us all growing up. At first, it seemed like things were getting better. They stopped passing quite so many judgmental comments and pretended to be happy when Jazz and Liam surprised everyone by getting married at their Halloween party just two months after they started dating officially. But as time’s gone on, it feels like they’ve gotten comfortable slipping back into their old ways.
Jazz is telling Xan about the medication her doctor recommended when my mom interrupts. “What are your doctors saying about you not getting pregnant? You’ve been trying for months.”
“Mom, I don’t think everyone at the table wants to hear about that.”
My mom waves a hand, and Jazz’s shoulders slump. No one does dismissive like Lilia Cannon. “Will this new medication cause problems with you getting pregnant? Are you not doing what the doctors are recommending? You need to be sleeping and eating right, and exercising, but not too much…”
I can see Jazz getting more and more upset as my mom talks, but it’s Liam I’m keeping an eye on. His usually sunny disposition all but disappears around my parentswhen they’re on their best behavior, and Mom is far from on her best behavior tonight.
She shakes her head and grabs her purse, rummaging for her phone. “Maybe you need more testing done. I’ll get you the name of my doctor. Make sure you mention you’re my daughter. This shouldn’t be so difficult, Jazz—you’re a Cannon.”
“She’s a Michaelson, actually.” Liam sounds perfectly calm, but he doesn’t look it. He glares at my mom, his expression stony. You could cut the tension at the table with a knife.
Liam and his parents are pissed. Jazz is dejected. My mom seems confused about the issue. My dad looks ready to jump in and defend her if Liam says anything else. Maggie’s on edge because any kind of family conflict stresses her, and Xan just looks exhausted, because we’ve been dealing with this shit for so long.
