Page 37 of Unexpectedly Wanted
I gave a weak smile. I’d already figured that much out since it seemed like every day they’d been here, they’d returned home with stories of all the precious antiques they found and the neat shops they’d been in. Well, mostly Lorna. Harold never said much.
I hadn’t actually seen if they’d bought stuff on their adventures, but it was clear that Lorna was still stuck in that headspace. Maybe it was too much for her to acknowledge that her life was about to unravel. I suppose I could understand that. It didn’t mean my opinion of the woman had changed, though. I still wasn’t a fan, not even a little. However, I had a feeling that what Harold had told me wasn’t the end of it.
“Lorna… she’s got this idea in her head,” he told me. The man sounded resigned and looked beaten down in a way that I hadn’t seen in the brief time I’d known him. “She thinks that by getting Milo hitched to the Carver family, our money problems will be solved.”
“Harold!” Lorna gasped from the entrance of the kitchen. Her face looked horror-stricken. “How dare you air our dirty laundry like that. I cannot believe you.”
“Lorna,” Harold said in a tone that sounded close to a warning. “There is no hiding anymore.”
She came closer, fire blazing behind her eyes. I realized as I stared at her that Milo had her eyes. The color. The shape. But his were much more pleasant to look at. His didn’t hold a coldness behind them like hers did.
It went without saying— though, I wanted to say it anyway— I liked his eyes much, much better.
“I will not be the laughingstock of the town. I refuse,” she said, tone still on the light side, but I wondered if she was close to snapping. “I did not marry you to be left withnothing.”
The chair scraped over the tile floor as Harold calmly rose to his feet and faced his wife. I rose too, ready to step between them if needed.
“Milo will marry Blaire Carver,” she spat, all couth demeanor gone now. “He will move back to Willow Hill, and he will use their prestige and wealth to help us get everything right again. I did not put in all these years as a wife and a mother to lose everything I’ve worked for.”
“Worked,” Harold said with a snort. “You haven’t done much, Lorna. Even you have to admit that. While I appreciate that the house is pristine and the fact that our son is as well-balanced as he is, you can’t stand there and argue that’s because of you. Ever since I stopped the cleaning service, the place has turned into a mess. And Milo basically raised himself. You were there when it worked for you.”
“I never…” she gasped, hand actually going to her chest as if she was highly offended by his words.
“So, just to be clear here, because I think I missed some of that,” Milo said. The room fell dead silent as we all turned to face him. “You’re broke and you need me to dig you out of the hole. Is that right?”
“Yes, son,” Harold said. “But I don’t expect you to fix this for us. I was going to tell you, but I wanted Remy to know what was going on too. I figured you’d need him—”
“They’re not actually a couple,” Lorna spat. “He’s too good for Milo anyway. No one like him would ever look twice at Milo.”
“Pardon my language, ma’am,” I said, stepping between her and Milo. “But you need to shut your fucking mouth right now.”
“Well, maybe you and Milo aren’t so different. I see your manners are just about as desirable as Milo’s quirks.” She was a snake, and she was now showing her true colors. Her vile, venomous words wouldn’t hurt me, but I was worried about what kind of damage they would do to Milo.
“Stop!” Milo said sternly. He wasn’t quite yelling, but he did want to be heard. “Enough. I want you to leave.”
“You can’t just throw us out. Our stuff. We need to pack. And we really should talk about all of this.” Lorna looked like she was coming unraveled.
“I can’t deal with this right now,” Milo said, and then he turned to walk out of the room. He stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. “I just need you out of my house.”
He continued on his way. A moment later, I heard his feet hit the stairs. I breathed a little sigh of relief that he hadn’t stormed out of the house and left me scrambling to track him down once I made sure his parents were gone.
Lorna stood there with her mouth hanging open. I wasn’t sure why the woman seemed so shocked.
“Let’s go, Lorna,” Harold said, ushering his wife past me and out of the kitchen. He stopped beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s my mess. I intend to clean it up. I never wanted Milo to be part of it like this. I hadn’t known about her plan before we came here, and I’m very sorry I’ve brought this into his home. Will you please tell him that for me?”
“I’ll pass it along, but you should tell him yourself,” I said. “Let me see if I can get him calmed down. Come back tonight and see how it is. But if he wants you gone, I will help you pack your bags myself. Do you understand me?”
“I understand. We’ll come back tonight and if he wants us to leave, we’ll leave.” Harold moved on, his feet stopping a few steps later. “I know it might not mean much, but tell him I’m very proud of the life he’s built for himself here. Just in case I don’t get the chance to tell him myself. Thank you, Remy. For everything you’ve done.”
Then he was gone.
I didn’t move until I heard the front door open and close again. The house was so silent it was almost ringing with the echoing energy from the bomb that had been dropped.
Then I was moving through the house and up the stairs as fast as I could.
I had to get to Milo.
Nothing mattered but making sure he was okay.
