Page 61 of Her Ex's Father
Ben’s eyes cut to mine, darkening. Caroline only laughs and Leo glances at his mom in interest.
“Yes,” she answers honestly. “It wasn’t easy coming back here, pregnant with Leo and no man to ‘take care of me,’” the words are scathing, making it clear that this is a myth she doesn’t put any stock in. “A lot of my friends stopped associating with me and obviously jokes and cruel comments were made. But I knew it would be worth it. Ifeltit, and as soon as I saw him, it only reinforced that belief.”
She speaks proudly, unapologetically, despite Leo murmuring an embarrassed, “Mom.”
“Besides,” Caroline adds with a grin, “there have been some rumors about their daughter visiting certain doctors after a little too much fun at college. Funny how the things you criticize can come to roost on your own doorstep.”
It’s good to hear, though, because while our situations aren’t exactly the same, they’re similar. I’m pregnant with the child of a man who never planned to remarry. About to meet his friends, who—I can only assume—were also his wife’s friends.
How will they feel about me?
It isn’t long before we’re pulling up to a mansion of pale stone and dark timber that could rival a European chateau. Lanterns glow along the drive, casting warm pools of light on polished windows. It’s the kind of house that feels both welcoming and intimidating.
As we step out, the front doors swing open. Joseph is tall, silver-haired as well but softer than Ben, with a booming laugh that echoes down the drive. Ann is slim, elegant in navy silk, every inch the hostess. And behind them, a younger woman—Sienna, it must be. Mid-twenties, beautiful in a sharp, modern way, her dark hair pulled sleek and her gaze curious as it slides over me.
“Maddie.” Joseph’s smile is polite, warm, but his eyes flicker quickly to my stomach before coming back to my face. Not cruel, just… measuring. At least for now.
Ann leans in for the air-kiss greeting. “We’ve heard so much about you. Finally, we get to meet the woman who tamed Benedict Bronson.”
Tamed. My cheeks flame, mostly because I can’t tell if there’s an edge of sarcasm to the words. I glance at Ben, who looks like he’s holding something back, but his arm stays firm around me, grounding.
Sienna lingers at the threshold, arms folded. Her smile is faint, guarded, not unkind but not exactly welcoming either. There’s something in her eyes—curiosity, maybe resentment—that makes the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.
“Come in, come in,” Joseph urges, sweeping us toward the warmth of the house.
But even as the doors close behind us, I can feel it—the tension beneath the politeness, the weight of judgment just waiting for the right crack to spill through.
And as Ben’s hand presses lightly at my back, guiding me forward, I wonder if tonight will be the moment everything breaks open.
Chapter 22
Benedict
Dinner feels like a test in a way it never has before.
Joseph’s house is warm, candlelight reflecting off crystal and polished wood, but the atmosphere is sharp enough to cut glass. Maddie sits to my right, shoulders square, posture perfect in a way that tells me she’s fighting nerves. She looks beautiful—too beautiful for this table—but every time she smiles politely at one of Ann’s backhanded remarks, I want to overturn the damn China.
Ann starts early, before the soup is even set down. “Madeline, you must have quite the appetite these days.” Her eyes flick to Maddie’s stomach, where the bump is just beginning to show beneath the silk. “Growing families always do that to a woman.”
Maddie’s hand flinches on her lap, then stills. “The baby’s healthy,” she says steadily. “So, yes, I am too—all the time.” It’s a joke that gets the flicker of a smile from Caroline, but Ann ignores it and Joseph ignores my wife entirely.
Which may be a blessing as much as it’s infuriating.
Despite their polite welcome, it’s clear that Joseph and Ann feel a certain way about my new wife. The desire to defend her, to tell them off, is bottled up in my chest.They loved Georgiana,I remind myself.They’re still grieving; this is as much asurprise to them as it was to me, this little wife. They’ll come to love Maddie.
It’s impossible not to.
At least, that’s how I try to reassure myself.
Ann tips her head, smiling like a cat with cream. “How fortunate. Some might say it’s… impeccable timing.”
Joseph chuckles. “Yes, Ben. How long had you two even known each other before tying the knot? Six weeks? Eight?”
“Two months,” I say flatly, not bothering to mention that I’d only met Madeline previously under the circumstances of understanding that she’d be my son’s fiancée,notmy future wife.
“Remarkable,” Ann replies, lifting her wineglass. “Georgiana waited two years before you made it official. And she was your own age.”
The fork bites into my palm where I’m gripping it too tightly. Maddie doesn’t flinch, but her cheeks flame. “We were young,” I murmur, words meant for her. “And there were changes being made to the business then; Georgiana understood and wasn’t in a rush.”
