Page 75 of Gravity of Love
Frankie waited for his rebuttal. He always had something to say, but this time, he didn’t reply.
She continued, “We were friends. Wearefriends. I don’t want usnotto be friends, so I think we should just be honest. We should never have gotten engaged. We weren’t in love with each other.”
Before he could respond, they pulled into The Castaway’s parking lot. Dr. Sterling and her mom were standing close to thevalet area. Strings of fairy lights twinkled along the eaves of the old log-cabin-turned-restaurant, and laughter drifted out over the gravel lot.
As the valet rounded the driver’s side door, Tristan turned to Frankie, leaning over the console, his hand cupping her face. To anyone on the outside, it would look like a sweet, intimate moment between an engaged couple. “Can we shelve this? Please? I’m so sick ofserious relationship talks. After what Petra did, I think I deserve to have a good night.”
Frankie nodded, smiling as she suppressed her irritation that, once again, he was playing the victim card. When she agreed he kissed the tip of her nose, which only increased her agitation. It might be a sweet gesture from someone else, but she’d always felt it was borderline condescending coming from Tristan. Just another in the long line of red flags she’d missed because red flags look pink when you wear rose-colored glasses.
“Thank you for being here!” Cora wrapped her arms around Liam.
“Of course.” He closed his eyes and allowed himself to absorb the maternal warmth of her hug. She’d always been like a second mom to him, and now she was legally going to be taking that spot. “You look beautiful.”
She took a step back, and his arms fell to his side. She placed her hands on his cheeks as she stared up into his eyes. “How are you?Really?”
“Good.”
Her eyes searched his, and he could see that she wasn’t convinced. The truth was he had been good. He’d been great, actually. The only reason he wasn’t now was because of hisasshat of a little brother and the unresolved feelings he currently had for her daughter. The ones he’d stupidly allowed himself to act on and now didn’t know what to do with them.
When he arrived at the restaurant, he had the unlucky privilege of pulling up behind the two of them and seeing them huddled together through the rear window. He was forced to watch him kiss her, even if it was on the nose. He wanted to puke.
“Frankie told me that youfinallymet your sisters.”
“I did.”
“And you’re an uncle.”
“I am.”
“I bet your nieces and nephews love you.”
“I love them.”
“Are you sure okay with this?”
It depended on what “this” was. If she was asking him if he was okay with Frankie and Tristan, then fuck no, he wasn’t, and he didn’t care about Frankie not wanting to upset her mom, he wasn’t going to lie to Cora and tell her he was.
“With what?”
She lifted her hand, revealing the impressive solitaire diamond sitting on her ring finger.
“Oh, that… yes.”
“Really?” she questioned.
“I want you to be happy. Ifhemakes you happy, then yes.” Liam was much more protective of Cora than he was of his dad or the man he grew upthinkingwas his dad.
“I know things are strained between the two of you, but he loves you. He misses you.”
“He has a funny way of showing it.”
He braced himself for her to defend his father, to tell him that the phone goes both ways and that Liam was an adult and just asresponsible for their relationship being estranged as he was. But that didn’t happen.
“I know,” she agreed. “It’s wrong, and I’m so sorry.”
He blinked, staring down at her, waiting for the “but”,but one never came.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” She started to leave, but as she turned, something niggled at his mind. It was the way she’d worded her question about him meeting his sisters, as if she already knew he had sisters. “Cora.”
