Page 33 of A Week To Wed
ChapterTwenty-One
Lincoln
“The invitation said celebration of love. But your father and I had to see for ourselves what was really going on.”
The older woman who says these words is on the arm of an older, distinguished-looking gentleman. They both bear a striking resemblance to my Maisy.
“Excuse me, I don’t believe we’ve met. Lincoln Hall.” I hold out my hand and the gentleman, unsmiling, shakes it. “Barnabas and June Milliken.” The lady does not take my hand but stares at my face like she’s trying to figure out my angle.
“Mama! Daddy! When did you arrive?”
The older woman purses her lips. “Well, if you would answer your phone, you would’ve known we arrived yesterday. I was hoping to speak to you before this spectacle, but I see I’m too late.”
Maisy chirps. “Not too late. The ceremony doesn’t start until nine. We do things differently around here,” she says with a wink.
I look over at Maisy and see the real worry behind her charming exterior.
“We heard from our dear daughter last night,” Barnabas says with a patronizing edge to his voice, “After a week of frantic phone calls, we hired a private investigator to put our minds at ease. Then we waited to hear from you. We hardly suspected all this.”
Maisy’s arm, hooked around mine, stiffens.
“I’m sorry for making you worry. I needed to get far away from everything, to get clarity. I knew you’d be upset at me for leaving the wedding like I did. And maybe that was cowardly, and I’m sorry. I wanted to make my own choices. I didn’t want to marry Godfrey. And Godfrey only wanted to marry me for the money. So, I met a cowboy and fell in love.”
She looks over at me, sending me a soft, grateful smile.
June blinks at her daughter. “Darling, you know it’s not nice to scam somebody as a part of your juvenile acting out.”
“I’m not acting out,” Maisy replies.
“I’m sorry to tell you this,” Barnabas says to me, “but our daughter is only using you to get back at us.”
I can’t hold back anymore. I have to defend my bride.
“Yes, I hope she’s using me,” I say. Both of Maisy’s parents look at me like I’m nuts. “I’ve been pining for Maisy Milliken since I met her as a young cowpoke on her Meemaw’s ranch. Ask anyone. And when she showed up here and told me her whole story, I told her I’ll take her any way I can, and if that means using me to get back at her parents, that’s just fine with me.”
I see Maisy’s shocked look out of the corner of my eye.
“Excuse me?” June says.
Now I am on a roll, and I just go with it. “When I found her again on social media, I messaged her for months and months, and she never gave me the time of day. Then finally, I lured her to my ranch, seduced her with my charms, and dangled money and property in front of her cute little nose. And what do you know? She bit.”
I really hope this little charade that I’m doing is not going to backfire on me.
Next to me, I feel Maisy tremble. Oh shit, I hope she’s not crying. I look over and see she’s biting on both of her lips. I know that look. Her shoulders are trembling, and she’s trying not to laugh.
“What in the heck kind of sick and twisted relationship is this?” June asks in her Texas twang, which sounds like my Maisy’s. “Maisy, are you coming home with us or not?”
Maisy, sweet Maisy, is still laughing. I can’t tell if it’s from exhaustion or genuine mirth. I’m just glad she’s not upset at my ridiculous story.
“Oh, Mama and Daddy. I hope one day that you’ll come around because Lincoln and I are going to have lots and lots of babies. And I know you already have your hands full in Dallas with two other grown children and grandchildren who behave in lockstep. But I hope you’ll consider getting to know Lincoln. And while you’re doing that, stay a spell and get to know me. Your daughter.”
I’m so proud of my girl. I think my buttons might pop off of my shirt.
Many say that if you host a big, expensive wedding of your dreams, the marriage is guaranteed to end up in divorce.
But I knew from the moment Maisy made me smile that she was more than expensive tastes. I knew she was a woman who goes after what she wants, and what she wants is me.
All I have to do to prove that she loves me is look around the room. I may have had some tricks up my sleeve for the day, but Maisy surprised me more than anyone ever has. What I did for her doesn’t even come close to what she did for me. She showed me that I have friends.
